Category Archives: Exceeding the NQS BEST tips

Exceeding the NQS BEST tips

Epilepsy Awareness in Action: Embedding Inclusive Medical Practice in ECEC

Posted on by Jennifer Scafidas

Some children arrive at our services carrying more than backpacks. They carry medical plans. Emergency medication. Parent anxieties. Quiet hopes that their child will be safe, included, and understood.

For families of children living with epilepsy, every day requires trust. Trust that educators will recognise a seizure. Trust that supervision is vigilant. Trust that systems are strong. Trust that their child will belong — not be defined by a diagnosis.

Purple Day (26 March) is not simply about wearing purple. It is about honouring that trust. For early childhood services, this day provides a meaningful opportunity to strengthen inclusive practice in alignment with the Education and Care Services National Law, the Education and Care Services National Regulations, and the vision of the Early Years Learning Framework — that every child is safe, supported and able to participate fully.

When approached intentionally, Purple Day becomes powerful evidence of Exceeding practice — not because of decorations, but because of strengthened systems, deeper reflection and genuine collaboration.

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Exceeding the NQS BEST tips

Embedding Safe Sleep Culture in Early Childhood Education and Care

Posted on by Jennifer Scafidas

Perfect for Red Nose Safe Sleeping week 9 -15 March 2026 By BEST Childcare Consultancy  Every day, families place their babies into our arms with complete trust. They trust that we will notice the small things. They trust that we will follow the safest advice. They trust that when their child closes their eyes to

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Exceeding the NQS BEST tips

Disaster Resilience Learning in Early Childhood: Calm, Child-Led and Trauma-Aware

Posted on by Jennifer Scafidas

ood education and care services are uniquely positioned to support children not only to be safe, but to feel safe, confident and supported. As extreme weather events, natural disasters and community emergencies become part of children’s lived experiences, high-quality services respond not by increasing fear, but by strengthening emotional literacy, environmental awareness, trust in helpers and a sense of belonging.

Disaster resilience learning in early childhood is not about drills or frightening information. Instead, it is built through ongoing exploration of weather and environmental change, learning about community helpers, embedding emotional regulation skills, and creating space for children’s voices about what helps them feel safe when things feel uncertain.

Two complementary Australian resources support this approach:

The Helping Hands Disaster Resilience Toolkit from ABC Kids Early Education, which supports educators to plan age-appropriate learning about weather, safety, helpers and preparedness

Birdie’s Tree Natural Disaster Recovery resources from Children’s Health Queensland, which use story, play and calming strategies to help children process big feelings safely

When embedded intentionally into everyday practice, these resources support services to demonstrate Exceeding practice across all Quality Areas, while keeping children emotionally protected, empowered and calm.

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Exceeding the NQS BEST tips

Managing Extreme Heat in Early Childhood Education and Care

Posted on by Jennifer Scafidas

Extreme heat is no longer an occasional challenge for early childhood education and care services — it is a predictable and increasing risk that directly impacts children’s health, wellbeing, emotional regulation, sleep, and capacity to learn. For educators, extreme heat also affects physical wellbeing, decision-making, and the ability to provide responsive, high-quality care.

High-quality services recognise that managing heat is not simply about comfort. It is a child safety obligation, a workplace health responsibility, and a clear indicator of responsive, intentional practice under the National Quality Framework.

Services demonstrating Exceeding practice moved beyond reactive responses to hot days. Instead, they embedded heat-responsive planning, flexible pedagogy, strong communication and continuous improvement into everyday operations — ensuring children remained safe, regulated and supported, even when temperatures soared.

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Exceeding the NQS BEST tips

Love, Belonging and Excellence: Valentine’s Day in Exceeding Services

Posted on by Jennifer Scafidas

Valentine’s Day in early childhood is a gentle reminder of what matters most — love shown through safety, kindness, listening and care. For young children, love isn’t about cards or gifts; it’s about feeling secure, valued and deeply understood.

When approached with intention, Valentine’s Day becomes a meaningful opportunity to nurture friendships, express gratitude and strengthen the relationships at the heart of quality early learning — between children, educators and families. These practices align deeply with the Early Years Learning Framework, the National Quality Standard, and the everyday actions that underpin Exceeding-level services.

Rather than being a one-off event, Valentine’s Day serves as a quiet prompt to reflect on how love, care and respect are intentionally embedded into daily practice, all year round.

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Exceeding the NQS BEST tips

Embedding Social Justice for Exceeding Practice in Early Childhood Education

Posted on by Jennifer Scafidas

Social justice is not a standalone concept taught on a single day — it is a lived experience for children, shaped by how they are treated, included, listened to, and valued every day within early learning environments. The Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF v2.0) places strong emphasis on equity, inclusion, and children’s rights, recognising that early childhood settings play a critical role in shaping children’s sense of fairness, belonging, and agency.

World Day of Social Justice, led by the United Nations, provides early childhood education and care services with a timely opportunity to critically reflect on practice. The 2026 theme, “Empowering Inclusion: Bridging Gaps for Social Justice,” aligns closely with Exceeding-level practice under the National Quality Standard by challenging services to move beyond symbolic activities and demonstrate how inclusion, anti-bias practice, and advocacy are intentionally embedded, thoughtfully reflected upon, and continuously strengthened.

When social justice is embedded into everyday interactions, environments, policies, and leadership decisions, children learn that fairness is not abstract — it is something they experience, practise, and contribute to. This article explores how services demonstrated Exceeding practice through World Day of Social Justice, with practical programming ideas and Quality Improvement Plan (QIP) examples across all seven Quality Areas.

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Exceeding the NQS BEST tips

Demonstrating Exceeding Practice in Online Safety and Child Protection

Posted on by Jennifer Scafidas

Safer Internet Day offers early childhood education and care services more than an opportunity to acknowledge a date on the calendar — it invites us to pause, reflect, and strengthen how we protect children in an increasingly digital world. In 2026, this day aligned deeply with the strengthened child safety expectations across the National Quality Framework, particularly the updated Element 2.2.3 (Child Safety and Protection) and Element 7.1.2 (Management Systems).

In early childhood, online safety is not about children independently navigating technology. It is about protective behaviours, trusted relationships, respectful and ethical practices, and the systems adults put in place to keep children safe. Every conversation, every consent check before taking a photo, and every clear procedure sends children a powerful message: you are safe, you are listened to, and adults will protect you.

Services that meaningfully embedded Safer Internet Day into everyday practice demonstrated to assessors that child safety was intentional, deeply embedded, and continuously strengthened over time — not reactive, tokenistic, or limited to compliance.

This article explains how services demonstrated Exceeding practice through Safer Internet Day, sharing practical programming ideas and Quality Improvement Plan (QIP) write-ups across each Quality Area, aligned with the three Exceeding themes, to support services in building a strong, genuine and sustainable child safe culture.

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Exceeding the NQS BEST tips

Earning Exceeding Rating Through Culturally Safe, Inclusive Approaches 

Posted on by Jennifer Scafidas

Across Australia, 26 January carries many meanings. For some it is Australia Day. For First Nations peoples, it is also known as Survival Day and Invasion Day—a reminder of loss, resilience, strength, culture and Country.

In early childhood education and care (ECEC), our role is not to choose one meaning, but to honour the diverse identities of children, families, staff, and communities. This means acknowledging truth, celebrating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, and ensuring that children grow with respect, empathy, and cultural safety.

On 27 January, the Yabun Festival—Australia’s largest one-day celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures—provides a joyful, strengths-based opportunity to highlight music, dance, history, art, storytelling, and community pride. Yabun reminds us that First Nations cultures are not only ancient, but thriving and growing.

When approached with reflection, sensitivity, and genuine partnership, these dates help services strengthen relationships, build cultural competence, and embed reconciliation meaningfully and respectfully.

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Exceeding the NQS BEST tips

Creating a Sense of Belonging: Welcoming New Children to Childcare

Posted on by Jennifer Scafidas

Welcoming a new child into an early childhood education and care service is a moment of deep responsibility and privilege. Behind every enrolment is a child taking a brave step into the unknown, and a family placing enormous trust in the hands of educators they may only just be getting to know. Those first days and weeks matter — they shape how safe a child feels, how confident they become, and whether they believe this new place truly belongs to them.

For families, this transition is often layered with pride, hope, emotion, and uncertainty. For children, it is felt through the smallest moments — a warm greeting at the door, a familiar routine, a calm voice that says, “You are safe here.” When educators respond with empathy, intention, and consistency, they do far more than ease separation anxiety. They build secure attachments, nurture emotional wellbeing, and establish respectful partnerships that last long beyond the settling-in period.

When welcoming practices are thoughtfully planned and genuinely embedded into everyday routines and service culture, they become a powerful marker of quality. They reflect who we are, what we value, and how deeply we honour children and families. These practices not only support smooth transitions — they set the foundation for high-quality pedagogy and Exceeding-level practice across the National Quality Standard.

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Exceeding the NQS BEST tips

How Childcare Gets Children Ready for Transition to Big School

Posted on by Jennifer Scafidas

Starting “big school” is one of the most profound transitions in a child’s early life — a moment filled with excitement, uncertainty, and enormous growth. It is also one of the most meaningful responsibilities we hold as early childhood professionals. Long before a child walks through a school gate for the first time, their sense of confidence, belonging, and readiness has been shaped by the relationships, routines, and experiences they have known in early learning.

In Western Australia, true school readiness is not about worksheets, early academics, or asking children to grow up too fast. It is about nurturing secure, capable, and curious learners who feel emotionally safe, confident in themselves, and ready to engage with the world around them. When children feel supported and understood, they are far more prepared to embrace change and new challenges.

Early learning services play a critical role in this transition — whether children attend Kindergarten at a school or remain in long day care — by intentionally embedding foundational skills through play, strong relationships, and everyday routines. These experiences, built steadily over time, create the foundations for lifelong learning.

This article explains how schooling works in Western Australia, what Kindergarten and Pre-Primary actually mean for families, and how services can intentionally program for school readiness while demonstrating genuine, Exceeding-level practice under the National Quality Standard.

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