Regional Winner QLD
Condon Kids Early Learning Centre has won a 2024 KindiCare Excellence Award, building on their success as a Reggio Emilia-inspired centre in regional Australia.
BY HEJIRA CONVERY, KINDICARE
For the second year running, Condon Kids Early Learning Centre is our Regional State Winner for Queensland!
They’ve won their 2024 KindiCare Excellence Award with an Outstanding KindiCare Rating of 9.7, and there’s no doubt that Condon Kids ELC is a very special place for children to be.
This Townsville centre offers a collaborative, project-based educational program that’s inspired by the Reggio Emilia Educational Approach, which supports the principles of Respect, Participation and Community.
The educators and teachers, led by Centre Manager, Arielle Russoniello, share a deep passion for the Reggio Emilia Educational Project.
Arielle and Early Childhood Teacher, Elyssa Harrington, recently returned from a study tour in Reggio Emilia, Italy, and have brought back a wealth of knowledge and diverse perspectives.
These insights are being integrated into the service, enriching and strengthening practices to inspire educators, challenge their thinking, and create meaningful learning experiences for young children.
Arielle says, “We pride ourselves on offering the highest quality care and education for our children through our rich, child-focused project work, and instead of sticking to strict routines, the children have the flexibility to explore provocations throughout our environments, at their own pace.”
There’s certainly a lot to do and discover at Condon Kids ELC.
The program and environments are carefully designed to foster children’s curiosity, creativity and connections, and there are lots of unique learning environments at the centre, including an Atelier creativity studio, Cenaré food exploration lab, outdoor water park, adventure playground, and vegetable and tropical gardens created by the children for the community to enjoy.
There are large tunnels between the learning studios that children can move through at their own leisure during times of the day, and Arielle says, “These tunnels enable children to resource their own learning, supporting independence and autonomy across the service.
“This encourages mixed-age socialisation to occur organically, which is beneficial for both sibling interactions and the support of peer-based learning.”
Along the way, early learners are supported by a dedicated and passionate team.
Arielle has been Centre Manager since Condon Kids ELC first opened its doors back in January 2019 and she leads a team that’s qualified, passionate, caring and family-focused.
Arielle says, “We are fortunate to have a number of long-standing educators and mentors throughout our service. By accessing the endless professional development opportunities provided by KIDS ELC, my team continually views families as the first and foremost teachers in a child’s educational journey, and we work collaboratively with these families to provide high quality learning experiences to support children to reach their goals.”
Families definitely love being part of this early learning community, and Condon Kids ELC has received many five-star reviews from happy parents.
The centre’s amazing educational team is always grateful for their community’s appreciation and kind words, and they’re thrilled to be recognised, once again, as the top-rated centre in Regional Queensland.
Arielle says, “Winning this second KindiCare Excellence Award, after being rated Exceeding by ACECQA, is so exciting and we are genuinely honoured to receive this accolade.
“We view our responsibility in the early years as vital role in a child’s learning journey and we continue to thank our families for placing their trust in us to make a pivotal difference in their children’s lives.”
Learn more about Condon Kids Early Learning Centre
Information correct as at 1 July 2024