NSW childcare centre ratings 2021: Every facility ranked

Data measuring every NSW childcare centre against safety and quality standards has been released. Search your child’s facility.

The number of NSW childcare centre’s failing to meet the state standard has almost halved in the past two years with a radically improved performance right across the sector.

But there are still five centres in the state where children’s safety is at risk and hundreds more which are judged to be “working towards” meeting the expected quality of care, as set by the The Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority’s National Quality framework.

The number of those rated as being “working towards” has declined from 1304 two years ago to 728 in July this year — a drop of 44 per cent.

Meanwhile, there is still a persistent handful of providers given the “significant improvement required” rating, growing from six to seven over the two-year period — meaning those centres constituted an “unacceptable risk to the safety, health or wellbeing of any child”.

Since July two of those seven centres had managed to lift their games, but five providers - Binalong Cottage Kindergarten in Pendle Hill, Jumpstart Childcare in Menai, Two Tiny Bears in Auburn and Dream Family Day Care Service in South Granville - remain on the list this month.

According to research published by the authority last year, preschoolers from rich areas were more likely to go to a provider with an exceeding rating while those from poor regions would go to a centre with the “working towards” rating.

The overall rating is formed after an inspector ranks a provider on seven areas including the educational program, leadership, collaboration with families, children’s safety, the physical environment, staffing at the centre and relationships with children

Among the best in the state is the KU Phillip Park Children’s Centre in Woolloomooloo which was rated as “exceeding” the national quality framework. Centre director Naomi Halliday said work went into achieving the rating but it ultimately improved their offering to the children.

KU Phillip Park Children's Centre in East Sydney is exceeding standards under the latest ratings. Centre director Naomi Halliday with (from left) Paige, 3, Zara, 2, and Maximus, 2. Picture: Toby Zerna

“It is a lot of work in the assessment process — but it is important to ensure quality childhood education for all children,” she said.

“For our staff it was not about ticking boxes, it is just about showcasing what we do everyday alongside children and families and our wider community.”

She supported the tough rating system because it gave other childcare providers clear guidelines on how to be better at what they do.

“If we’re looking at lower socio-economic areas, it provides equity for them in terms of their access to quality education compared to a mid to high class economic area,” she said.

She said their great result was having clear and sometimes “robust” conversations with staff and recognising children as competent and capable learners. As part of that, they have conducted activities like raising money for the Wayside Chapel and End Street Sleeping.

Jumpstart Childcare in Menai (left) and Binalong Cottage Kindergarten in Pendle Hill were among the lowest ranked facilities in NSW.

“The children noticed rough sleepers on their way to school and they wanted to know how they could help,” Ms Halliday said.

A spokeswoman for the The Australian Children‘s Education and Care Quality Authority said while quality had improved since the rating system had been introduced, there were differences in the overall quality ratings of education and care services located in high and low socio-economic status areas.

“Services in relatively disadvantaged areas are slightly more likely to be rated Working Towards NQS, and notably less likely to be rated Exceeding NQS than those in relatively advantaged areas,” she said.