CEO Karen Weston on the Revised Early Years Learning and Development Framework 

With last week’s release of the revised Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework (VEYLDF), we sat down with our CEO Karen Weston to talk through the changes and emerging supports.

What were your initial thoughts about the revised VEYLDF?

It’s genuinely exciting to see this framework revised and out as the vision for early learning in Victoria for children from birth to 8 years. The consultation for this project began some time ago, with the idea of bringing the VEYLDF into line with Version 2 of the Early Years Learning Framework to create consistency and emphasise contemporary practice for our educators and teachers here in Victoria. Recently we’ve seen great progress within the early childhood sector with the department’s establishment of the Teaching Excellence Approach, continued investment in the Early Years Assessment and Learning Tool (EYALT), revamped Early Years Learning Networks meetings and the creation of the Victorian Kindergarten Learning Progressions. It’s inspiring to see such wide-ranging supports being rolled out in our state, and I’m excited to see where this takes the sector and how our teachers and educators will use these resources to support learning and pedagogy.

What initially struck me about the new VEYLDF was how thoughtfully it had been put together. The centring of First Nations cultural knowledge stories included throughout builds on the original VEYLDF artwork by Annette Sax and Dr Sue Atkinson. The focus on these perspectives is respectful and meaningful and gives the VEYLDF a visual identity. The vision feels more contemporary and is a stronger and more relevant document for the sector we’re working in today.

In your eyes, what are the most important changes in the revised VEYLDF?

A few things stand out to me. One of the most exciting things is the focus on the integrated teaching and learning approaches, which are now represented as woven strands created by a new artwork from Robert Barnett with Dr Sue Atkinson. The elevation of these approaches as something which sits above the practice principles—alongside the Early Years Planning Cycle—feels significant. This idea places emphasis on not what we teach, but how we teach it, and it acknowledges the careful pedagogy early years professionals craft for the children they teach. The clear articulation of integrated approaches is a strength within the Victorian context, and something of which we should be proud.

The principles feel crisper and yet detailed, with reflective prompts and examples of what these look like. I hope that this structure will further help educators in translating theory into practice. The new version has also expanded the focus of the practice principle equity and diversity, to talk of the right to participate, learn and thrive–truly inclusive and more relevant for our children’s programs today.

The document reaffirms the importance of professional partnerships. The VEYLDF continues to highlight key partnerships for early childhood professionals with educators, teachers, nurses, allied health practitioners, inclusion support workers and family support workers. For services, that means thinking beyond the walls of a single room or a single role. It means asking how your team, in all its breadth, is working together around children and families alongside other professionals.

Although they are yet to be released, I’m eager to see the Learning and Development Maps which outline the specific outcomes and how they link to the Victorian Curriculum for schools, particularly to support transitions and to help us understand continuity of learning. These maps play an important role in bridging the gap between the outcome descriptors and what learning and development really looks like.

The VEYLDF sits alongside a broader suite of resources. How should services approach all of that?

Although the VEYLDF is the overarching framework, it’s most powerful when it’s utilised in conjunction with other important tools. What will be most critical is how it connects to other resources and supports such as the EYALT, the Teaching Excellence Approach, the Kindergarten Learning Progressions and the Learning and Development Maps. The implementation of the revised VEYLDF will be important here—with services and teams having time to explore the new resource and consider how the changes may shift the way they work within their communities or contexts. Making the practice principles active is key here. It’s important to ensure that they support real thinking and real guidance in services, and don’t just sit on a shelf. I’d encourage services to utilise the Early Childhood Hub and the termly Early Years Learning Networks which Gowrie co-facilitate to support familiarisation with the updated framework.

What needs to be in place to make sure this framework genuinely shapes practice on the ground?

The Kindergarten Learning Progressions, EYALT, and Victorian Curriculum all need to be clearly linked and easy to navigate. Educators shouldn’t have to work out those connections themselves. Getting the framework into the hands of educators is one thing; but making sure they know how to use it alongside other resources is where the real work lies.

I’d also like to see more guidance that supports recent graduates specifically. The framework rightly emphasises professionals working as teams in ECEC, and I’d like to see that translated into practical content that helps newer practitioners understand the complexities of our sector and children’s learning and development. This framework gives us the vision, and now we need to make sure everyone in the profession has what they need to act on it.

What’s your message to the sector?

We’ve got good building blocks in Victoria. The finalisation of the VEYLDF, the resources we’re being provided are strong—the Teaching Excellence Approach and the broader suite of contemporary resources reflects real momentum and far more support for the sector.

More hours of funded kindergarten means more opportunity, and more responsibility. We need to make sure that every additional hour counts and that children are having rich, intentional learning experiences that set them up for school and life. We’re working toward a vision where children enter school confident in their identity, connected to the world around them, curious about language, and interested in learning. We’ve got the tools, now it’s time for us to step into it.