Goodstart Tuggerah proud to be named as the first Excellent rated service for 2021

The team at Goodstart Early Learning Tuggerah are starting the new year off on a high note, celebrating the news that they have become the first Australian early learning centre in 2021 to receive an ‘Excellent’ rating from the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA).

 

The award is the second such rating received by Goodstart in as many months as Goodstart Early Learning Batthurst celebrated the receipt of an excellent rating in November 2021. 

 

Authorised officers noted the “many exceptional practices, programs and partnerships” on display within the service, so much so that the decision notice is the longest that ACECQA has ever written.

 

Centre Director Adam Angwin praised his team for their role in seeing the service recognised, saying they consistently go above and beyond, putting an “extraordinary amount of energy and passion into their work at Tuggerah”.

 

Community engagement was a core component of the decision to award the service an Excellent rating, with the service aiming to “help to make a difference for many members of our wider community.

 

As well as building strong partnerships with residents and carers at a local aged care facility, Goodstart Early Learning Tuggerah also has connections with an organic farm, a local primary school (to help everyone prepare for the transition to school) and has developed a range of unique programs and practices to support children and families facing additional challenges.

 

One of those projects is the ‘Big Brother’ program which provides all children at the centre with the opportunity to have positive male role models in their lives.

 

The commitment of the service to contributing to the early childhood profession more broadly was also noted, with assessors praising the leadership and advocacy work done to improve male participation in the profession through involvement in research.

 

“We would like to thank ACECQA for recognizing our work on collaborative community partnerships, our commitment to culture and diversity, for embedding a positive workplace culture and creating inclusive environments that enhance learning and growth,” Mr Angwin said. 

 

Goodstart Early Learning CEO Julia Davison said the service was a truly special place, one that she was thrilled to see recognised with an Excellent rating. 

 

“Adam and his team of extraordinary educators bring passion and excellence to their work and the children, families and wider community are the big winners.” 

 

“I am especially proud that their care and commitment to a child with very high medical needs was recognized by ACECQA who noted not just the efforts they made to include the child fully into centre life, but also their fundraising for the family and the relationship they built with other families with children living with similar challenges,” Ms Davison said.

 

For more information about Goodstart Early Learning Tuggerah, see here. Information about the process for applying for an Excellent rating may be found here.