Early Learning Years Framework (ELYF)
At Genius we aspire to be pioneers in early education and pave the way for each child to gather the tools necessary for a lifetime of academic and creative fulfilment.
We have built the unique Genius framework around the ELYF. Influenced by universal concepts and teachings for all our childcare and kindergarten learning centres, this foundation is carefully crafted to benefit the way your child thinks, feels and acts.
Learn more about the Genius Framework here.
What is ELYF?
The ELYF acts as a guide for everything we do in early childhood education and care. It outlines the principles, practices and outcomes that are crucial to fostering and enhancing a young child’s learning from birth to the age of five, as well as their transition to school.
Working in synergy with the National Quality Framework, the EYLF recognises children as competent learners who have rights and agency. It strongly emphasises play-based learning and recognises the importance of communication, language, and social and emotional development among children in childcare and preschool.
The framework focuses on five key learning outcomes designed to represent a child’s integrated and complex learning and development. Our educators have designed a curriculum aimed at achieving the following outcomes:
- Children have a strong sense of identity
- Children are connected with and contribute to their world
- Children have a strong sense of wellbeing
- Children are confident and involved learners
- Children are effective communicators
Why ELYF?
The ELYF carries three main themes – Belonging, Being, and Becoming – used to describe childhood which inspires our Genius Framework.
Our educators understand children may come from diverse backgrounds and engage them in learning that promotes confidence, and creativity and enables active citizenship using these themes. They also celebrate diversity with children and their families, and the opportunities diversity brings to know more about the world through each child’s Belonging, Being and Becoming.
Belonging
Children feel they belong when strong and positive relationships are fostered between their family, community and culture.
We encourage children at all our childcare and kindergarten learning centres to engage and interact with the local community through excursions and incursions.
Being
Childhood is a special time in life and children need time to just “be” – time to play, try new things, and have fun.
We support this through play-based learning by giving children the opportunity to direct and influence their activities rather than committing to a strict educator regime at all our childcare and preschool education centres.
Becoming
Children start to form their sense of identity from an early age, which shapes the type of adult they will become.
That is why, at our Genius Childcare centres, we provide the opportunity for children to grow and interact together in a consolidated community – encouraging well-rounded social and emotional development, cultural understanding and respect.
FAQs
Play-based learning takes advantage of children’s natural inclination to be curious, explore and learn by:
- Allowing the expression of personality and uniqueness.
- Offering opportunities for multimodal play.
- Enhancing thinking skills and lifelong learning dispositions such as curiosity, persistence, and creativity.
- Enabling children to make connections between prior and new experiences and transfer these experiences from one to the other.
- Assisting children to develop and build relationships and friendships.
- Developing knowledge acquisition and concepts in an authentic context.
- Building a sense of identity.
- Strengthening self-regulation, and physical and mental well-being.
Apart from the five learning outcomes, the EYLF is made up of principles and practices to assist educators in documenting children’s learning and in their reflection and planning.
Principles
- Secure, respectful and reciprocal relationships
- Partnerships
- Respect for diversity
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives
- Equity, inclusion and high expectations
- Sustainability
- Critical reflection and ongoing professional learning
- Collaborative leadership and teamwork
Practices
- Holistic, integrated, and interconnected approaches
- Responsiveness to children
- Play-based learning and intentionality
- Learning environments
- Cultural responsiveness
- Continuity of learning and transitions
- Assessment and evaluation for learning, development and wellbeing
The EYLF is a standard guideline for all childcare and kindergarten centres in Australia. However, educators can use the EYLF to complement or supplement their state or territory’s framework.
The EYLF also supports the implementation of relational and place-based pedagogies and curriculum relevant to each local community and all children in the early childhood setting:
- Relational pedagogy promotes how educators build trusting, respectful relationships between children, families, other educators and professionals, as well as members of the community.
- Place-based pedagogy refers to an understanding that educators’ knowledge of the setting or context will influence how educators plan and practice.
Still have questions?
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Invest in quality education and holistic development for your little one. Contact your local Genius Childcare centre today to book a tour and enrol your child!
