Standards and safety audit reveals best and worst rated childcare and after-school care centres

SCORES of South Australian childcare and after-school care centres are failing to meet the standards set by authorities, including “children’s health and safety”. IS YOUR CENTRE TOP OR BOTTOM? SEE THE LIST

GOOD JOB: Concordia College pupils Tia and Eliza. Picture: KERYN STEVENS

• SEE THE BEST AND WORST LIST BELOW

• CLAIMS: SA families to miss out on $90m childcare boost

SCORES of childcare and after-school care centres are failing to meet the standards set by authorities, including “children’s health and safety”.

Almost two-thirds of 1172 South Australia’s centres have so far been reviewed and 82 have been shown to fail in four or more of the seven standards, with 11 failing in all seven categories.

But 83 have been given top marks by “exceeding” in all seven categories of child safety, educational program and practice, physical environment, staffing arrangements, relationships with children, partnerships with families and communities, and leadership and service management.

Australian Childcare Centre Alliance SA president Kerry Mahony said that as a parent he would be concerned if a centre was failing in all categories, but pointed out that that the Federal Government agency that conducted the annual audits was extremely strict.

“Not meeting one requirement could have just been a one-off thing on the day of the audit, or that you are mostly on track but with one small thing missing, but parents should talk to centre operators if they are not meeting a criteria because it could be something very small and simple,’’ Mr Mahony said.

“Each of the centres is also required to display their results so the parents can look at them and they should interview the director and find out what the problem was. I would be worried if it was seven out of seven (failures). It would worry me, but I would still talk to the director. The problems need to be fixed but can be very minor and should not stop you putting a child into that centre.’’

The Advertiser crossmatched records of the centres reviewed to date in SA, with around one third not yet rated. Eleven centres are failing to meet any of the seven standards, 21 are failing in six, 23 fail in five and 28 in four.

Mr Mahony, who owns two centres — both of which — are “exceeding” in seven out of seven categories, said reviews were demanding and that even a climbing hazard left up against a fence, and potentially allowing a child out of the secure area, would be enough to fail a centre. “This is the most stringent and rigorous, the most detailed, process you can imagine,’’ he said.

“There are 1072 pages of requirements and a lot of them are quality oriented. There are seven areas of assessment, but within that there are 48 separate things they look at.

“They collect evidence and send very experienced, capable people to observe over a number of days, and checking everything that is going on.’’

Mr Mahony said 80 per cent of the centres that had not met the criteria did so when Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority made their second follow-up visit.

Most early-learning centres are privately run and after-school care is run by the governing councils of schools, prompting state and federal governments to introduce a strict system of ongoing annual auditing in 2012.

Under the review system, those centres that fail to make the grade are not punished but instead helped to improve, Mr Mahony said.

Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority chief executive Karen Curtis said 67 per cent of SA centres were meeting or exceeding the standards.

“Over time, all services should aim to be ‘meeting’ or ‘exceeding’ the standard — however, it is realistic to expect that as part of the reform some services first identify the areas they need to improve on,’’ Ms Curtis said.

“A rating of ‘working towards’ recognises that a service is making progress to meet the standard — and doesn’t in any way place risk to the health, safety, or wellbeing of children.”

One third of centres are still waiting to be rated under changes introduced by the Federal Government in 2012, and industry sources have told The Advertiser that SA is lagging other states.

Two hundred centres are failing in at least one category, but none of the South Australian centres were given the worst rating under the system; “significant improvement required” in any of the seven categories.

Concordia College Early Learning Centre is rated as “exceeding” in seven out of seven criteria and extended care co-ordinator Sarah Neill said the rating system was important both for children and their parents.

“I think it is extremely important that we uphold the quality of care and education in the centres, especially where the foundations are set in the early years,’’ she said.

The Family First party has complained that it has been frustrated by a 13-month battle to convince the Education Department to release full details of the annual reviews. It wants these released rather than just the results summary currently made available.

A Family First spokesman said it had been hampered by a Freedom of Information process that appeared to be keeping the information from Parliament.

Click here to see the report card for your child’s centre.    

THE BEST AND THE WORST

TOP OF THE CLASS

(Exceeding in 7 of 7 criteria)

■ Adams Road Children’s Centre

■ Akuna Kindergarten

■ Alberton Preschool

■ Allenby Gardens Preschool

■ Amata Preschool APY Lands

■ Athelstone Preschool

■ Barker Kindergarten North Adelaide

■ Barmera Kindergarten

■ Belair Jean Bonython Kindergarten, Glenalta

■ Bertram Hawker Kindergarten, Myrtle Bank

■ Blackwood Kindergarten

■ Blair Athol North School B-7 Children’s Centre for Early Childhood Development and Parenting

■ Brooklyn Park Private Kindergarten

■ Camp Australia — Hewett Primary School OSHC

■ Chancery Lane Montessori Pre-School Pty Ltd, city

■ Cleve District Children’s Centre

■ Community Kids Kadina Early Education Centre

■ Community Kids McLaren Vale Early Education Centre

■ Concordia College Early Learning Centre

■ Coober Pedy Area School OSHC

■ Coorara Preschool Centre, Morphett Vale

■ Cranston Street Kindergarten, Port Lincoln

■ Creative Garden Early Learning Centre North Lakes, Munno Para

■ Dernancourt Kindergarten, Highbury

■ Enfield Folland Park Kindergarten

■ Export Park Childcare and Kindergarten

■ Flagstaff Hill Primary School OSHC/Vacation Care

■ Flagstaff Oval Kindergarten, Flagstaff Hill

■ Golden Grove Kindergarten

Golden Grove World of Learning

■ Goodstart Early Learning Elizabeth Vale

■ Goodstart Early Learning Penfield

■ Hackney Kindergarten, College Park

■ Hawthorn Child Care Centre

■ Highway Child Care & Early Learning Centre, Salisbury Downs

■ Ignatius Early Years Norwood

■ Immanuel Primary School Early Learning Centre, Novar Gardens

■ Jescott Montessori Preschool, Magill

■ Keith War Memorial Community Centre Kindergarten

■ Kensington Gardens Preschool

■ Kirton Point Children’s Centre, Port Lincoln

■ Lantana Kindergarten, Parafield Gardens

■ Lockleys North Primary School OSHC

■ Lucy Morice Kindergarten, North Adelaide

■ Margaret Ives Community Children’s Centre — Norwood

■ Mawson Lakes Preschool

■ Modbury Community Children’s Centre

■ Modbury Preschool

■ Mount Barker Kindergarten Inc

■ Nairne Preschool

■ Netherby Kindergarten

■ Parafield Gardens Children’s Centre

■ Pembroke School Early Learning Centre

■ Plympton South Kindergarten

■ Pooraka Community Kindergarten

■ Prince Alfred College Early Learning Centre

■ Pulteney Grammar School Early Learning Centre

■ Rendelsham Preschool

■ Renown Park Preschool

■ Reynella East Preschool

■ Roxby Downs Kindergarten

■ Salisbury Heights Preschool

■ Scotch College Early Learning Centre

■ Seacliff Community Kindergarten

■ Settlers Farm Campus Kindergarten, Paralowie

■ Southern Fleurieu OSHC, Victor Harbor

■ St Margaret’s Kindergarten, Woodville

■ St Peter’s Girls Early Learners Centre, Stonyfell

■ St Pius X School OSHC, Windsor Gardens

■ Swallowcliffe Preschool, Davoren Park

■ Tanunda Lutheran Early Learning Centre

■ The Gums Childcare Centre, Clare

■ Trinity Gardens Children’s Centre for Early Childhood Development and Parenting

■ Vale Park Preschool

■ Valley View Kindergarten

■ Victor Harbor Childcare and Education Centre

■ Virginia Primary School OSHC

■ Walford College OSHClub

■ Walkerville Primary School OSHC

■ Wandana Preschool, Gilles Plains

■ Wattle Park Kindergarten

■ Wilderness School, governing council operated

■ Woodend Children’s Centre, Sheidow Park

BIG IMPROVEMENT NEEDED

(Failing to meet 7 out of 7 criteria)

■ Camp Australia — Wilderness School OSHC

■ Emali Early Learning Centre, Athol Park

■ First Steps, Albert Park

■ Gawler East Primary School OSHC, Gawler East

■ Hope Valley Child Care Centre

■ Laugh n Learn Childcare and Early Learning, Royal Park

■ North Adelaide Primary School, OSHC

■ Salisbury Primary School OSHC

■ Sherpa Kids, Elizabeth North

■ Vale Park Primary School OSHC

Originally published as Standards and safety audit reveals best and worst rated childcare and after-school care centres