Jessamine Giese, Megan Gibson, and Marie White, Navigating Policy Disconnect in Early Childhood: Teams Interpreting the NQF, EYLF, and Modern Awards (2026)

Jessamine Giese, Megan Gibson, and Marie White, Navigating Policy Disconnect in Early Childhood: Teams Interpreting the NQF, EYLF, and Modern Awards. Australasian Journal of Early Childhood, First published online February 12, 2026
https://doi.org/10.1177/18369391261425987

Abstract
In Australia, early childhood education and care (ECEC) has experienced substantial policy reform in the past 15 years with major shifts in qualification requirements, a national prescribed curriculum, and increasing focus on quality. Teams of early childhood educators are expected to collaboratively navigate these reforms while making decisions that lead to quality. This paper draws on a PhD study that examined how teams of educators in ECEC make curricular and pedagogical decisions within a complex policy landscape. Three key national policy documents that govern educators’ work—Guide to the National Quality Framework (NQF), Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF), and modern awards—were closely analysed to make visible the complexities of how team decision-making is conceptualised in policy. Findings contribute to the global political attention on ECEC and offers ways forward for educators, organisations, and governments to re-align the reform strategy and strengthen policy implementation, leading to quality outcomes for children.