BY BENJAMIN BALK, KINDICARE

SEPTEMBER 12, 2022 

Yirrkala Preschool in remote East Arnhem Land, has taken top honours in the 2022 KindiCare Excellence Awards as the highest-rated early learning centre in the Northern Territory.

The first very remote early learning centre in Australia to be awarded a highly sought-after Excellence rating from ACECQA, Yirrkala Preschool topped the Northern Territory with a 9.7 KindiCare rating.

Haileybury Rendall Early Learning Centre in the Darwin suburb of Berrima, was the best performing long day care centre with a 9.6 KindiCare rating.

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.

Mr Balk said a standout feature of the top performing early learning centres was the genuine effort to create inclusive environments.

“It is truly inspiring to see how the next generation of Australians is learning from a young age to view difference as normal,” said Mr Balk.

“Many of the Northern Territory winners are doing much more than ticking a box; they are demonstrating through their actions that inclusiveness is integral to early childhood education.”

Educator Daniel Nicholson first learned sign language to communicate with a hearing-impaired friend and went on to introduce Auslan at Haileybury Rendall Early Learning Centre, initially as hand actions for songs like Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.

“Things took off from there,” said Daniel. “In the past, I’ve taught blind children and deaf children, and have also learnt Braille to support their learning.

“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.”

Another Darwin early learning centre taking an innovative approach is Dripstone Children’s Centre, a not for profit centre which finished amongst the top 10 in the Northern Territory.

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, taking on a measured level of risk.

“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.

Dripstone Children’s Centre also runs a Beyond the Boundary program where children aged over 18 months, including those with additional needs, regularly travel outside the centre.

“Every Monday we go to the beach, and every Tuesday, we go to the Lakeside Drive community garden,” said Georgia. “We also take children to the library, the museum, and to special events, like Global Climate Strikes and NAIDOC marches.

“We take our children with additional needs on our Beyond the Boundary trips, as well. We’re very confident at supporting children with additional needs; they go with the educator they trust and are able to have a circle of security, which allows them to run free, safe in the knowledge that their educators are there for them.”

The Beyond the Boundary program has generated interest outside the Northern Territory with the University of Wollongong in NSW using it as the basis for research into the social-emotional development of children through nature-based play.

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.

View the 2022 KindICare Excellence Awards Northern Territory Winners and Finalists >>>