2027 Diaries

2027 ECEC Diaries FAQs: Features, Evidence of Learning & EYLF Alignment

The 2027 Butler Diaries collection has been thoughtfully updated to support more efficient, meaningful documentation in Early Childhood Education and Care. With the addition of three ribbon bookmarks, educators and leaders can quickly navigate between key reference pages, monthly planning, and their current documentation—reducing time spent searching and increasing consistency across the day. These practical improvements are designed to support real workflows within services.

A key update in the 2027 diaries is the shift to “Evidence of Learning,” reflecting current guidance from ACECQA and the Early Years Learning Framework. This broader approach recognises a range of documentation methods beyond photos, including children’s voices, observations, reflections, and learning stories. It supports educators to capture learning more intentionally while responding to evolving expectations around child safety and documentation practices.

All diaries remain aligned with the Early Years Learning Framework, My Time, Our Place, and the National Quality Standard, ensuring services can clearly demonstrate the cycle of planning and evidence of practice. Whether you’re an educator, educational leader, or nominated supervisor, the 2027 collection is designed to simplify compliance, strengthen reflective practice, and support high-quality outcomes for children.

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Frequently Asked Questions

The 2027 collection includes several thoughtful updates designed to make documentation more efficient and meaningful. One key change is the addition of three ribbon bookmarks, allowing you to quickly move between important sections such as compliance reference pages, your monthly overview, and your current working page.

You’ll also notice a shift from “Photographic Evidence of Learning” to simply “Evidence of Learning” in selected diaries. This supports a broader range of documentation methods, including children’s voices, educator reflections, and observational notes—aligning with current guidance around child safety and meaningful assessment.

The three ribbons are designed to support your daily workflow:

Ribbon 1: Key reference pages (e.g. NQS, developmental milestones, QIP notes)
Ribbon 2: Monthly planning or “Month at a Glance” section
Ribbon 3: Your current week or day

For example, in the Family Day Care Combined Diary, many educators use:

One ribbon for their program
One for the current day
One for visitor logs or compliance records

This reduces time spent flipping through pages and helps maintain consistency across documentation.

“Evidence of Learning” recognises that meaningful documentation goes beyond photos. It can include:

Children’s voices and direct quotes
Observational notes or jottings
Educator reflections and evaluations
Learning stories
Feedback from families
Drawings, diagrams, or mark-making
Extensions or follow-up planning

This approach aligns with the ACECQA guidance and the Early Years Learning Framework, which emphasise showing learning clearly rather than relying on volume of documentation.

Yes — all 2027 diaries continue to be intentionally aligned with:

Early Years Learning Framework
My Time, Our Place
National Quality Standard

The layouts are designed to make the cycle of planning visible (observe → plan → implement → reflect), while also supporting services to demonstrate evidence toward Exceeding themes without adding unnecessary workload.

Not completely — but the 2027 updates are an opportunity to refine your approach rather than increase your workload.

You may choose to:

Be more intentional with what you document
Use a wider range of evidence (not just photos)
Focus on linking observations to learning outcomes and reflections
Reduce duplication across different records

The diaries are designed to support your existing practice while making it clearer, more efficient, and easier to show evidence of quality practice during Assessment and Rating.