Where Learning Begins

NEXIE Foundations

Preschool Establishment and Practice Suite

Build the philosophy. Develop the practice. Connect families. Create the conditions for children to thrive.

NEXIE Foundations is a whole-service implementation and professional-learning pathway for schools, preschools and Early Childhood Education and Care services establishing a new preschool or strengthening an existing approach.

Preschool leaders, educators and a family representative developing philosophy, curriculum and implementation plans together
Understanding before implementation.

A locally informed pathway

A connected approach—not a
generic model to copy.

The Suite helps teams connect regulatory and educational responsibilities with philosophy, curriculum, developmental frameworks, educator capability, family partnership and reflective implementation.

  • Children
  • Families
  • Community
  • Cultural context
  • Educational responsibilities
  • Workforce capability
  • Service priorities
  • Vision for learning

One Suite · Two Settings

Choose the edition that fits
your service.

Both editions use the same connected architecture while respecting the different governance, leadership and operational contexts of schools and early-learning services.

Public School Preschool Edition

Establish or strengthen preschool practice within a public-school environment.

For principals, leadership teams, preschool teachers, SLSOs and personnel involved in implementation.

  • Establishment phases and responsibilities
  • Staff induction and preparation
  • Philosophy, EYLF curriculum and documentation
  • Compatible environments and family partnership
  • Transition relationships and reflective review
Independent proprietary support—not a NSW Department of Education program or endorsement.
Early Childhood Service Edition

Develop or strengthen a connected educational approach.

For preschools, long day care, community preschools, early-learning providers and approved organisations.

  • Philosophy and educational direction
  • Curriculum, planning and educator capability
  • Behaviour as communication
  • Inclusion and compatible environments
  • Family partnership and community initiatives

The Foundations Pathway

Seven connected components for
service development.

The pathway moves from leadership and vision through philosophy, curriculum, child understanding, workforce capability, family partnership and continuous improvement.

01

Vision and Implementation

Know where you are going.

Connect the service vision with leadership, workforce, environment, family and practice priorities through a staged implementation pathway.

  • Readiness reflection
  • Leadership and team responsibilities
  • Milestones and resource priorities
  • Risks, dependencies and communication
  • Practical implementation schedule
Service output: Foundations Implementation Map
02

Philosophy

Define what your service believes about children and learning.

Facilitated reflection helps the service articulate a philosophy grounded in its children, families, community and educational responsibilities.

  • Image of the child
  • Relationships and belonging
  • Developmental variation
  • Behaviour as communication
  • Inclusion, culture and family knowledge
Service output: Draft or refreshed Statement of Philosophy
03

Curriculum and Pedagogy

Turn the philosophy into everyday learning.

Connect philosophy with curriculum decisions, intentional teaching, play, relationships and everyday experience while maintaining alignment with the EYLF.

  • Life—participation and belonging
  • Action—experience and contribution
  • Mind—curiosity and inquiry
  • Heart—relationships and values
  • Smart—integrated capability
Service output: Curriculum and Pedagogy Framework
04

Children’s Developmental Blueprints and Planning

Understand the child before planning the response.

Use strengths-based, Blueprint-informed observation to consider communication, relationships, regulation, participation, learning and environmental compatibility.

  • Strengths and interests
  • Communication and relationships
  • Regulation and participation
  • Developmental capacity
  • Compatible conditions and next learning
Service output: Blueprint-Informed Observation and Planning Process
05

Educator Professional Learning

Build the capability behind the practice.

Develop shared NEXIE foundations and role-specific capability for leaders, teachers, educators and support staff.

  • Understanding Before Intervention
  • Behaviour as communication
  • Applied neurodevelopment
  • Family-centred practice
  • Reflection, boundaries and referral
Service output: Educator Capability and Professional-Learning Plan
06

Partnerships with Families

Recognise families as children’s first educators.

Move beyond information-sharing toward meaningful educational partnership, shared reflection, continuity and community connection.

  • Respectful family conversations
  • Family and child voice
  • Collaborative goals
  • Home–service continuity
  • Transition and community pathways
Service output: Family and Community Partnership Plan
07

Environment, Reflection and Continuous Improvement

Create conditions that support participation.

Review how spaces, routines, expectations, relationships and sensory conditions influence children’s capacity and participation.

  • Physical and emotional safety
  • Routines and transitions
  • Access, agency and inclusion
  • Family welcome and cultural representation
  • Reflective-practice systems
Service output: Developmental Environment and Continuous-Improvement Plan

Educator Professional Learning

Shared understanding.
Role-specific capability.

Build the capability needed to bring the service philosophy, curriculum and developmental approach into everyday practice.

Teacher and Educational Leader

Lead curriculum, planning and implementation.

  • Philosophy and pedagogy
  • Curriculum leadership
  • Observation and planning
  • Individual learning goals
  • Family and professional collaboration
  • Team leadership and improvement
Educator and Support Workforce

Bring understanding into everyday experience.

  • Everyday relational practice
  • Play and participation
  • Contributing observations
  • Co-regulation strategies
  • Respectful family communication
  • Practice reflection and development
Whole-Team Integration
  • Shared language
  • Consistent practice
  • Family partnership
  • Continuous improvement
Explore Early Years Professional Learning →

What the Service Develops

A connected preschool
practice blueprint.

Each service develops locally informed components that can evolve as children, families, workforce, community and priorities change.

01Foundations Implementation Map02Statement of Philosophy03Curriculum and Pedagogy Framework04Blueprint-Informed Planning Process05Educator Professional-Learning Plan06Family and Community Partnership Plan07Developmental Environment Plan08Continuous-Improvement Pathway
NEXIE Foundations
Preschool Practice Blueprint

How It Connects

Institutional implementation and workforce learning
working together.

NEXIE Foundations may operate independently or connect with approved learning, resources and family or community pathways.

Early Years Applied Learning Suite

RTO contextualisation for Early Childhood Education and Care qualifications.

Explore pathway ↗

Early Years Professional Learning

Shared and role-specific capability for the existing workforce.

Explore pathway ↗

NEXIE Productised Services

Separately accessed family, transition, supported-play and community pathways.

Explore pathway ↗

NEXIE Professional Library

Approved publications, workbooks, planning tools and implementation resources.

Explore pathway ↗
The RTO Suite supports qualification contextualisation.NEXIE Foundations supports service implementation.Professional learning supports educator capability.Productised Services extend appropriate pathways to families and communities.

What NEXIE Foundations Is Not

Independent support with
clear boundaries.

It provides proprietary implementation guidance, professional learning, developmental frameworks and practical resources that help a service bring its responsibilities and educational vision into connected practice.

  • Does not replace departmental establishment requirements
  • Does not replace national quality framework
  • Does not replace national quality standard
  • Does not replace early years learning framework
  • Does not replace service approval or regulatory advice
  • Does not replace legal advice or mandatory policies
  • Does not replace safeguarding responsibilities
  • Does not replace approved qualifications
  • Does not replace teacher accreditation processes
  • Does not replace leadership’s independent responsibilities

Questions and Answers

Understand the implementation pathway
before you begin.

Is NEXIE Foundations only for new preschools?+

No. NEXIE Foundations can guide a new preschool through establishment and implementation planning or help an existing preschool or Early Childhood Education and Care service strengthen its philosophy, curriculum, family partnerships, environments and professional practice.

The pathway can be adapted to the service’s existing stage, priorities, workforce and community context.

Does NEXIE provide a ready-made service philosophy?+

No. NEXIE Foundations does not impose a generic philosophy for a service to copy.

It provides guided reflection, consultation prompts and implementation resources that help leaders, educators and families develop or refresh a philosophy grounded in their children, community, cultural context, educational responsibilities and vision for learning.

The service remains responsible for consulting appropriately, formally adopting its philosophy and reviewing it as its context evolves.

Is LAMAHS a replacement for the EYLF?+

No. LAMAHS is a proprietary NEXIE developmental and curriculum lens that can support educators to connect life, action, thinking, relationships, values and integrated capability with everyday learning.

It does not replace the Early Years Learning Framework, the National Quality Framework, the National Quality Standard or any other curriculum, regulatory or service obligations that apply.

NEXIE Foundations helps services use their NEXIE learning alongside—not instead of—the approved learning framework and their existing responsibilities.

Does the Blueprint diagnose or categorise children?+

No. The Blueprint-informed observation and planning process is strengths-based, educational and developmental.

It helps educators and families consider a child’s strengths, interests, communication, relationships, regulation, participation, current developmental capacity and compatible environmental conditions. It is not a diagnostic assessment, clinical report or fixed classification of the child.

Where observations indicate that further support may be helpful, educators must follow applicable service procedures and connect families with appropriately qualified professionals or relevant services.

Can this be used for educator professional learning?+

Yes. NEXIE Foundations includes shared learning and role-specific capability development for teachers, educational leaders, educators, support staff and leadership teams.

Professional learning may include facilitated sessions, reflective activities, implementation projects, team conversations, planning tools and approved NEXIE resources.

Services seeking a more extensive workforce-development pathway can also access the separate Early Years Professional Learning pathway.

Participation does not replace approved qualifications, mandatory training, employer responsibilities or teacher-accreditation requirements.

Can families participate?+

Yes. Meaningful family partnership is an essential part of NEXIE Foundations.

Families may contribute through philosophy consultation, child and family voice, collaborative goal-setting, transition planning, parent learning, home–service continuity and community initiatives.

Any participation involving personal information, child observations or individual planning must follow appropriate consent, privacy, safeguarding and recordkeeping requirements.

Separate family pathways—such as ECHOS, CARIE Circles, MUMspired or NEUROPREP—may also be considered where appropriate and separately accessed.

Is this a Department of Education program?+

No. NEXIE Foundations is an independent proprietary NEXIE Institute implementation and professional-learning pathway.

The Public School Preschool Edition is designed to help school teams connect their responsibilities, local context and educational vision with practical implementation. It is not developed, operated, approved or endorsed by the NSW Department of Education.

Schools remain responsible for following all applicable departmental requirements, policies, procedures and approval processes.

Does NEXIE Foundations guarantee regulatory compliance or service approval?+

No. NEXIE Foundations supports educational planning, professional learning and reflective implementation. It does not provide regulatory approval, legal advice or a guarantee of compliance.

The approved provider, school leadership and service leadership remain responsible for regulatory requirements, policies, safeguarding, staffing, governance and all formal decisions affecting the service.

What will our service develop through the pathway?+

Depending on the agreed scope, a service may develop a connected NEXIE Foundations Preschool Practice Blueprint comprising:

  • A Foundations Implementation Map
  • A Statement of Philosophy
  • A Curriculum and Pedagogy Framework
  • A Blueprint-Informed Observation and Planning Process
  • An Educator Capability and Professional-Learning Plan
  • A Family and Community Partnership Plan
  • A Developmental Environment Plan
  • A Continuous-Improvement Pathway

These are locally informed working resources that the service can continue to review as its children, families, workforce, community and priorities change.

Purpose. Pathway. Possibility.

Build the foundations. Connect the people.
Strengthen the practice.