Updated: June 2025.
Choosing an early education program is one of the most important decisions you’ll make in your child’s early years. It’s about more than preparing for school - it’s about giving your child the chance to feel safe, curious, and confident in the world around them.
Whether you’re a parent preparing for those first emotional drop-offs or an educator looking for work that truly makes a difference, it’s worth asking: What approach to early education will help children thrive, not just today, but for life?
In this guide, we’ll explore the best-known early childhood philosophies - Montessori and Reggio Emilia - and introduce a modern Australian childcare curriculum built to support every child’s emotional, social, and cognitive development from birth to school age.
What Makes a Great Early Education Curriculum?
The best early education curriculum is grounded in what children need most in the first five years of life:
- Strong, nurturing relationships with consistent educators
- Environments rich in language, play, and emotional safety
- Opportunities to explore, create, and make sense of the world
- A deep sense of belonging and community
- A clear connection to Australia’s Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF)
For educators, working in a centre that lives out these principles brings purpose to each day. With the right support, training, and resources, you’re not just teaching, you’re changing lives.
We’re proud that our centres also go beyond curriculum to prioritise safety and quality at every level. Learn more about our Safety Commitment and Quality and Compliance.
Learning Approaches That Inspire Today’s Classrooms
Over the years, two of the most well-known early education philosophies - Montessori and Reggio Emilia - have shaped how children aged 0-5 learn in childcare and early learning centres around the world.
Montessori
Founded by Dr Maria Montessori, this approach focuses on independence, hands-on materials, and allowing children to move at their own pace. Educators gently guide rather than instruct, creating peaceful environments where children choose their own activities and build confidence through repetition and discovery.
Reggio Emilia
This Italian philosophy sees children as capable, creative co-constructors of knowledge. Learning is led by children’s interests, with long-term projects, expressive arts, and beautifully designed environments that reflect and inspire curiosity. Relationships - between children, educators, and families - are at the heart of this approach.
These philosophies still influence how we approach early education today, but many Australian families and educators are now looking for something that builds on those ideas, while also aligning with our national learning framework and modern child development research.
A Curriculum Designed for Australian Children
That’s where the Lifelong Learning Curriculum comes in. It combines the best elements of traditional philosophies with contemporary, evidence-informed practices to create a rich, responsive and meaningful early education experience, tailored to babies, toddlers and kindergarteners/preschoolers.
Want to see what it looks like in action?
Watch this short video to hear from our educators and get a glimpse of the nurturing environments, hands-on activities and joyful learning experiences that bring the Lifelong Learning Curriculum to life every day.
Comparing Early Education Approaches
Here’s how Montessori, Reggio Emilia and the Lifelong Learning Curriculum compare at a glance:
The Lifelong Learning Curriculum: A Modern Australian Approach
Tailored to each developmental stage, the Lifelong Learning Curriculum supports children to feel safe, confident and engaged from their earliest days to their first day of school.
Babies (0-1): Healthy Beginnings
In the earliest months of life, relationships are everything. The Healthy Beginnings Program is grounded in relationship-based practices, where educators build secure, consistent bonds with every baby in their care.
Through gentle routines, warm interactions, and a deep understanding of each baby’s cues, we create a safe space where babies can begin exploring the world, knowing they have a trusted adult by their side. This emotional security forms the foundation for all learning to come.
Toddlers (1-3): Early Experiences
Toddlers are natural learners - busy, curious, and eager to communicate. The Early Experiences Program is inspired by the Abecedarian Approach, a language-rich model that weaves learning into every interaction and routine.
From shared reading and playful back-and-forth conversations, to learning games and daily rituals, our educators support toddlers’ growing independence and emotional development. The result? Children who feel confident expressing themselves, solving problems, and connecting with others.
Kindergarteners/Preschoolers (3-5): School Readiness
For children getting ready to transition to school, the School Readiness Program introduces Inquiry Based Learning, a hands-on, child-led approach where curiosity drives discovery.
Children work together to investigate real-world topics they care about, like how things grow, how buildings stand, or where animals live. Along the way, they develop skills in literacy, numeracy, critical thinking, and collaboration.
This curriculum also includes:
- Big Thinkers STEM
- Reading Eggs and MathSeeds
- Positive Living Skills
- Wandana Aboriginal Education Program
- Environmental conservation education
These programs support children’s social, emotional, academic and cultural learning, setting them up not just for school, but for life.
Why This Approach Matters for Children, Families and Educators
When early education is built around real relationships, meaningful experiences, and evidence-informed practice, something amazing happens:
Children thrive. Families feel confident. Educators feel proud of the work they do.
Whether you’re choosing a child care centre for your baby, or looking for a career where you can make a difference, the right early education curriculum creates lifelong impact, for everyone involved.
Come Experience It for Yourself
For Families:
Looking for a centre where your child will be loved, supported, and inspired to learn?
Find a centre near you and come see what makes us different.
For Educators:
Want to work somewhere that values curiosity, care, and professional growth?
Explore a career with Affinity Education and join a team that’s shaping the future of early childhood education.