Resources to support Cultural responsiveness
My Time, Our Place: The Framework for School Age Care (MTOP) in Australia is the national approved learning framework under the National Quality Framework (NQF) for school age children. The MTOP addresses cultural responsiveness and explains it as:
A contemporary way to think about culture and enables individuals and organisations to be respectful of everyone's backgrounds, beliefs, values, customs, knowledge, lifestyles and social behaviours. Being culturally responsive includes a genuine commitment to take action against discrimination of any form, embedding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives in all aspects of the curriculum and working collaboratively with culturally and linguistically diverse children and families.
With cultural responsiveness and competence being a focus of the NQF, the Australian Children's Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) has produced a number of resources and articles to support service providers in strengthening cultural security and equality in diversity.
- Information Sheet: My Time, Our Place - Cultural responsiveness (ACECQA)
An information sheet that links the National Quality Standard to cultural responsiveness, explaining what this looks like in practice and offering prompts to reflect on a service. - What does it mean to be culturally competent? (ACECQA)
An article explaining what cultural competence means and why it is so important for children to have their culture and cultural backgrounds acknowledged, respected and value. - Welcome Cultural Diversity (Australian Early Childhood Mental Health Initiative)
Information about why culture matters for children's development and wellbeing, and advice on how to communicate this with families including supporting resources. - Building Belonging: A toolkit for early childhood educators on cultural diversity and responding to racial prejudice (Australian Human Rights Commission)
A toolkit to help encourage respect for cultural diversity and tackle racial prejudice in early childhood settings. - Case study on Bellambi Point Community Preschool, highlighting their commitment to children that respects, reflects and celebrates culture and diversity.