2022 Excellence Awards Winners Revealed
Winners Revealed: KindiCare Announces Australia’s Best Early Learning Centres for 2022.
BY BENJAMIN BALK, KINDICARE
An independent early childhood education and care centre that puts priority on the wellbeing of its workforce has been named the National Winner in this year’s KindiCare Excellence Awards.
Essex Heights Juniors in the outer Melbourne suburb of Mount Waverley scored 10.0, the highest KindiCare Rating in the nation, to take top honours.
The regional winner, a category introduced for the first time this year, was also from Victoria with Journey Early Learning Centre in Whittlesea scoring 9.7.
The KindiCare app and childcare comparison website, developed by founder and CEO Benjamin Balk to make the process of selecting a quality early learning centre more transparent for parents, has revolutionised the early learning search journey for Australian families.
The KindiCare Excellence Awards recognise the top performing early learning services across the nation based on their Kindicare Rating. The KindiCare Rating provides a unique score for every early learning service that is based on their current and historical assessment and ratings under the National Quality Framework from ACECQA, parent and community feedback and reviews, the stability and length of operation of the service as well as other characteristics known about a service – providing a comprehensive real time picture of quality and value for money that’s easy for parents to understand.
In a sector suffering a critical shortage of qualified educators, Essex Heights Juniors boasts 11 Bachelor or Masters qualified teachers and is regularly cited by Education authorities as a model early learning centre.
Centre owner and director for 25 years, Paula Papanicolaou, attributes her success to looking after her staff.
“We have two wellbeing officers,” said Paula. “One is responsible for the wellbeing of staff and the other for the children. Our educational leader is full time off the floor, providing support to staff in all rooms and having private one-to-one sessions to explore their learning goals.”
Mr Balk says Essex Heights Juniors’ approach provides a shining example of how to overcome workforce issues as shortcomings in the early learning sector were laid bare at this week’s Jobs Summit.
“Look after your educators and education looks after itself,” said Mr Balk. “Essex Heights Juniors offers an incredible program of education and play and a working environment where educators are valued. That translates to staff being able to deliver the curriculum and care that they know will lead to happy children – and happy parents.”
Mr Balk says a common theme amongst National, State and Regional winners was having long-serving staff who were motivated to create engaging play and learning environments with a strong culture of continuous improvement.
“It’s incredible to see the innovative approaches that some centres have adopted to captivate children’s imagination and teach them important life lessons,” said Mr Balk.
“Goodstart Early Learning Port Macquarie, who were joint NSW winners with their sister centre in Tuggerah, empower their children to be critical decision makers. Children are involved in the centre’s daily safety checks which helps them to become safety advocates and more aware of risks.”
Forrest OOSHC, a joint winner in the ACT, and the first before and after school service to take top honours in the KindiCare Excellence Awards, goes even further to give children a voice in how the centre is run.
A children’s committee is involved in selection of staff at the centre and recently cast their vote in favour of hiring a staff member with cerebral palsy.
Executive Director Ali Sewter says the children have embraced the opportunity to make important decisions about the operation of the service.
“The children led the process, did the research and spoke to the principal of the attached primary school, the committee and staff, to determine what changes would be necessary to employ this person,” said Ms Sewter.
Through joint decisions made by the interview panel, Forrest OOSHC has two employees with Down Syndrome, eight on the autism spectrum and one in a wheelchair.
A willingness to embrace risky play was another outstanding feature amongst top performing centres, according to Mr Balk.
Joint WA winner, Princeton Preschool by Busy Bees, encourages children to climb trees, helping them to evaluate the risk and climb with safety in mind.
Yirrkala Preschool in remote East Arnhem Land was the Northern Territory winner but finalist Dripstone Children’s Centre has also been kicking goals by turning the usual child care model on its head.
Acting Director Georgia Cleanthous says they don’t lock children into age groups but let them move into whatever play and activity space they want.
“We see children as capable risk-takers and we honour their voices,” said Ms Cleanthous. “We have a children’s committee who meet once a month and this is where children’s big ideas are documented and the adults action them.”
Some requests don’t get past the fun police however. When the children asked for a crocodile, the centre looked at getting a baby croc but settled for a mock croc that now lives with the uncaged chickens and bunny. With plans to add to the menagerie with turtles and a fish, it was undoubtedly the wisest and safest decision.
Ashgrove Memorial Kindergarten, Queensland joint winners alongside Goodstart Early Learning North Lakes Winn Street, has a history dating back to 1949 with their longest serving staff member clocking up 18 years.
“Quite a few of our parents attended Ashgrove Memorial Kindergarten as children themselves and would never consider sending their children to another kindy,” said centre co-director Lisa Cranny.
Inclusiveness also stood out as a common theme amongst winners and finalists. Educator Daniel Nicholson introduced Auslan at Darwin’s Haileybury Rendall Early Learning Centre, incorporating sign language into play and learning activities.
“In the past, I’ve taught blind children and deaf children, and have also learnt Braille to support their learning,” said David.
“I do Auslan with the children all day, through their normal lessons and everyday use. We use it through transitions, mealtimes and other activities and in the past six months have incorporated Auslan into our Mandarin lessons.
“My dream would be that Auslan is a lesson, like any other in schools, and that every child in Australia gets some exposure to Auslan. So far, I’ve shared it with over 500 families in Darwin, and the more people who know about it, the better it is for society.”
Joint winners in South Australia, were Stepping Stone Evanston Childcare & Early Development Centre and Nazareth Early Childhood Centre, with scores of 9.5.
Mr Balk said that the 2022 KindiCare Awards this year recognised just over 2,000 early learning services nationally who achieved a KindiCare Rating of 9.0 or above. About 10% of services nationally were recognised with an Excellent Award with the top 2% of the nation’s best performing early learning services receiving the newly introduced Outstanding Award for achieving a KindiCare Rating of 9.5 or above.
“It is fantastic to be able to recognise the hard work and dedication of the childcare providers, educators and staff at these top performing centres nationally who strive every day to give the best possible start to learning for children across Australia,” said Mr Balk.
