Canberra’s highest ranked Early Learning centres revealed

Childcare is an important decision for every parent. We reveal Canberra’s highest ranked centres. See where your child’s early learning centre stands.

Choosing the best early childhood centre for your child can keep most parents up at night.

The Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) publishes the rankings of early learning centres and after school care centres via their website.

The Canbera Star looked at Canberra’s highest ranked Early Learning Centre to find out what they are doing to stay on top.

SCROLL DOWN TO SEE EVERY CHILDCARE CENTRE RANKED:

Canberra’s highest ranked ELC: AIS Caretaker’s Cottage Child Care Centre

The Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) Caretaker’s Cottage Childcare Centre in Bruce is the only Early Childhood Centre in the ACT that holds the “Excellent” rating from ACECQA.

AIS Caretaker’s Cottage Childcare Centre has held the top rating for three reviews in a row.

However Early Childhood Services Manager Lisa Syrette says she and her staff aren't driven by rankings.

“We value the fact what we are doing is recognised but that’s not why we do it,” she said.

“Our primary goal is to meet the standards and, where we can, exceed those standards.”

She said maintaining those high standards requires staff to not rest on their laurels.

“(To get and maintain the excellent rating) we’ve had to provide a lot of evidence to prove what we’re doing is improving outcomes for children,” she said

“We are continuously improving.”

AIS Caretaker's Cottage Childcare Centre , Bruce, in Canberra has been rated Excellent under the ACECQA rankings. Picture: AIS

Ms Syrette said the centre provides education and care for up to 48 children per day and 75 children per week across three rooms.

“We are quite a small centre,” she said.

“We have between 17 and 20 staff because we support flexible working arrangements, she said

“The number of staff can vary a bit.

However parents eager to send their young ones to Canberra’s highest ranked early learning centre may need to consider a career change.

“We’re employer sponsored, we provide early childhood education and care for children of employees of Sport Australia,” she said.

“We are the first choice for employees not just because we are on site and close, but because what we do meets the needs of those employees.

“If we weren't able to offer the services as needed we wouldn’t necessarily be their first choice.”

Lisa Syrette says parents should look beyond rankings when considering the best Early Learning Centre for their child. Picture: AIS

Ms Syrette also said ratings alone do not provide full picture of the quality of education and care provided at early childhood centres.

“There are a whole lot of factors that influence the capacity for early childhood education centres’ to meet standards,

“(Such as) if they are rural or remote, the socio-economic factors, the funding models that are available to them.”

“It’s important to recognise there is a lot of good things happening out there in the ACT, and nationally, in early childhood services that may not be reflected in the ratings.

“These ratings are points in time ratings that can give you a sense of a service.

She urges families to look beyond their computer screens when considering an ELC for their child.

“My best advice to parents is to visit centres and ask questions about what’s important to them,” she said.

“Use that to make decisions about which centre to use rather than relying purely on a data set that might not give them the right picture of what the service is able to offer their family.”

National Quality Standards (NQS) ratings explained.

ACECQA ranks ELC’s and after school programs based on performance in seven key areas.

The authority rank centres into five categories:

Excellent

• Child care and education services with the excellent rating promotes exceptional education and care,
• These centres demonstrate sector leadership and are committed to continuous improvement.
• Services rated Exceeding NQS in all seven areas can choose to apply for the Excellent rating.

Exceeding National Quality Standard

• Centres deemed to be Exceeding NQS go beyond the requirements of the NQS in at least four out of seven quality areas.

Lisa Syrette says parents should look beyond rankings when considering the best Early Learning Centre for their child. Picture: AIS

Meeting National Quality Standard

• Service meets the National Quality Standard and provides quality education and care in all seven quality areas.

Working Towards National Quality Standard

• Services ranked under Working Towards NQS provide safe education and care however there are one or more areas that require improvement.

Significant Improvement Required

• Services that do not meet one on of the seven quality areas or do not comply with a section of state or territory legislation are ranked as Significant improvement required.
• Centres that receive this ranking pose a significant risk to the safety, health and wellbeing of children.
• The state and territory regulatory authorities will take immediate action against centres.

ACT’s Childcare rankings.

See where your child’s early learning centre or after school program is ranked.