Edge launches inaugural Family Experience Champion award for Early Childhood Educators’ Day

Edge Early Learning has launched its inaugural Family Experience Champion award to coincide with Early Childhood Educators’ Day, recognising centre teams that have built strong relationships with families and consistently delivered positive family experiences. 

The first awards were presented to Edge Early Learning Wynnum and Edge Early Learning Grange, following a review of family satisfaction results, engagement with Edge’s Family Feedback program and qualitative feedback shared by families throughout 2026. 

Each winning centre received professional development for its team, with teams able to choose professional development in an area that best reflects the needs of their local community. 

Edge Early Learning Head of Quality, Safety and Wellbeing Kylie Warren-Wright said the award recognised the role educators play in creating positive experiences for children and families every day. 

"Families experience the impact of our educators every day, so there is something particularly meaningful about recognition that comes directly from them,” Ms Warren-Wright said. 

“The Family Experience Champion award is about celebrating centres that are not only receiving consistently strong feedback, but are also building the kind of open, engaged relationships where families feel comfortable sharing their experiences with us. 

“Launching the award on Early Childhood Educators' Day gives us an opportunity to recognise those teams and invest back into the educators behind that success." 

Edge introduced its Family Feedback program across its centre network in January 2026, providing families with an ongoing channel to share their experiences and helping centres understand what is working well and where there are opportunities to improve. 

The Family Experience Champion award combines family satisfaction results with the level and quality of engagement in the feedback program, including positive written feedback about families’ day-to-day experiences in centre. 

Ms Warren-Wright said family feedback provided valuable insight into the experiences of children and families and helped Edge continue strengthening quality outcomes across its services. 

“Feedback should do more than sit in a report,” she said. 

"The best feedback helps us understand the real impact of our work. It highlights the moments of care, connection and learning that matter most to families and helps us continue strengthening quality outcomes for children." 

"Wynnum and Grange have built strong connections with their families and communities, and that's reflected in the feedback they've received throughout the year. We are incredibly proud to recognise them as our first Family Experience Champions." 

Family feedback was also at the heart of Edge’s broader Early Childhood Educators’ Day celebrations, with families across the network invited to share messages about their educators and the impact they have on their children. 

The messages were brought to life in a network-wide video featuring family testimonials alongside centre-specific posters featuring messages from each centre’s own families, which were shared as a surprise with educators on the day. 

Members of Edge’s leadership team visited Wynnum and The Grange to present the inaugural awards to their teams on Early Childhood Educators’ Day. 

Edge Early Learning entered voluntary administration in August 2026 and continues to operate as normal.  

Ms Warren-Wright said the current environment made it especially important to continue recognising the work of educators and the strong relationships they build with children and families. 

"In times of change, what stands out most is the unwavering commitment educators continue to show to children and families. 

“The support we've seen from families recently is a powerful reminder that early childhood education is built on relationships. Families place enormous trust in educators, and that trust is earned through thousands of everyday moments of care, connection, learning and support. 

“Early Childhood Educators' Day gives us an opportunity to recognise the people behind those moments and thank them for the difference they make in the lives of children, families and communities."