Education 

GEKA Centre Road Kindergarten's Assessment and Rating Summary 2021 

GEKA Centre Road Kindergarten participated in the assessment and rating process with the Department of Education and Training, in May of this year.  The assessment involved the review of documentation, observation of interactions and an extensive discussion regarding practice.  This was the first time the service was assessed under GEKA’s Management, having previously been assessed in 2017.

We are very excited to announce GEKA Centre Road Kindergarten has received a rating of EXCEEDING the National Standardfor the delivery of high-quality programs in all areas of the National Quality Standard!

The GEKA leadership and educational teams were able to confidently demonstrate how practice was authentically embedded in service operations, informed by critical reflection, and shaped by meaningful engagement with families and the community.  Of particular importance, was the assessor’s feedback regarding the educator’s intentionality in their practice and their genuine interactions with children, families, and the community.  Feedback also included recognition around how GEKA had built a positive organisational culture and professional learning community that supported all members of the service team to develop as professionals and contribute meaningfully to quality improvement processes.  This result is a credit to our wonderful educators and leaders – we thank them all sincerely for their commitment to their work.

An extract from the assessment and rating report is as follows:

“Educators were responsive to children, consistently providing support and assistance to children based on their individual needs. Children were consistently supported to make decisions about their play and participation in routines, which allowed children to direct their own learning, and supported their sense of agency and belonging. Children were engaged in sustained collaborative play and learning across the service and were observed creating and building elaborate spaces and worlds. The indoor and outdoor spaces promoted exploration and enquiry-based learning, and children were consistently observed accessing materials and resources to enrich their learning. Educators across the service cultivated a deep respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and histories, through purposeful spaces, experiences, and acknowledgements, which were embedded into the program. The service consistently promoted sustainability and responsibility for the environment through embedded daily practices, intentional teaching, recognition of events, and engagement with families and communities. The expansive outdoor space and natural features in the indoor environment consistently promoted children’s connection to nature, and supported children’s understanding of the interdependence between people, plants, animals, and the land.  The service had an effective leadership and governance structures in place to support the operations of a quality service. The service consistently demonstrated how their daily practice was underpinned by the service’s statement of philosophy which was reviewed on a regular basis.  The educational leader demonstrated a strong commitment to critical reflection, and continuous improvement, consistently challenging educators about their practice. Educators recognised and celebrated their individual strengths, which enhanced children’s learning and development outcomes across the service.”

Some of our educators have shared their thoughts on the result:

“We achieved this exceeding rating by being genuine, caring people…we didn’t change our behaviour, we were ourselves (a tad nervous) and our strengths were that we remained on the same page when it comes to our families in our kindergarten and how we want to give the children the best start in their learning journey. I am extremely proud of the team I work with, they are amazing, and this is now reflected in our EXCEEDING RATING. We will continue learning and evolving and our QIP has many new Post-it notes all over it since our assessment, it will keep growing…we are no means perfect but for a little bit we are going to celebrate this achievement!!” 

Sally, GEKA Leader

Thank you, Mel, for your unbelievable help. We could not have done it without you. You were the ground beneath us, our rock.  Thank you to Leanne, Josephine, Rachael, Dana and Matt, the management team.  THANK YOU to our team, we all helped to write our QIP, came in during the holidays, and held each other up every day, so we could do this.  You are all AMAZING!!  Special thank you to Sally and Rochelle, who are the life blood of our centre. You keep us going every day – we recognise and appreciate all you do.”  

Jacquie C, GEKA Early Childhood Teacher

The past eight and a half years have demonstrated that GEKA have a proven record of delivering innovative and high-quality services that exceed the minimum standard and which benefit children and families, for life.