Purpose

This lesson supports NERPSA services to develop and maintain a philosophy that genuinely guides decisions and practice. It moves beyond interchangeable statements to help teams find their philosophy in the lived experiences, rights, strengths and aspirations of their children, families, educators, community and place.

A living document

A philosophy should provide direction and continuity without becoming frozen. It should evolve thoughtfully as the community, evidence and context change.

By the end of this lesson, you should be able to

Explain the purpose and required place of a service philosophy.

Distinguish common foundations from locally meaningful commitments.

Gather evidence from children and everyday practice.

Include families, community, culture and place meaningfully.

Write clear belief–reason–commitment statements.

Test the philosophy against all aspects of service operation.

Use the philosophy in decisions, induction, reflection and the QIP.

Plan participatory review as the service community changes.

Standards and evidence base

Requirement	Connection
NQS Element 7.1.1	A statement of philosophy guides all aspects of the service’s operations.
National Regulation 55	The service Quality Improvement Plan must include a statement of the service philosophy.
VEYLDF 2026	Provides shared outcomes, Practice Principles and approaches that support professionals to work with children, families and each other.
Child Safe Standards	The philosophy should visibly support a child-safe culture, participation, equity, family involvement and capable staff.
NERPSA governance	Current policies, roles and approval processes apply when developing, approving and implementing a service philosophy.

Status of this learning

This is internal NERPSA professional learning. It is not nationally recognised training.

Module one

What a service philosophy is

A service philosophy is a concise statement of the values, beliefs, commitments and understandings that guide how the service operates. It explains what the service believes about children, childhood, learning, families, community, inclusion, safety, the environment and the role of educators.

It is not a slogan, marketing paragraph or description of everything the service does. It is the shared foundation used to make decisions when there is more than one possible approach.

The philosophy is the service’s professional compass. It should help people answer: What matters here? Why does it matter? What should that mean for our decisions and practice?

What it should do

express a shared understanding of the service’s purpose;
guide pedagogy, relationships, environments, policies and everyday decisions;
make commitments to children’s rights, safety, inclusion and participation visible;
support induction, reflection, planning and continuous improvement;
help families and community understand the service; and
provide a reference point when staff hold different preferences or propose change.

Module two

Why the service must have and use it

NQS Element 7.1.1 requires a statement of philosophy to guide all aspects of the service’s operations. Regulation 55 requires the Quality Improvement Plan to include the service philosophy. The philosophy therefore sits within governance and quality improvement; it is not an optional display document.

ACECQA explains that a philosophy should underpin decisions, policies and daily practice, reflect shared understanding among staff, children, families and community, and guide pedagogy, planning and the educational program.

Having words on a wall is not enough

A service cannot demonstrate that its philosophy guides practice merely because it is displayed. Staff should be able to explain how a decision connects with it, and children and families should be able to see its commitments reflected in the service.

Everything comes back to the philosophy

Educational practice

Curriculum, intentional teaching, play, assessment, documentation, routines and environments.

Relationships

Children’s dignity and agency, family partnerships, teamwork, community connections and professional conduct.

Governance

Policies, priorities, use of resources, risk decisions, staffing approaches and improvement planning.

Review

Whether actual practice matches stated beliefs and what needs to change when it does not.

Module three

Begin with the foundations—but do not stop there

Most quality early childhood services will share important foundations. Similarity is not a problem: many commitments arise from children’s rights, approved learning frameworks, legislation, professional ethics and strong evidence.

Common foundations

Children are capable, competent and active participants.
Children have rights to safety, dignity, belonging, equity and voice.
Play, relationships, exploration and intentional teaching support learning.
Each child’s identity, culture, strengths and ways of learning are valued.
Families are respected as partners and hold important knowledge.
Inclusive environments should support meaningful access and participation.
Educators reflect, learn and improve together.
Connection with community, place and the natural world matters.

These statements provide a sound beginning, but they are not enough to constitute a meaningful service philosophy. Most restate matters already established through legislation, the National Quality Standard, the Child Safe Standards, the VEYLDF and accepted professional practice. A service is expected to uphold them whether or not they appear in its philosophy.

A compliance summary is not a complete philosophy

A philosophy may acknowledge these non-negotiable foundations, but it must move beyond repeating obligations. Statements such as “we keep children safe”, “we are inclusive” or “we value families” do not tell the reader what the service has learned, what it prioritises in its context, how it responds to tensions or what those commitments require in practice.

Unpack the basic paragraph

Consider this common example:

At our kindergarten, we view every child as capable, curious and entitled to safety, dignity, belonging and meaningful participation. We believe children learn through play, relationships, exploration, communication and intentional teaching. We value each child’s identity, culture, strengths and individual ways of learning. We work in partnership with families and our community. We create inclusive, engaging and responsive environments, and we reflect together to keep improving our practice.

It is positive and professionally sound. However, almost every sentence reflects an existing requirement, approved framework position or sector-wide expectation. It is better understood as a baseline practice commitment than as a complete account of this service’s philosophy.

Basic statement	Where the expectation already comes from	What the philosophy still needs to discover
Every child is capable, curious and entitled to safety, dignity, belonging and participation.	VEYLDF views of children and learning; NQS child-centred practice, agency and dignity; child safety and human-rights obligations.	How does this community recognise capability? Which children have not always experienced belonging? How is power shared with children here?
Children learn through play, relationships, exploration, communication and intentional teaching.	The approved learning frameworks and NQS Quality Areas 1 and 5 already establish play-based, relational and intentional educational practice.	What does the service protect about play? How are time, challenge, continuity, the educator’s role and the local environment understood?
Each child’s identity, culture, strengths and ways of learning are valued.	VEYLDF, inclusion and equity requirements, NQS child-centred practice and the Victorian Child Safe Standards require identity, culture, equity and diverse needs to be respected.	Whose identities and knowledge shape this service? What barriers exist locally? What has the community committed to changing?
We work in partnership with families and community.	NQS Quality Area 6 and the VEYLDF establish respectful family partnerships and professional and community collaboration.	What does reciprocity look like here? How does family knowledge change decisions? Which families need different ways to participate?
We create inclusive, engaging and responsive environments.	NQS Quality Area 3, inclusion obligations and child-safe environment requirements already require safe, suitable and inclusive environments.	What is distinctive about this place? How are rooms, outdoors and community spaces used? What does the service deliberately preserve or redesign?
We reflect together to improve practice.	NQS critical reflection, professional collaboration, leadership and continuous improvement requirements already expect this work.	What questions does this team repeatedly return to? How is challenge welcomed? How does evidence lead to real change rather than discussion only?

Build the philosophy in three layers

1. Non-negotiable foundations

Law, Regulations, NQS, Child Safe Standards, approved frameworks, rights, professional standards and NERPSA requirements. These apply regardless of preference.

2. Shared professional beliefs

The team and community’s considered understanding of children, childhood, learning, relationships, inclusion, families, community and the educator’s role.

3. Local commitments

What those beliefs require in this service, for these children and families, in this community and place, at this point in time.

The first layer sets the floor. The second and third layers reveal the philosophy. They should show how the service interprets its purpose, what it will protect when priorities compete, what it is working to improve and what people should genuinely experience there.

Do not manufacture difference for the sake of sounding unique. Go deeper. A meaningful philosophy does not invent unusual values; it makes visible the service’s considered interpretation, local context, priorities and commitments beyond minimum compliance.

Module four

Find the philosophy in children and everyday practice

The philosophy should not begin with adults choosing impressive words. Begin by listening and observing. Children already reveal what helps them feel safe, known, capable, connected and able to influence their environment.

Ways to learn from children

observe where children spend time, what they return to and where they avoid;
listen to their questions, theories, humour, frustrations and ideas;
ask what they value about kindergarten and what they would change;
use drawing, photography, mapping, tours, small-group discussion and play-based consultation;
notice whose voices are heard easily and whose require different approaches;
review what children’s behaviour may communicate about belonging, access, challenge and safety; and
show children what was heard and what changed.

Participation must be genuine

Do not ask children to vote on abstract adult wording. Help them contribute to the ideas underneath it. Adults remain responsible for legal duties, safety and final governance decisions.

Look for the enacted philosophy

Ask educators to identify moments when the service felt most like itself. What happened? What did adults protect or prioritise? What did children experience? These examples often reveal more than a list of preferred values.

Module five

Find the philosophy in families, community and place

Families and communities are not consultees added at the end. Their knowledge, aspirations, experiences and relationships with the service help define its purpose.

Families

What do families hope children experience here?
What helps them feel welcomed, respected and able to contribute?
What cultures, languages, family structures, strengths and responsibilities shape the community?
What barriers or past experiences affect participation and trust?

Community and place

Whose Country is the service on, and what relationships and cultural authority must be respected?
What is distinctive about the local town, neighbourhood, landscape and community?
Which local organisations, people and places matter to children and families?
What local changes, strengths or challenges should the service respond to?

Use accessible and varied consultation: conversations, short prompts, translated or visual options, family meetings, digital responses, community connections and existing participation—not one long survey that only some people can complete.

A philosophy becomes locally meaningful when people can recognise their children, community, aspirations and place within it.

Module six

Turn evidence into meaningful statements

Strong philosophy writing connects a belief with its significance and its practical commitment. This prevents broad language from remaining empty.

Use: We believe → because → therefore

We believe children are capable contributors with a right to influence their learning and environment.

Because children build agency, identity and belonging when their ideas are taken seriously.

Therefore we use varied ways to seek children’s views, make decisions with them where possible and show how their contributions influence the program.

Move beyond generic wording

Basic statement	Questions that deepen it	More meaningful direction
We value play.	What kind of play? What is the educator’s role? How are time, challenge and continuity protected?	Children have extended time for self-directed and collaborative play. Educators observe, participate and teach intentionally without taking ownership from children.
Families are partners.	Who can participate easily? How is disagreement handled? How does family knowledge change decisions?	We build reciprocal relationships in accessible ways and use family knowledge to understand children, plan support and review service decisions.
We are inclusive.	Which barriers exist here? Who is missing? What will adults change?	We identify and remove environmental, communication and attitudinal barriers so children can belong, contribute and participate meaningfully.
We respect nature.	What place? What daily decisions? What relationship beyond occasional activities?	Children build continuing relationships with local places and living things while the service reviews how its own use of resources reflects environmental responsibility.

Use plain language. A shorter statement that guides real decisions is stronger than a long document filled with terms staff and families cannot explain.

Module seven

Test the philosophy against the whole service

Before finalising a philosophy, test whether it can guide actual choices. Take each statement and ask where it should be visible.

Children

Relationships, agency, guidance, inclusion, curriculum, documentation and environments.

Families and community

Orientation, communication, decision-making, cultural safety, partnerships and complaints.

Staff and governance

Induction, teamwork, policies, purchasing, rosters, risk, professional learning and the QIP.

The philosophy stress test

Can staff explain each statement in ordinary language?
Can they give current examples from practice?
Would children and families recognise the service described?
Does it guide a difficult decision, or only confirm easy ones?
Does any actual practice contradict it?
Are safety, rights, equity and cultural safety embedded rather than added as an afterthought?
Is it specific enough to guide this service but flexible enough to allow different professional approaches?

Do not use philosophy to override requirements

A philosophy cannot justify practice that conflicts with the National Law and Regulations, Child Safe Standards, approved learning frameworks, NERPSA policy, professional standards, individual plans or children’s rights.

Module eight

Keep it living: review, change and use it

A philosophy should provide continuity, but it should not be frozen. Children enrol and leave. Families, staff, community circumstances, knowledge, reforms and local priorities change. The philosophy should be revisited to confirm what remains true and what needs to evolve.

Review it

at a planned interval as part of self-assessment and QIP work;
when there is significant change in children, families, staffing, program model or community;
when new evidence, frameworks, standards or organisational directions affect practice;
when repeated disagreements suggest the shared meaning is unclear;
when feedback or an incident exposes a gap between words and practice; and
when people cannot give current examples of the philosophy in action.

A practical review cycle

Gather. Collect children’s views, family and community input, educator reflection, examples of practice, QIP evidence and relevant requirements.
Interpret. Identify recurring commitments, tensions, gaps and changes in context.
Draft. Write clear statements connecting beliefs, reasons and commitments.
Test. Apply the draft to real decisions and invite challenge.
Confirm. Record consultation and obtain approval through the applicable NERPSA process.
Embed. Use it in induction, planning, policies, decisions, reflection and QIP work.
Review again. Check whether lived practice continues to match the words.

A living philosophy changes thoughtfully—not whenever one person arrives with a preference, and not only when assessment and rating approaches.

Module nine

Three worked examples: one process, different results

The following examples are fictional. They demonstrate how the same development process can produce philosophies with different content, emphasis, voice and presentation. The place information provides a starting point only. A real service must verify its exact Country and local context, build relationships, seek cultural authority where required and consult its own children, families, staff and community.

Do not copy these as finished philosophies

A copied philosophy would defeat the purpose. Use the examples to see the reasoning: local evidence → shared belief → practical commitment → a form that communicates effectively to that service community.

Example one — Wangaratta: a visual philosophy

Hypothetical context: A sessional kindergarten in urban Wangaratta near the Ovens and King river systems. The wider Rural City includes Country connected with Bpangerang, Yorta Yorta and Taungurung peoples; a real service must confirm the appropriate Traditional Owners and wording for its exact location. The landscape includes river corridors, floodplains, seasonal heat and nearby agricultural and bush environments. Families have longstanding local connections alongside families newly arriving for work, study and regional life.

What the service heard and noticed: Children repeatedly map waterways, watch seasonal changes, build cubbies and return to long projects. Families value the service’s familiar community relationships but want new families to find belonging quickly. Educators want children to experience regional life as connected rather than isolated.

RIVERS — We connect

Like waterways meeting, children bring different histories, cultures, relationships and ideas. We create many ways to join, communicate and belong.

COUNTRY — We listen

We learn that this place holds living cultures and responsibilities. We build respectful local relationships and do not claim or reproduce cultural knowledge without authority.

SEASONS — We respond

Weather, water, land and children change. Our program follows close observation rather than a fixed yearly theme.

COMMUNITY — We contribute

Children are citizens now. Their questions and projects connect with local people, places and decisions in ways suited to their age.

TIME — We go deeply

We protect extended play, revisiting and complex work. Learning does not have to be hurried to be visible.

WELCOME — We make room

Longstanding knowledge is valued without becoming a gate. New children, families and educators are actively supported to belong and influence the service.

How this was built: The team began with children’s maps, family stories about arriving and belonging, environmental observations and discussion about regional identity. The visual river-and-place structure was chosen because it can be understood by children and revisited through the year.

Example two — Fawkner: a keyword philosophy

Hypothetical context: A kindergarten in Fawkner, in Melbourne’s northern City of Merri-bek on the unceded Country of the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung people. Fawkner sits within a highly urban environment with homes, rail, roads and community facilities, while the Merri Creek parklands form an important waterway, biodiversity and movement corridor. The service community includes many languages, migration histories, faiths, family structures and ways of participating.

What the service heard and noticed: Families value multilingual communication, familiarity and practical access. Children are fascinated by trains, paths, bridges, creek wildlife and movement between home, kindergarten and extended family. Some families contribute through conversation; others prefer visual, translated, digital or community-based opportunities.

BELONG

No child or family must become more alike to be accepted. We learn names, identities, relationships and what welcome means to each person.

LANGUAGES

Every language carries knowledge and connection. Children may think, play, communicate and learn through all of their languages.

MOVE

Children learn with their bodies and through their neighbourhood. We consider access, safe movement and connection beyond the kindergarten fence.

LISTEN

Voice is more than spoken English or confidence in a meeting. We provide varied ways for children and families to influence decisions.

CONNECT

We connect home, kindergarten, community and the Merri Creek corridor without treating any one place as the only source of learning.

QUESTION

We examine bias, barriers and whose knowledge is centred. Inclusion requires adults and systems to change.

How this was built: The team analysed enrolment and communication patterns, children’s movement inquiries, family participation and local community connections. Six plain-language keywords were chosen so they can be translated, illustrated and used as prompts in staff decisions.

Example three — Bendigo: an extended written philosophy

Hypothetical context: A kindergarten in central Bendigo on Dja Dja Wurrung Country. The wider Greater Bendigo municipality includes Dja Dja Wurrung and Taungurung Country, so exact location matters. Bendigo is shaped by waterways including Bendigo Creek, a dry inland climate, box-ironbark forests and a visible gold-mining and built heritage. The community includes established local families and families drawn by regional services, education, health, employment and cultural life.

What the service heard and noticed: Children notice mine structures, stone, dry ground, waterways, birds and large old trees. Families value resilience and local connection but want history approached truthfully rather than beginning with gold discovery. The team is strengthening cultural safety, ecological understanding and children’s participation in community life.

Our philosophy

Our kindergarten is a place of childhood, relationship and shared responsibility on Dja Dja Wurrung Country. We recognise that Country holds knowledge, culture and continuing custodianship far older than the city and the mining history visible around us. We commit to building respectful relationships, following cultural authority and helping children understand that the places where they play and learn have living histories and responsibilities.

We understand children as capable meaning-makers and citizens whose ideas can influence their kindergarten. Children have a right to safety, dignity, belonging and participation; our deeper commitment is to make those rights visible in ordinary decisions. We listen through words, play, movement, behaviour, drawing, construction, silence and relationships. We explain what can change, what cannot and why, and we return to children so they can see what happened to their contributions.

We believe deep learning grows through sustained play, secure relationships, inquiry and intentional teaching. In a landscape marked by dry seasons, waterways, box-ironbark environments and layers of human change, we encourage children to observe closely, revisit places and test ideas over time. Educators bring knowledge and thoughtful questions without replacing children’s ownership of their investigations. We value patience, complexity, appropriate challenge and the learning that becomes visible when children are able to return.

Families bring knowledge of children, culture, work, place, relationships and aspiration that the service cannot hold alone. Partnership means more than providing information or inviting attendance. We create accessible ways for families to question, contribute and disagree, and we show how their knowledge affects decisions. We recognise that participation will look different across families and stages of life.

We aim for inclusion that changes environments and adult practice rather than asking children to fit existing arrangements. We examine whose competence is recognised, whose communication is understood, whose history is told and who encounters barriers. We use individual knowledge and reasonable adjustments while protecting every child’s membership of the group.

Our environment is not neutral. Indoor and outdoor spaces communicate who belongs, what learning is valued and how resources may be used. We provide continuity and calm alongside opportunities to transform, investigate and take worthwhile risks. We care for materials, water, habitat and living things in ways connected to service operations—not only through children’s activities.

Educators are responsible for professional curiosity, honest reflection and respectful challenge. Experience is valued but does not make practice unquestionable. We use the VEYLDF, evidence, children’s and families’ perspectives, professional standards and the impact of our decisions to review what we do. Our philosophy gives continuity, but it will change when our community, knowledge or practice shows that different commitments are needed.

How this was built: The service combined children’s inquiries, family aspirations, local place and history, cultural-safety work, environmental evidence and team reflection. An extended form was chosen because the community wanted the reasoning and commitments to be explicit. A shorter child- and family-facing version could sit alongside it without replacing the approved philosophy.

What the three examples demonstrate

Wangaratta	Fawkner	Bendigo
Visual, place-based anchors suitable for revisiting with children.	Concise keywords designed for accessibility, translation and daily use.	Extended narrative that makes history, reasoning and commitments explicit.
All three still require: non-negotiable foundations, genuine consultation, local verification, observable commitments, approval through the proper process and ongoing review.

Practice decisions

Complete all three decisions correctly.

Decision one: A polished generic draft

The draft says children are capable, play is important, families are partners and the service is inclusive. It contains no local context or practical commitments.

Decision two: Children’s participation

The team wants children to contribute to the philosophy review.

Decision three: The philosophy no longer fits

The service’s community and program model have changed, and families and staff cannot see themselves in the old wording.

0 of 3 correct.

Required learning activity

Develop the foundations of a service philosophy

Do not include identifying or confidential information. Each response must contain at least 20 characters.

1. Identify one common early childhood philosophy statement and explain what must be explored to make it meaningful in a particular service.

2. What could children’s choices, play, questions or behaviour reveal about what matters in their kindergarten?

3. Identify two ways families, community or local place could influence a service philosophy.

4. Write one draft statement using: We believe → because → therefore.

Draft responses are saved only in this browser and on this device.

Knowledge check

Answer all eight questions. You must achieve at least seven correct answers.

1. What is the main purpose of a service philosophy? Describe every routine in detail. Guide decisions, operations, pedagogy and practice through shared values and commitments. Provide marketing language.

2. What does NQS Element 7.1.1 require? A philosophy guides all aspects of service operations. Every educator writes a separate philosophy. The philosophy remains unchanged.

3. Why are common foundation statements not enough on their own? They are legally prohibited. They are too focused on children. They may not explain what commitments mean in this service’s particular context.

4. How should children contribute? Through accessible observation, conversation, play-based and visual methods. By approving legal wording. Only through an annual survey.

5. Which structure strengthens a philosophy statement? Value → slogan → photograph. We believe → because → therefore. Policy → procedure → roster.

6. What is the best test of a philosophy? Whether it uses advanced terminology. Whether it is longer than other services’ philosophies. Whether people can explain it, see it in practice and use it for real decisions.

7. When should it be reviewed? At planned intervals and when significant changes or evidence indicate a need. Only before assessment and rating. Every time one educator has a new preference.

8. What makes a philosophy living? Displaying it permanently without alteration. Using it in decisions, induction, reflection and improvement, and reviewing it as context changes. Rewriting it each term without consultation.