Finalists for the Northern Territory Education and Care Awards announced

Finalists for the Northern Territory Education and Care Awards have been announced, gaining recognition for their outstanding achievements in both early childhood and outside school hours care settings. 

The awards, established in 2013 by the Department of Education and the Key Stakeholder Advisory Group (KSAG) for early childhood and school age education and care, showcase educators and services who: 

• deliver quality learning opportunities; 
• are innovative in their approach; and, 
• demonstrate exceptional commitment to achieving quality outcomes for Northern Territory children and their families.

All award categories are open to regulated and unregulated education and care services and programs, including remote and very remote settings.

Outstanding Educators

This category applies to individuals who hold or are actively working towards (50 per cent or more complete) an approved certificate or diploma qualification and who consistently demonstrate exceptional behaviour and commitment to improving their skills and ensuring quality outcomes for children.

In the Outstanding Educator category – sponsored by Territory Child Care Group – the finalists are: 

• Arphon Auntasi – Play Creation Day Care
• Elizabeth O’Brien – Katherine Isolated Children’s Service
• Rhiannon Mounsey – Milkwood Steiner School After School Care.

Outstanding Aboriginal Educators 

Nominees in this space must be of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent, hold or are actively working towards an approved qualification and consistently demonstrate exceptional behaviour and commitment to improving their skills and ensuring quality outcomes for children.

In the Outstanding Aboriginal Educator category – sponsored by Batchelor Institute – the following finalists have been selected: 

• Cheryl Keighran – Borroloola Families as First Teachers
• Rayleen Woods – Guluman Child and Family Centre
• Sonia Munyarryun – Moulden Early Learning Centre.

Early Childhood Teachers 

This category applies to individuals who hold an ACECQA approved Early Childhood Teacher Qualification and are committed to delivering quality practice and achieving positive outcomes for children.

For the Outstanding Early Childhood Teacher category– sponsored by Kentish Lifelong Learning & Care – the finalists are: 

• Angelique Sinton – NT Explorers Early Education
• Arnie Fong-Reyes – Haileybury Rendall School
• Jessica Rose – Canteen Creek Families as First Teachers/Stay Play Learn.

Outstanding Leaders 

This category applies to individuals in leadership roles who have worked in the education and care sector in Australia for more than three years, hold an approved qualification, demonstrate exceptional leadership qualities and contribute to continuous quality improvement in service/program delivery.

In the Outstanding Leader category – sponsored by GTNT – the finalists selected are: 

• Cherry Grant – Mother Teresa Catholic Primary School
• Denise Daniels – Ngukurr Preschool
• Maria Baron – Goodstart Early Learning Nightcliff.

Innovation 

This category applies to education and care services or programs that have developed and embedded an innovative practice that is delivering benefits in one or more of the following areas; family and community engagement, program development and delivery, staff professional development and learning or governance and leadership.

The following finalists were named in the Outstanding Achievement in Innovation category – sponsored by Goodstart Early Learning:

• Children’s Ground Limited
• Messy Bubs
• Moulden Early Learning Centre.

All finalists receive a free registration to the 2021 Little People, Big Dreams Conference being held in Darwin on Saturday 16 October 2021. Winners will be announced on Friday 15 October 2021 at the Awards Ceremony held at Hilton DoubleTree.

For more information or to follow the progress of the Awards, please see here.