By Kyra Gillespie
Little Beacons Learning Centre has once again achieved the highest government rating possible – assessed as ‘exceeding’ in all seven quality areas of the National Quality Standard.
The centre is of just a handful in Victoria to have achieved such a high standard and can now apply again to continue its overall rating of ‘excellent’.
The outstanding achievement was the culmination of months of work for Little Beacons staff and a rigorous assessment process by the Department of Education and Training.
It its summary comments, the department said the centre demonstrated a strong commitment to continuous improvement across all seven quality areas.
“Critical reflection was a continuous process and included reflection on each individual child and their interactions with families, educators, peers, specialists and the indoor outdoor environments,” the report stated.
“Little Beacons also demonstrated meaningful engagement with their families, Beaconhills College, local and global communities.”
A delighted Head of Little Beacons, Vicki Reid, said the outcome was a “huge accolade” for the staff for their hard work and commitment to quality practice.
She also thanked the combined efforts of the College’s larger team to help Little Beacons continue to deliver high quality educational programs.
“We look forward to celebrating this achievement with the teams, the families and especially with the children,” she said.
The centre has also been announced as a finalist in the 2018 HESTA Early Childhood Education and Care Awards.
The HESTA Awards recognise early childhood educators, carers, and services who demonstrate outstanding dedication to practice improvement and development, leading to enhanced learning outcomes for children.
There are nine finalists across the award categories Advancing Pedagogy and Practice and Building Inclusion.
HESTA CEO, Debby Blakey said the finalists were selected for their leadership in creating engaging and inclusive learning environments for children.
“These finalists have shown outstanding leadership in implementing and designing programs that support children’s social, emotional, physical and cognitive development,” Ms Blakey said.
“We’re honoured to help shine a spotlight on the vitally important role early childhood educators play in developing and nurturing the next generation of young Australians.”
Little Beacons were recognised for their ‘Early Explorers’ program and camp for four to five-year-olds which encourages children to explore the outdoors and learn about Aboriginal culture.
Winners and finalists will be recognised at an Awards dinner on 21 September in Sydney and will receive $10,000 in a ME Everyday Transaction account towards further education or team development.
