FAILING: the 19 childcare centres not up to scratch

Review looks at the standards of Isaac, Whitsunday and Mackay childcare centres.

Childcare centres across the state are under the microscope. Picture: Katy McDonnell

ALMOST 20 childcare centres in the Mackay, Whitsunday and Isaac regions do not meet national standards.

Across the state, 445 childcare centres, family day care and after school care providers are not up to scratch according to the National Quality Standards introduced in 2012.

From Emerald to Bowen there are 19 centres that have not made the cut, including 15 in the greater Mackay area.

The centres were assessed on education and physical education programs, health and safety, staffing and governance under the standards but News Queensland found State Government assessors were failing to reassess some centres for as long as six years.

Early Childhood Australia chief executive Sam Page said despite overall improvement across the state, it was disappointing there were still so many centres not reaching the highest standards.

"(The) 'working towards' (rating) should be in the minority of services by now," she said.

But, Ms Page added, state governments weren't meeting targets to reassess centres every three years.

The Goodstart Early Learning Centre Andergrove, which is listed as 'working towards' the National Quality Standards, was last rated in December 2014.

The PCYC Mackay was last rated in March 2015 and the PCYC Alligator Creek rating was issued in the same month, and met all the standards except one.

The Moranbah Early Learning Centre has been assessed twice in the past 10 years, and improved on five of the seven areas but has not been re-assessed since 2016.

The Emerald Outside of School Hours Care centre has not been assessed since 2015, when they were meeting four of the seven areas.

The Wonder Kids Early Learning Centre in Walkerston is meeting all but one quality area.

The Australian Children's Education and Care Quality Authority does not list the breaches publicly.

Across the state, 176 recently opened centres were still waiting for their first assessment and 150 centres had not been assessed since 2013.

"I think we need to have a conversation about the frequency of visits," Ms Page said.

"And there's been a discussion on tougher limits on how long centres should be able to be 'working towards'. Should we actually put a time limit on that and say we should be seeing progress, we should be seeing centres meeting those standards?"

Education Minister Grace Grace said an extra $26.5 million had been budgeted over two years for child care regulation after a Commonwealth funding agreement ended.

"The proportion of child care service providers who have been assessed and rated as meeting or exceeding the national quality standard has increased from 65 per cent in 2012/13 to 85 per cent in 2018/19," she said.

"I am confident that the Palaszczuk Government's increased investment in regulation will see more providers achieve this rating."

Ms Grace said a "working towards" mark was not a fail - and did not indicate a risk to the health, safety or wellbeing of children - but rather that a service had one or more areas identified for improvement.

The Federal Education Department confirmed a review of the National Quality Framework was under way to consider whether it was current and fit for purpose.

Mackay, Isaac and Whitsunday centres working towards national quality standards:

• C&K Middlemount Community Childcare Centre, Middlemount
• Birralee Child Care Centre, South Mackay
• Mackay Child Care Centre, Mackay
• Kookaburra Child Care Centre, Andergrove
• Snugglepot Kindyland, North Mackay
• Mackay Cubbie House Childcare and Educational Centre, Beaconsfield
• The Beach Hut Queens Beach Outside School Hours Care, Bowen
• PCYC Mackay School Age Care, North Mackay
• Goodstart Early Learning Andergrove, Andergrove
• Lead Childcare Sunrise, Blacks Beach
• Emerald Outside School Hours Care, Emerald
• Cannonvale Kidz Early Learning Centre, Cannonvale
• Moranbah Early Learning Centre, Moranbah
• Wonder Kids Early Learning Centre, Walkerston
• Bright Kids Afterschool Care, Moranbah
• Kidzplay & Learning Centre, Andergrove Lakes
• PCYC Mackay - Alligator Creek SAC, Alligator Creek
• St Brendan's Outside School Hours Care, Rural View
• Moreton Drive Early Learning Centre, Rural View

View the full list here.

Originally published as FAILING: the 19 childcare centres not up to scratch