Celebrations were the order of the day as Skippy’s Frenchville was awarded a rating of “Exceeding National Quality Standards” from the Queensland Department of Education, under the National Quality Framework, a standard which empowers families to make informed choices about which early learning service is best for their child. Our centre has been rated exceeding for 5 consecutive years!
The Australian Government recognises that children who participate in quality early childhood education experience huge benefits, including:
Improved school results - children who attend a quality early childhood program in the year before school are up to 40 per cent ahead of their peers by the time they reach Year 3 in primary school.
Greater likelihood of completing Year 12
Better able to regulate their own behaviour and develop emotional resilience.
Better long term health and wellbeing outcomes
Developing a life-long love of learning
Participating in early learning also adds to Australia's future prosperity by increasing our Gross Domestic Product. Research by Price Waterhouse Coopers found that the benefits to GDP from children participating in quality early learning stood at more than $10 billion cumulative to 2050. For these reasons, the Government has committed $453.1 million in the 2019-20 Budget to extend the Universal Access to Early Childhood Education until the end of 2020.
This is great news, however, according to research, “Getting quality right is the key piece of the puzzle needed to deliver the promise of early education” (Torii K, Fox S & Cloney D (2017). Quality is key in Early Childhood Education in Australia. Mitchell Institute Policy Paper No. 01/2017. Mitchell Institute, Melbourne. Available from: www.mitchellinstitute.org.au)
These findings are supported by the Department of Education’s National Quality Framework, which includes a regulation, assessment and rating system that helps families make informed choices about which service is best for their child. Having access to a centre with a consistent “Exceeding” rating is highly advantageous.
Achieving and maintaining an “Exceeding” Rating is not easy, so what is the secret to Skippy’s success?
Skippy’s is one of the few remaining childcare centres in the area that is locally owned and managed. Our understanding of the community’s needs enables us to deliver on the standards in a way that is meaningful and relevant to our families. The key to our success is our first-class team of Early Childhood Educators. We have low staff turnover, highly engaged people, and we invest heavily in professional development, ensuring that our Educators are strongly positioned to meet and exceed the required standards. We have priority budgeting for new resources, toys and equipment and we are continually looking for ways to innovate our service to our families, for example through our Nature Play Days and Japanese Language program.
The quality of the Service is a key factor in meeting the desired long term outcomes, and the Government recognises this through its assessment and rating program. At Skippy’s Frenchville, we are proud to deliver our families a service that exceeds the national standards and will continue to strive for improvement with the collaboration and support of our families and the local community.
Congratulations to the Team at Skippy’s Frenchville!