Children’s Services going above and beyond
Published on 20 November 2024
Early Years services are a vital part of Glenelg Shire, and parents, caregivers and the community can rest assured children are receiving high standards of education and care.
The Glenelg Shire Council-run Kalbarri Kindergarten in Portland has been rated as Exceeding National Quality Standards under the National Quality Framework.
The National Quality Standard (NQS) sets a national benchmark for the quality of children’s education and care services across Australia.
Services are assessed against the NQS by the state or territory regulatory authority and receive a rating for each of the seven quality areas of the NQS, as well as an overall rating.
“An overall rating of Exceeding NQS is given to services that go above and beyond the requirements of the NQS in at least four of the seven quality areas,” said Council Director of Community Services Jayne Miller.
“Kalbarri certainly does. The report says educators and team leaders demonstrated a commitment to providing a supportive and educational environment for children and families that demonstrated respect and aligned with the service philosophy.
“The educational leader and educators demonstrated strong practices in critical reflection that were guided by research, professional discussions, and engagement with families and the community that lead to effective practices that supported quality outcomes for children.
“The report also went on to say the learning environment was welcoming with children demonstrating a strong sense of belonging and ownership. Educators worked together in designing the space to create environments that supported play-based learning, incorporating physical and active play.
“Educators provided inclusive and flexible environments that supported children’s differing learning capabilities and styles with resources and experiences reflective of children’s interests and ideas such as, imaginary play, science experiments and construction.
“The Assessment and Rating process is part of the National Quality Standards for Early Years Education and Care services and reflects standards, quality and highly valued service delivery.
“Over the course of the past year or so, many of our Children’s Services teams have undertaken this process with successful outcomes.”
The National Quality Framework (NQF) for early childhood education and care was agreed by all Australian governments to get better educational and development outcomes for children using education and care services.
Implementation of the NQF is guided by the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA).
To find out more information about the NQF and service ratings, visit the ACECQA website or ACECQA’s family focused website, Starting Blocks.
Caption: Kalbarri Kindergarten Early Childhood Educator Sophie, Early Childhood Teacher Carly and Early Childhood Educator Taylan are delighted with the service exceeding National Quality Standards.