We know that children develop foundations in the first 5 years of life which have a significant impact on their lifelong learning (NSW Department of Education 2024). Early childhood education and care (ECEC) services are instrumental in supporting development within this crucial time of children’s lives. Educators provide play-based opportunities for children to be engaged in multiple and complex learning experiences.

Since they were introduced in 2009, the national Approved Learning Frameworks have provided guidance for approved providers and services about principles, practices and learning outcomes they must embed in their educational programs. Version 2.0 of the frameworks were released in 2023 and highlight new areas that are recognised as foundational in children’s learning. One key area is sustainability.

Sustainability is a term we are all familiar with, and often conjures up thoughts of recycling, limiting packaging, turning off water and other practices that can help us lessen our impact on the natural environment. However, while environmental sustainability is paramount, it’s just one pillar of sustainability.

Sustainability defined

There are 3 key dimensions of sustainability – environmental, social and economic – all of which are inextricably linked. For children to really understand sustainability, they must understand respect for our natural world and for each other, developing an awareness of our shared community responsibility.

The updated frameworks, Belonging, Being and Becoming: The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia V2.0 (EYLF V2.0) and My Time Our Place: Framework for School Age Care in Australia V2.0 (MTOP V2.0), provide the following definition of each dimension.

• 'Environmental sustainability focuses on caring for our natural world and protecting, preserving and improving the environment.
• Social sustainability is about inclusion and living peacefully, fairly and respectfully together in resilient local and global communities.
• Economic sustainability refers to practices that support economic development without negatively impacting the other dimensions. This includes a focus on fair and equitable access to resources, conserving resources, and reducing consumption and waste (AGDE 2022a, 2022b).'

Supporting children and young people to connect with and contribute to their world (Learning Outcome 2 of the frameworks) is essential and provides a foundation for them to become active, responsible citizens, now and in their futures.

It’s essential to address each area of sustainability to ensure practices are embedded and not just a tokenistic approach. So, how can this be done within the service?

Environmental sustainability

Being connected to Country provides children with opportunities to become protectors of the environment and advocates for positive change in their own lives, their families’ and wider community.

There are many ways you can support children to respect Country and care for the natural world. When considering how to support children develop a respect for Country, it’s important to connect with your local Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Elders and community. By engaging with community about Aboriginal ways of knowing, being and doing, children are afforded rich opportunities to become responsible caretakers of the land, not only understanding what Country does for them but also what they can do for Country.

Tips for educators

• Reflect on how you can strengthen Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives in your service policies, practice and educational program.
• Collaborate with children and educators to create a personalised and meaningful Acknowledgement of Country, unique to your service.
• Build genuine relationships with your local Aboriginal community. Invite them to design and/or deliver learning experiences that honour Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, stories, cultures and knowledge.
• While it’s important to participate in celebrating occasions such as National Reconciliation Week and NAIDOC Week, remember that building strong connections to Country and community should be embedded in your everyday practice.

Other ideas for incorporating environmental sustainability into your program include:

• creating a sustainable garden, such as a vegetable or bush tucker garden
• reminding children (verbally and visually) to turn off taps to conserve water
• managing waste appropriately and conserving resources by recycling, composting and reusing items.

Social sustainability

Quality Area 6 – Collaborative partnerships with families and communities of the National Quality Standard is an important starting point for social sustainability. Respect for diverse cultures, values, beliefs and the expertise of families is at the core of this quality area. It requires educators to build supportive relationships with families and have honest, respectful conversations when making shared decisions about children’s learning and wellbeing.

It is not enough to speak about respect for others – it must continually be modelled to children and families. Inclusion is not something you ‘do’ but should be part of who you are. Social justice reminds us that the rights of all children must be reflected in your philosophy, policies and filter through your daily practice. No child has more or less rights than another, irrespective of diverse circumstances or learning needs. Building relationships with your local community is also essential to support children’s sense of social sustainability.

When exploring aspects of social sustainability, children may feel overwhelmed by information they don’t understand. Educators need to be aware of changes in children’s behaviour that may reflect their understanding of world events, news items or conversations they overhear. It’s important for educators to discuss with families any sensitive content that children do share so appropriate support can be offered to children.

Tips for educators

• Develop learning experiences that not only acknowledge our similarities but also celebrate our differences.
• Diversity is a fact – embrace it and be an advocate for inclusion. If children or parents make negative comments about someone’s ability, culture, appearance or any other characteristic, be sure to address the comments constructively and seek to engage the child/parent in reflection in order to raise awareness and understanding. Also refer to your service policy about appropriate behaviour.
• Reflect the diversity of your community across your service through your everyday practice in everything that you do. This might include music you play, books you read and pictures you display. You could also invite parents or community members in to share their stories and experiences. Remember to ensure you’re not perpetuating stereotypes by sharing stories, images or other content with oversimplified and/or generalised representations of any members of your community.
• Ensure that children with disability and developmental delay have equitable opportunities to participate in the service. But remember, equity is not the same as equality. Equity recognises that we each have different needs based on our circumstances and may require different resources to achieve the same outcome as someone else.

Economic sustainability

Supporting children’s understanding of economic development can occur in multiple ways that are developmentally and socially appropriate. Resources in the service don’t have to be expensive. Consider ways you can help children understand that we can all take positive steps to avoid unnecessary expense, consumption and waste through better resource management.

Learning opportunities that explore – at a foundational level – the value of money, how it can be used and how people may have different experiences with money also encourage children to be responsible consumers. These learning experiences can support children’s agency and promote the sharing of resources, while helping them to build upon their decision-making and problem-solving skills too.

Tips for educators

• Role-model and encourage children to reduce consumption and conserve resources.
• Save spare paint and encourage children to reduce waste and recycle items.
• Set up a range of experiences that help children develop agency.
• Engage children in discussion about sourcing resources and exploring low-cost options, such as purchasing from recycling centres or second-hand stores.
• Consider connecting with other services to develop a resource library function to share.