What is quality?
“The most important driver of quality in ELC is a dedicated, highly skilled and well-qualified workforce, whose initial training and continued professional learning enables them to fulfil their own potential and equip our young children to do the same.”
– Early Learning & Childcare: National Induction Resource – 2019, Page 2.
In order to improve quality of life and future expectations for children, families, and communities, quality should be at the heart of all ELC provision. Accordingly, quality must be demonstrated throughout the entirety of the ELC learning environment, inherent within the curriculum, spaces, interactions, and experiences.
Practitioners should ensure that they are aware of what constitutes quality practice, and how they can deliver high-quality learning experiences.
Some of the key elements in a High-Quality setting are included in the image below.
Why does quality matter?
“If children are to benefit, early learning and childcare must be of high quality, with poor quality provision shown to have detrimental effects on children.”
– A Blueprint for 2020, Page 4
In order to ensure that the needs of children and families are being met and that lasting outcomes are achieved in health, education, and later employment opportunities, it is essential that ‘quality’ is delivered throughout the Early Years.
Quality play experiences are key to how children learn and develop holistically and are a fundamental part of child’s life.
Children should have equal opportunity and encouragement to access high quality spaces, interactions, and experiences.
Quality across different ELC areas
As a resource, the Early Years in Fife website aims to support the different key elements of quality provision as outlined within Realising the Ambition. It will provide support for the ‘upskilling’ of practitioners, as well as ‘development of practice’ through the provision of various training materials, sharing of ideas, and signposting toward resources.
More information regarding ‘environmental factors’ can be found by visiting the corresponding link below.
