(For Australian Families Seeking a Place for Their Child)
Choosing an early learning setting for your child is one of the most important decisions you’ll make as a parent. The early years are a time of rapid development — emotionally, socially, and cognitively — and a high-quality early childhood program lays the foundation for a lifetime of learning and wellbeing.
According to Australia’s Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF), quality education and care are built on relationships — respectful, responsive, and reciprocal — and environments where every child feels secure, confident and included.
So, what does quality actually look like, feel like, and sound like when you visit a service?
Below are what to look for, feel for, and listen for when you visit a service — along with the questions you should ask.
👀 What Quality Early Childhood Looks Like
When you walk into a high-quality early childhood environment, you’ll often see:
Children actively engaged: exploring, playing, creating, interacting with others and with educators.
Educators positioned at the children’s level: crouched down, listening, observing, guiding rather than just instructing; but also, actively supervising.
Play-based, meaningful materials and provocation (not only ‘toys’, children seems to be more inclined to play with carboard boxes than a close ended resource)
Displays of children’s work, stories and interests — showing that children’s voices matter, that their work is valued (unless it’s not the services philosophy).
Diversity and inclusion in materials: books, images, toys and experiences that reflect different cultures, languages, abilities and family types.
A balance of routine and flexibility — you can see predictable structure, but also freedom for children’s curiosity and choice.
And a key reminder: brand new and pristine spaces don’t always equal quality. A service with fresh paint and fancy toys may look impressive, but the true measure of quality is what happens inside — the relationships, the responsiveness, the depth of learning and connection. Well-worn activity corners where children’s work is evident can often show deeper engagement than a shiny showroom environment.
Questions to ask around “looks like”:
“How do you plan for each individual child’s interests and learning?”
“How is the program aligned with the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF)?
“How do you support children from diverse backgrounds?”
“How do you balance a daily routines or rituals with flexibility or spontaneous play?”
💛 What Quality Early Childhood Feels Like
When you step into a service, you should feel a sense of belonging — for both your child and your family. It should feel warm, safe, respectful and inclusive. Ask yourself: Do children and families appear known, welcomed and valued? Are educators calm, attentive and present?
It should feel:
Welcoming: someone greets you by name, takes time to connect, asks about your child’s day.
Safe and respectful: children are treated with kindness, their questions are heard, their emotions handled with care.
Joyful but calm: you hear laughter, you see exploration, but you don’t feel chaos or rushedness.
Collaborative: you are treated as a partner in your child’s learning, not just a drop-off/pick-up.
Intentional: there is a sense of purpose behind the routines, interactions and environments.
Questions to ask around “feels like”:
“What is your process for orientating new children and families to the service?”
“How do you support children in transition (for example, when moving from one room to another, or from home to the service)?”
“What is your educator turnover rate?
“What’s your safeguarding statement and process — how do you keep children safe, what training do staff have?”
“How do you involve families in partnership?”
👂 What Quality Early Childhood Sounds Like
Listening can tell you a lot. The sounds of a high-quality service include:
Children’s voices — children narrating their play, asking questions, collaborating, problem-solving with peers.
Educators’ voices — calm, encouraging, responsive, asking open-ended questions, scaffolding thinking, sometimes firm but never angry or dismissive.
Conversations between children and adults — not just instructions, but meaningful back-and-forth exchanges.
Moments of play, laughter, storytelling, singing, and also quiet reflection or concentration.
Questions to ask around “sounds like”:
“How do you support children’s language and communication development through everyday interactions?”
“What opportunities do children have to express their ideas, make choices and reflect on their learning?”
“How do educators respond when children initiate a question or a new idea?”
🌱 Why the First Five Years Matter
These early years are absolutely foundational. Research tells us that by the age of five:
A child’s brain is approximately 90% of adult size.
Connections between brain cells (synapses) are forming at an extraordinary rate — millions per second in the earliest years.
The experiences children have — their relationships, emotional security, stimulation and environment — shape the architecture of their brain and therefore their capacity for learning, behaviour and health across life.
In short: the quality of the early years matters immensely. This is why selecting the right early learning service is so important.
✅ Final Thoughts
Quality early childhood education in Australia isn’t about the latest gadgets or the most glamorous building. It’s about relationships, responsiveness, inclusion and purpose. When you visit services, pay attention to how things look, feel and sound — and ask the right questions.
A quality early learning environment should:
Look like discovery, play and inclusion.
Feel like belonging, safety and connection.
Sound like curiosity, conversation and joy.
