Explore & Develop Annandale awarded the Excellent Rating

Explore & Develop Annandale has been awarded the Excellent rating by the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA).

The collaborative partnerships with the professional, community and research organisations at the Sydney based service were a strong point recognised by the authorised officers, along with the services positive workplace culture and organisational values, sustained commitment to professional development and support of its educators. 

The practice and environments that enhance children’s learning and growth were also a strong point of note. 

Explore & Develop Annandale developed a collaborative partnership with a local paediatric clinic which was designed to enhance educators’ knowledge of child development and early intervention. This partnership also included training on how to have discussions with families on their child’s progress and engaging in the process of referral to seek further support with their positive development.  

Sustainability in action was demonstrated when the children had the opportunity to lead an inquiry into reducing plastic waste within the community through the Boomerang Bag Project. Beginning in 2018, the children began to sew and create their own fabric boomerang bags which were then displayed on a stand outside the local grocery store, encouraging shoppers to use these instead of single use plastics. Through the Boomerang Bag Project, children have a more sustainable mindset and approach to the products they use, including making new resources out of recycled fabrics or using the sewing machines to repair torn clothing items.  

Educator knowledge of anti-bias approaches was sharpened through a two-year pedagogue in residence with Dr Red Ruby Scarlet. This inspired several action-research projects including the development of a service flag and an exploration into gender. The service flag project was a child-led inquiry that occurred during the COVID-19 lockdown period. Explore & Develop Annandale worked in collaboration with Deb Garret, researcher and lecturer from Macquarie University, to develop the flag. Children would meet on a weekly basis over Zoom calls to discuss and share their ideas and designs for the flag. The final product included representations of the community, the land, the children and families, and symbols that reflected the Sydney languages of: Djirang, Ngurra, Gadi and Badu. 

The service has also demonstrated its commitment to the broader early childhood education and care (ECEC) sector through its extensive involvement in webinars, conferences, journals and articles. Since 2017, the service has contributed to these events and publications, helping to ensure their positive impact reaches beyond the children and families who access their service.  

Learn more about Explore & Develop Annandale here. More information about the Excellent rating is available here.