Sandy Bay’s Hutchins Early Learning Centre has been titled the best childcare in Tasmania by the KindiCare app scoring an ‘excellent’ rating of 9.53 out of 10.

The app’s rating system compared more than 16,500 providers across the country and made its decision based on many factors including government audits and family feedback.

“The rating is a bonus – we are exceeding expectations which certainly shows that we have consistently high rating of quality education, but we don’t do our job just for the ranking,” said Hutchins Director Naomi Pritchard-Tiller.

The all boys centre which caters for children from Pre-Kindergarten to Year 2 is an extension of the prestigious Hutchins School that was established in 1846.

The campus now features airy classrooms, multiple play areas and a curriculum that includes languages, music and physical education for young boys.

After being at the helm of the centre for the last three years, Ms Pritchard-Tiller said her team’s focus on building relationships and connecting with students was the reason behind their top tier ranking.

“Without a strong and secure relationship nothing else flows. We spend a lot of time and effort making sure they feel safe and secure and from there they are most likely to engage in learning in a powerful way,”said Ms Pritchard-Tiller.

“The sense of community we have at the school is really important - because of where we are situated on the campus the three-year-olds can look out and see the older boys on the oval. The Year 12 boys even visit us which makes them feel like they belong to a larger community which is really lovely.”

According to the ratings, 21 Tasmanian childcares boast an excellence rating of over 9 out of 10, Prospect Vale’s Goodstart Early Learning and Smithton’s Giggles Early Learning coming in second at 9.26.

Lady Gowrie Pedder Patter Education and Care Centre, OSHC Kewarra Beach and Brighton Childcare and Early Learning Centre were at the bottom of the list, scoring a ‘Fair’ rating of around 6 out of 10.

Read the full story and check out the latest centre rankings for Tasmania here >>>