In what is considered “extremely rare” for a new child care centre, Leap Start Early Learning Child Care in Jandakot has just been awarded a quality rating of Exceeding” by the Department of Local Government and Communities.

It comes after a stringent examination by the national assessment team, and according to Leap Start Early Learning Child Care Area Manager Nadene Myers, is a tribute the hard work of Educators and faith local parents have placed in the centre.

“We’ve built a vibrant and nurturing community where children are seen and cared for by our exceptional Educators,” she said.

“I’ve been involved in early childhood education for more than two decades, and I can tell you, for a centre to achieve “Exceeding” at the start like this is almost unheard of.”

Considered an important regulatory process to ensure high standards are met, every early learning facility in Australia is subject to the national rating system conducted by Australian Children’s Education & Care Quality Authority (ACECQA).

As of June 2017, 14,106 children’s education and care service providers had been assessed by ACECQA under the National Quality Framework.

The process takes about 8 weeks and includes a site visit and written report.

All centres are rated on a 4-point scale of “Working Towards”, “Meeting”, “Exceeding” and “Excellent” across six dimensions called “Quality Areas”:

The overall rating is determined by the combination of the Quality Area ratings achieved.

Leap Start Early Learning Child Care surprised many in the industry with their overall “EXCEEDING” rating.

“Before the first brick was even laid, every decision we have taken has been with children’s best learning and social development interests at heart so its pleasing for Educators and confidence building for parents to know we sit at the upper echelons of early learning in the country,” Ms Myers said.

And it explains why parents in Jandakot and surrounding suburbs have voted with their feet.

Unlike many centres, Leap Start Early Learning Child Care has very few vacancies and many rooms even have a waiting list, and all Educators have qualifications above minimum requirements.

Ms Myers said, apart from hard work, there are two key points of difference parents always mention when they decide to choose Leap Start Early Learning Child Care.

“Play is vital to a child’s development, and at Leap Start Early Learning Child Care, gone is the artificial, plastic play equipment of the past decade.

“We’ve gone back to nature as best we can with the architecturally designed creek beds, tunnels, vegie garden, bird swing, rock climbing wall, sand pits, , cubby house, the list goes on.

“You definitely won’t find those noisy plastic pop-up toys, what you will find is open ended activities where children explore and learn as they go,” she said.

And the other thing parents love about Leap Start?

“That’s easy,” Ms Myers said.

“It’s our music-based curriculum. Whole-brain and whole-body activities undertaken during the early years create a network of connections across the brain that can last a lifetime.

The research we did showed music gives children the best chance to grow and accelerate their learning,”

ACECQA assessors were clearly impressed because, just like you don’t build Rome in a day, it can take several years for a new centre to develop the processes, curriculum and staffing mix to “get it right”.

For parents who want to give their children the best start in life so they develop a lifelong love of learning and are confident and school ready, Leap Start Early Learning Child Care is fast becoming a centre of choice.