How The Curiosity Approach Aligns with the Australian EYLF
Release Date: March 24, 2026
Last Updated: March 24, 2026
As an early years consultant working across the UK and internationally, I’ve had the privilege of stepping inside a wide variety of early childhood settings - from British nurseries to Australian preschools and long day care centres.
Different frameworks.
Different terminology.
Different regulatory systems.
And yet - the same childhood.
Whether I’m visiting a preschool in Melbourne, a childcare centre in Sydney, or a rural early learning service in Western Australia, children remain wonderfully consistent in how they learn: through curiosity, connection, movement and meaningful play.
This is why The Curiosity Approach aligns so naturally with the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF).
The EYLF is Australia’s national curriculum framework for early childhood education and care, designed to support children’s learning from birth to five years and through the transition to school.
(Australian Government Department of Education: https://www.education.gov.au/early-years-learning-framework-0).
We do not begin with legislation.
We begin with childhood and development.
And when you focus on how children grow, think and relate, alignment with national frameworks - including the EYLF outcomes - happens organically.
The Curiosity Approach and EYLF Alignment
The EYLF is built around five core learning outcomes focused on identity, belonging, wellbeing, learning and communication.
It recognises play-based learning as a context for children to organise and make sense of their social worlds.
(Early Childhood Australia: https://thespoke.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/play-based-learning/).
The Curiosity Approach supports these same priorities through:
- Thoughtfully designed learning environments
- Strong educator-child relationships
- Open-ended, play-based learning experiences
- Reflective professional practice
- A deep respect for child development
Rather than teaching to a framework, we create environments and cultures where the EYLF outcomes are lived every day.
EYLF Outcome 1: Children Have a Strong Sense of Identity
In Australian settings on the path to Curiosity Approach accreditation, I often see a powerful shift in how environments communicate belonging.
Spaces feel calmer.
Resources feel authentic.
Children feel trusted.
Identity forms when children experience secure, respectful and reciprocal relationships - a core principle within the EYLF (Australian Government, EYLF V2.0).
When environments are designed intentionally, children develop agency, independence and confidence - key aspects of Outcome 1.
EYLF Outcome 2: Children Are Connected With and Contribute to Their World
Australian early childhood services often place strong emphasis on sustainability, outdoor learning and community engagement.
This aligns beautifully with the Curiosity Approach philosophy.
The National Quality Framework highlights that high-quality early childhood programs support children to become active contributors to their communities
(ACECQA: https://www.acecqa.gov.au/nqf/about).
By reducing plastic, introducing natural resources, embedding sustainable practices and encouraging meaningful responsibility, children begin to understand their place within a broader world.
Connection to nature.
Connection to community.
Connection to culture.
These are not added extras - they are central to high-quality childcare in Australia.
EYLF Outcome 3: Children Have a Strong Sense of Wellbeing
Wellbeing is foundational in both the EYLF and The Curiosity Approach.
In accredited Australian settings, I often observe subtle but important environmental changes:
- Softer lighting
- Reduced visual clutter
- Fewer overstimulating materials
- More intentional spaces for calm and focus
Research consistently shows that high-quality early childhood education positively supports children’s social and emotional development.
(Australian Institute of Family Studies: https://aifs.gov.au/resources/policy-and-practice-papers/quality-early-childhood-education-and-care).
When early learning environments are designed with regulation in mind, children are better able to concentrate, collaborate and persist in their learning.
EYLF Outcome 4: Children Are Confident and Involved Learners
The EYLF highlights the importance of children developing dispositions for learning — curiosity, creativity, problem-solving and persistence.
This is where the Curiosity Approach truly shines.
In Australian preschools embracing this philosophy, educators move from directing play to extending it. Instead of pre-planned craft outcomes, we see investigations. Instead of surface-level activities, we see deep engagement.
Intentional teaching — a key EYLF practice — is described by ACECQA as educators being deliberate, purposeful and thoughtful in their decisions and actions
(ACECQA: https://www.acecqa.gov.au/information-sheet-eylf-practices-play-based-learning-and-intentionality).
Children become researchers, thinkers and collaborators — confident learners who drive their own exploration.
This is play-based learning at its most powerful.
Evidence for Learning Australia also highlights that play-based approaches can positively impact early literacy, numeracy and cognitive development.
(https://evidenceforlearning.org.au/education-evidence/early-childhood-education-toolkit/play-based-learning).
EYLF Outcome 5: Children Are Effective Communicators
Communication in early childhood is multi-layered. It includes language, movement, symbolic representation, mark-making and social interaction.
When Australian childcare environments are rich with loose parts, meaningful provocations and opportunities for storytelling, children naturally expand how they express their ideas.
Documentation becomes more reflective. Conversations deepen. Children’s thinking becomes visible.
Communication flourishes.
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Why This Works in Australian Early Childhood Education
Over time, policies evolve and terminology shifts. The EYLF has recently been updated to Version 2.0 to reflect contemporary research and practice.
Child development, however, remains constant.
Longitudinal Australian research indicates that access to high-quality early childhood education supports improved learning and social outcomes at school entry.
(Australian Institute of Health and Welfare: https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/children-youth/australias-children/contents/education/early-childhood-education-and-care).
By focusing on development, relationships and intentional environments rather than compliance alone, The Curiosity Approach provides a strong foundation that aligns naturally with Australian early learning frameworks.
We do not replace the EYLF.
We strengthen practice in a way that supports it.
This is why so many Australian settings - from long day care centres to independent preschools - are either accredited or working towards Curiosity Approach accreditation.
Not because we teach the framework, but because we embody its principles.
A Growing Global Community - Including Australia
One of the most rewarding aspects of working internationally is witnessing how Australian educators bring their own cultural richness, sustainability leadership and community focus into the Curiosity Approach global community.
It is not a one-way model.
It is a shared exchange.
We learn from each other.
We strengthen practice together.
We refine our understanding of childhood collectively.
And that is the real alignment.
A shared belief that childhood deserves depth, dignity and intentionality — wherever in the world it unfolds.
If you are an Australian early learning service exploring professional development, reflective practice or accreditation pathways that support strong EYLF alignment while keeping childhood at the centre, The Curiosity Approach offers a globally recognised, developmentally grounded approach to early education.
Because frameworks guide us.
But childhood leads us...
Join a growing number of Australian settings already on this journey.