Full list: Warwick’s best and worst childcare centres revealed

See which Warwick childcare providers are failing to meet government standards and how they stack up against the rest of the state, as one of the best shares the secrets of its success. SEE THE FULL LIST

Almost all of Warwick’s childcare providers have come out on top in the latest round of government audits, with the cream of the crop sharing their secrets to success in an ever-changing industry.

St Mary’s Kindergarten was named one of the town’s two top performers alongside Warwick Community Kindergarten.

Teaching director Marie Sullivan credited the outstanding result to her team’s efforts in building strong connections with both the children and their families, allowing them to tailor daily learning and activities as needed.

“We look at the whole child – emotionally, socially, and academically. Our curriculum that we work on is very much hands-on and play-based, so the children are learning constantly through play,” Mrs Sullivan said.

St Mary's Kindergarten director and teacher Marie Sullivan reads a book to the children and their guardians at St Mary's Kindergarten. Photo Michael Cormack / Warwick Daily News

“We value things like social and emotional connections with each other, and how children respond to their environment – it’s not only caring for each other, but caring for the environment they live in.

“Following their initial education from their family, we come in with that next stage of education to support the families and scaffold that learning to try and make sure it’s a smooth transition into their prep classes.”

Warwick Community Kindergarten nominated supervisor and teacher Kathryn McConville said she believed the centre’s loving and nurturing environment made it a winner for children and families.

“Our main program is child-led, and we do have teacher-initiated activities as well,” she said.

“We find that kindergarten children respond well through play, and it is through that play they then become ready for Prep.”

It was a similar ethos adopted by Busy Bees Warwick service manager Mandy Arthurell, who said their educators had been working hard to bring their centre in line with government standards.

Busy Bees Warwick

“The feedback we received was that we were really strong. We have just taken it upon ourselves to improve upon what we can provide for our children, their families, and the community,” she said.

“We always have specifically tailored programs to suit the children’s needs and interests. If you’re in touch and have a really good bond with the children and their families, then you know how to support them with their education and care.”

Ms Arthurell said the hard work was paying off not only in their rating, but also in the centre’s “phenomenal” growth rate to one of the biggest providers in Warwick.

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:

WARWICK

Warwick Community Kindergarten - Exceeding NQS

St Mary’s Kindergarten - Exceeding NQS

Little Tackers Childcare Centre - Meeting NQS

Goodstart Early Learning Warwick (Wood Street) - Meeting NQS

Kidszone Australia - Meeting NQS

Goodstart Early Learning Warwick (Percy Street) - Meeting NQS

Busy Bees Warwick - Meeting NQS

CK Glennie Heights Community Kindergarten - Meeting NQS

Enhance Family Day Care Warwick and District - Working Towards NQS

KILLARNEY

Little Rascals Child Care Centre - Meeting NQS

ALLORA

C&K Allora Community Kindergarten - Exceeding NQS

Headstart Australia - Meeting NQS

STANTHORPE

C&K Stanthorpe Community Kindergarten - Meeting NQS

Southern Downs Regional Council OSHC - Working Towards NQS

Aussie Kindies Early Learning Stanthorpe - Working Towards NQS

Milestones Early Learning Stanthorpe - Working Towards NQS

Originally published as Full list: Warwick’s best and worst childcare centres revealed