Roma’s best and worst childcare centres revealed

See which Roma childcare providers now meet government standards and how they stack up against the rest of the state. SEE THE FULL LIST:

Roma childcare operators were put to the test in recent government audits that found the work of two providers had paid off as they now met government standards.

According to the audit by the Australian Children‘s Education & Care Quality Authority, all six of the town’s child care centres were found to have met national quality standards.

But, it was both campuses at Milestones Early Learning Roma that had improved on their previous rating of ‘Working towards NQS’ and were now aligned with government standards.

The improved rating was the result of dedication to quality education and a care for children within their community, says senior Adviser at Affinity education, Dr Lesley Jones, and national quality manager, Jodie McClelland.

“The Roma community spirit lives strong through the centre values and relationships established with families,” says Dr Jones and Ms McClelland.

“The learning opportunities and programs provided for our children at Milestones reflect the Roma community interests and events to ensure there is a direct link between home and early learning.”

The Milestones Early Learning Roma 2 received a rating of 'Meeting NQS' in a recent government audit, improving from its previous results.

In 2021, Dr Jones and Ms McClelland say a raft of new programs were introduced at Milestones, including project-based learning to support older children with their school readiness.

For infants, there is the circle of security approach that focuses on building trusting relationships with babies, they say.

“The one special ingredient that brings the support and investment in training to life in our centres,” Dr Jones and Ms McClelland say, “is the engagement and willingness of our teams to stretch each professional horizons and to aim to be the best educators and teachers they can be.”

“Our mission stands firm in helping them to get there and realise their full potential.”

The providers that also met government standards alongside Milestones include the Goodstart Early Learning Roma centre, St John’s Kindergarten and St John’s Outside School Hours Care.

The C & K Maranoa Community Kindergarten also achieved a passing grade, but slipped from its distinction last audit of being Roma’s only centre with an “Exceeding NQS” grade.

The Milestones Early Learning Roma 2 campus

Each centre is assessed by the Department of Education on seven criteria: educational programs and practices, children’s health and safety, staffing arrangements, physical environment, leadership, relationships with children, and collaboration with families and the community.

The childcare providers are then given one of five ratings by independent body Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority.

They include from highest to lowest ‘Excellent’, ‘Exceeding National Quality Standard’, ‘Meeting NQS’, ‘Working towards NQS’, and ‘Significant improvement needed’.

See how every childcare centre in the region was rated below:

Originally published as Roma’s best and worst childcare centres revealed