Gowrie Broadmeadows Valley celebrates second Excellent rating

The Gowrie Broadmeadows Valley (GVBV) community is celebrating the second awarding of an Excellent rating from the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA), making the service one of only five services in Victoria and one of only 36 nationwide to be awarded the rating of Excellent.

“This is an outstanding achievement, and a huge team effort from everyone at Broadmeadows Valley,” Susan Anderson, Gowrie Victoria CEO said. 

ACECQA acknowledged the outstanding work of the team and outcomes achieved for children, families and the local community, especially in light of the pandemic. The assessor noted this was “the most extensive and exceptional application they had been involved with.”

Examples of exceptional practice at the service include: 

• The service partnered with not-for-profit DPV Health to deliver a specialised speech program as part of its School Readiness Funding. This encompassed bespoke training and collaboration with specialist teachers, educational specialists and support professionals. 

Positive outcomes observed by GVBV include an increase in speech and language-based strategies across all classrooms and educators being able to identify children’s speech needs earlier. 

• In 2020, the service took part in the Alannah and Madeline Foundation Playing IT Safe pilot program, with funding provided by the Gandel Foundation. Resources such as Polaroid cameras, walkie-talkies, and sound recording buttons were used to support discussions with children and families on image consent and permissions. A photo booth at the service provided children and families with a fun way to support their understandings of safe and respectful use of technology. 

• GVBV recognised the need to develop a manual to support educators in leadership roles. In 2020, the Assistant Manager created a comprehensive leadership manual as part of their performance plan goals. Staff feedback identified that the manual supported consistency for responsibilities and roles and provided the opportunity for staff to resource their own learning. 

The Assistant Manager subsequently worked with the approved provider’s Senior Learning and Development Specialist to expand the leadership manual for use across the organisation in June 2021. 

• In late 2019, the service reviewed the structure in its funded kindergarten programs where the Early Years Leader (EYL) position was held by an Early Childhood Teacher (ECT). Due to service and local community needs, the EYL spent a significant amount of time liaising with support staff and support services. This was impacting on the amount of face-to-face teaching occurring. 

In response, the EYL is now a Diploma-trained staff member who holds a dual leadership role with the ECT. Specifically, the ECT oversees children’s learning through curriculum and pedagogy, whilst the EYL focuses more on compliance, operations, and team management. GVBV recognises that this change provided greater consistency for children and the team.  

• In 2020, GVBV was successfully selected into the Victorian Government’s Early Childhood Language Program (ECLP). A Spanish language program was selected to create a language learning pathway for kindergarten children transitioning into the local school which had a Spanish Arts program. 

In 2022, after consultation with families and to support the number of children and families who speak Arabic, the service commenced an Arabic language program. The language teacher also began hosting bi-weekly English classes for female family members from the service and local school. Many of these women had recently moved to Australia. 

As a leader in the sector, GVBV shares its practice and learnings through working groups, webinars, video resources and presentations to the wider early childhood sector, ensuring their positive impact reaches far beyond the children and families who access their service.  

As well as meeting the three themes of Excellence the application was based on, all of which were awarded, ACECQA awarded two additional themes that demonstrated Excellence.

“Everyone, from the staff to the children, is ecstatic at this news,” Early Learning Manager Michelle Gujer said. 

“To achieve an Excellent rating is a real achievement and an acknowledgement of our team and the hard work they do each day. It’s not just ticking boxes, it’s bringing together all the things we do at GBV that exceed the National Quality Standard. It’s a lot about the partnerships we build in the community but it’s also about so many other things.”

Visit the GVBV website for more information.