National Regional Winner
Goodstart Early Learning Moree has taken out top regional honours in the 2024 KindiCare Excellence Awards!
BY HEJIRA CONVERY, KINDICARE
For the second year in a row, Goodstart Early Learning Moree has been named Regional State Winner for New South Wales and overall National Regional Winner in the KindiCare Excellence Awards.
Their Outstanding KindiCare Rating of 9.8 has also seen them become a State Finalist for NSW, and all of these accolades are so well-deserved!
Goodstart Moree is a medium-sized centre with a big heart, and community-mindedness is the foundation of their high-quality education and care offering.
Centre Director, Lauren Kinchela, was born in Moree, and has been working at the centre since 2014, so she has deep connections with the community, and leads a team that’s focused on building bonds between lots of different people, for the benefit of the children.
Lauren says, “For me, relationships are key to great learning outcomes, so we take great care to connect with parents and carers, and understand children’s needs, interests and abilities.
“We tackle challenges together and celebrate wins as well, and I believe it’s this collaborative spirit that makes us successful as a childcare family.
“People often walk into the centre and tell us how warm and welcoming the place feels, and our focus on genuine partnerships really is reflected in everything we do.”
At Goodstart Moree, inclusivity is the norm and there’s a deep commitment to cultural diversity, and especially Aboriginal culture.
Moree has the second largest Indigenous community in New South Wales, and Goodstart Moree is located on the land of the Gamilaroi people, the second largest nation in Australia, so First Nations culture is truly valued and celebrated.
The centre is currently working on a Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) to incorporate different voices and provide guidance going forward, and Lauren says, “We have a large population of First Nations people sharing their experiences and knowledge as members of our childcare family, or as very welcome visitors.”
She says, “We want to teach the children about Indigenous culture in a meaningful way, and create a place that’s truly inclusive for Indigenous people, and we’re always looking for ways to support Australia’s journey of reconciliation.”
Deep thought goes into this, and the educators also take time to develop play-based learning programs that are interesting on an individual level.
The centre is fortunate to have a highly-qualified team that’s focused on providing the very best education and care for each child.
At the moment, Goodstart Moree has three Early Childhood Teachers, and more than half of their team are Diploma Qualified.
The centre also has Key Educator Relationships embedded into its practice, which means that educators work closely and consistently with their key children, teaching life skills, problem-solving skills, environmental awareness and everything else they need to reach their potential and a live a positive life.
All of this is very rewarding for Lauren and her team, and they’re excited to be recognised as the top performing centre in regional Australia for the second year running.
Lauren says, “It was really great to win the KindiCare Excellence Awards in 2023, and to be named overall National Regional Winner in 2024, as well as being a State Finalist for New South Wales, is incredible.
“We are also proud to be rated Exceeding National Quality Standard in all seven Quality Areas by our regulatory authority, and couldn’t have done any of this without our amazing childcare community.
“Thank you to our families, and to everyone in Moree who contributes to our centre, with the children’s best interests at heart.”
Learn more about Goodstart Early Learning Moree
Information correct as at 1 July 2024