Early Years Learning Framework
The Australian Government’s Early Years Learning Framework – Belonging, Being and Becoming describes the principles, practices and outcomes essential to support and enhance young children’s learning from birth to five years of age, as well as their transition to school.
The following is an extract from Belonging, Being & Becoming, The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia. “A VISION FOR CHILDREN’S LEARNING”
‘All children experience learning that is engaging and builds success for life.
Fundamental to the framework is a view of children’s lives as characterised by belonging, being and becoming. From before birth, children are connected to family, community, culture and place. The earliest development and learning takes place through these relationships, particularly within families, who are children’s first and most influential educators. As children participate in everyday life, they develop interests and construct their own identities and understandings of the world.’
BELONGING
Experiencing belonging – knowing where and with whom you belong – is integral to human existence. Children belong first to a family, a cultural group, a neighbourhood and a wider community. Belonging acknowledges children’s interdependence with others and the basis of relationships in defining identities. In early childhood, and throughout life, relationships are crucial to a sense of belonging. Belonging is central to being and becoming in that it shapes who children are and who they can become.
BEING
Childhood is a time to be, to seek and make meaning of the world. Being recognises the significance of the here and now in children’s lives. It is about the present and them knowing themselves, building and maintaining relationships with others, engaging with life’s joys and complexities, and meeting challenges in everyday life. The early childhood years are not solely preparation for the future but also about the present.
BECOMING
Children’s identities, knowledge, understandings, capacities, skills and relationships change during childhood. They are shaped by many different events and circumstances. Becoming reflects this process of rapid and significant change that occurs in the early years as young children learn and grow. It emphasises learning to participate fully and actively in society.