Building and Sustaining a Culture of Learning

It is well recognised that a central determinant of quality in early childhood education and care (ECEC) is the knowledge, skills and capacities of its educators (Sheridan, Pope Edwards, Marvin & Knoche, 2009; Chu, 2012; OECD, 2005). In addition, increasing the capacity of staff has been shown to have the most direct impact on improving children’s learning and development outcomes (Hattie, 2003). The critical role of educators in optimising young children’s learning, and the importance of building staff capacity, is acknowledged in the National Quality Framework, most notably Quality Area 7 of the National Quality Standard (NQS) where the Educational Leader is seen as the key agent to enact these imperatives. The Educational Leader is defined as the professional who ‘leads the development of the curriculum and ensures the establishment of clear goals and expectations for teaching and learning’ (ACECQA, 2011, p. 172). The Educational Leader is critical to providing support to educators as they enhance young children’s learning outcomes through their educational programs and pedagogical practices.