Raymond Terrace Early Education Centre
Building a better future for your children
We were visited by an assessor who measures early childhood service's quality against a vast range of standards and elements as governed by the Australian Children's Education and Care Quality Authority. (ACECQA).
This assessment process forms part of the Quality Framework which was introduced to provide better educational and developmental outcomes for children and their families using education and care services.
Services are assessed and rated in 7 identified Quality Areas:
1) Educational Program and Practice
2) Children's Health and Safety
3) Physical Environment
4) Staffing Arrangements
5) Relationships with Children
6) Collaborative Partnerships with Families and Communities
7) Leadership and Service Management.
After a 2 day visit to the service, an Assessment and Compliance Officer observes interactions and relationships within the environment and reviews paperwork and documentation.
The overall rating awarded by an Assessor can be:
"Significant Improvement Required",
"Working towards the Standards",
Meeting the Standards" or
"Exceeding the Standards"
We are extremely proud of the result and the ongoing commitment our team demonstrates.
This result is a reflection of the dedicated and innovative approach that we deliver each day.
Thank you to all our families for the confidence you place in us every day in ensuring that your children get the best start in life.
It is a privilege that we never take for granted and we’ll always continue to provide the best quality environment for your children
For more information, please visit: https://www.acecqa.gov.au/nqf/national-quality-standard
Transitioning to school can sometimes be a tricky journey for child as much for the parent/care giver. To ease the process we run a school readiness program and focus heavily on the school’s requirements.
Infant room
The Infant room caters for a maximum of 14 children 0-3 years.
The team consists of four Educators.
Team members plan and program experiences to enhance children’s skills in all developmental areas and basing the curriculum on the Early Years Learning Framework. (EYLF). The framework consists of five learning outcomes:
- Children have a strong identity
- Children have a strong sense of well being
- Children are confident and involved learners
- Children are effective communicators
- Children are connected with and contribute to their world
Children are encouraged and given the opportunity to guide their own learning through the use of play based experiences in a natural learning environment both indoors and out.
The Team work with families to ensure your child’s routine is catered for whilst helping them to grow and develop into the unique individuals they are.
The Infant Room routine provides opportunity for individual play/learning as well as small and large group sharing. Children’s language, literacy and creative skills are further developed during these times as the children experiment with singing, dancing and exercising.
Pre-School Room
The Pre-School Room caters for a maximum of 25 children aged three to six.
Within the room there are four Educators with qualifications ranging from Certificate III in Children services to Bachelor of Early Childhood.
The Preschool Room provides a quality learning program which caters to the individual needs, interests and strengths of each child. The foundation of our program is the Early Years Learning Framework which is recognized nationally, but the core of our program is inspired by the children and families of our service.
The preschool room teachers are qualified professionals who are passionate about the educational program they deliver each day.
The preschool rooms planning for the children focuses on the development of your child's language, cognitive development, physical and emotional well being. We believe each child to be a capable individual and therefore encourage self help skills in all areas. We are a team of dedicated professionals who are enthused to interact with your child as we share their play and learning.
Our routine in the room has a schedule, however it is not so structured that there isn't room for flexibility and adaptability. Children of this age group follow sequence so the routine is closely adhered to as much as possible to allow for a smooth, calm interactive progression of the day.
Meal times are an opportunity utilized by Educators to foster hygiene and health practices, social interaction and appropriate social skills whilst also respecting individual cultures.
Parents are encouraged to collaborate with the Educators, working together to enhance your child's development and learning. This can be achieved by verbal input, completing surveys regarding your child's interests, strengths and needs and relaying information in relation to events and occasions that have been important to your child.
Children are the worlds most valued recourse and best hope for the future.
John F Kennedy
Teaching is the profession that teaches all other professions!
Author Unknown
The NQF introduced a new quality standard in 2012 to improve education and care across long day care, family day care, preschool/kindergarten, and outside school hours care services.
Benefits for children and families
Research shows quality education and care early in life leads to better health, education and employment outcomes later in life. The early years are critical for establishing self-esteem, resilience, healthy growth and capacity to learn. Quality education and care shapes every child’s future and lays the foundation for development and learning.
The major benefits for parents and children include:
- improved educator to child ratios, ensuring children have greater individual care and attention for children
- educators with increased skills and qualifications
- better support for children’s learning and development through approved learning frameworks
- consistent, transparent information on educators, providers and services in the national registers.
- Starting Blocks provides parents with information about early childhood education and care to help them make the best choice for their child and family.
Recent changes to the NQF
Changes to the NQF commenced in 2017 to ensure quality education and care in Australia continues to improve in the most efficient and effective way. Find information and resources designed to support you to understand and implement these changes, including the 2018 National Quality Standard (NQS).
67% of education and care services previously rated Working Towards National Quality Standard have improved rating
Thursday, 10 May 2018
In its quarterly Snapshot released today, ACECQA announced that 67 per cent of children’s education and care services previously rated Working Towards National Quality Standard have improved their overall quality rating at reassessment.
“Quality improvement is one of the core objectives of the National Quality Framework and services should be congratulated for continuously developing and refining their practices and educational program,” said ACECQA CEO Gabrielle Sinclair.
“The introduction of the 2018 National Quality Standard (NQS) in particular provides an opportunity for services to reflect on their quality improvement planning processes, especially in areas like children's health and safety, and building meaningful collaborative relationships with children, families and communities.”
Other key findings from the Snapshot include:
- 93% (14,691) of 15,766 approved education and care services have a quality rating (note: the proportion of services with a quality rating will not reach 100% at any one time as new and recently approved services may not yet be rated)
- 77% (11,321) of rated services have an overall quality rating of Meeting NQS or above
- 33% (4905) are Exceeding NQS or above
- 55 services are rated Excellent by
- ACECQA; 36 services are rated Significant Improvement Required.
ACECQA’s NQF Snapshot provides analysis and information on the profile of the education and care sector, the progress of quality assessment and rating, and the quality ratings awarded to services, including examining the distribution of ratings by service type, provider management type and geographically. (A revised version of the NQS commenced on 1 February 2018. Previous NQF Snapshots have included analysis at the standard and element level – this analysis will be reintroduced once a sufficient number of services have been assessed and rated under the 2018 NQS to allow for meaningful comparisons.)
Families are encouraged to visit Starting Blocks for more information about their local education and care services.
Education and care services approved under the NQF include long day care, outside school hours care and family day care services, as well as most preschools/kindergartens.
Information sourced from: