Ross Vasta (Bonner, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Today I would like to recognise a standout achiever in child care and education in my electorate of Bonner. In January this year, Wynnum Family Day Care, managed by Ms Cathy Babbage, earned an excellent rating from the Australian Children's Education and Care Quality Authority. The ACECQA is an independent statutory body that was formed to help guide the implementation of the National Quality Framework for Early Childhood Education and Care across Australia. It is the only authority that can award the excellent rating, which is the highest rating possible under the national framework. Wynnum Family Day Care is the first ever family day care service in Australia to achieve this prestigious rating. In fact, there are only five other early education and care services in the country that have been awarded the excellent rating. This achievement is a testament to the amazing service Wynnum Family Day Care provides for bayside families.

The ACECQA has commended Wynnum Family Day Care because of its demonstrated excellence in a number of areas. It has said that the centre's service: exemplifies and promotes exceptional education and care that improves outcomes for children and families; demonstrates leadership that contributes to the development of a community, a local area or the wider education and care sector; and demonstrates commitment to sustained excellent practice through continuous improvement and comprehensive forward planning.

Wynnum Family Day Care has a number of programs that prove its commitment to achieving the best learning outcomes for its children. One standout that has helped earn its excellent rating is its Child Development Initiative. The CDI was created to identify potential development delays in individual children. It has helped identify speech and language support needs in children across Wynnum Family Day Care's service. This has in turn seen it develop its speech and language development initiative. Very few day care establishments in Australia can claim that kind of highly specialised care and service for their children.

Wynnum Family Day Care has also proven it is willing to go another step to ensure its initiatives are always improving. It works with a number of organisations involved in recruiting and training childcare educators, including the In Safe Hands organisation and the Family Day Care Association of Queensland. As a result, its educators do exceptional work. They are often employed by families for their children through to school age, and commonly for subsequent siblings. This is yet another testament to Wynnum Family Day Care's quality of care.

Wynnum Family Day Care is one of the most popular day care centres in the bayside and it has won a number of accolades that reflect this. It was awarded the title of Family Day Care Service of the Year in the 2013 Excellence in Family Day Care Awards. Now, with its excellent rating, it has deservedly been recognised as a premier provider of quality child care and superb educational outcomes for children which are constantly improving. Its staff and management should feel incredibly proud of their achievement. I thank them for providing such an outstanding service for the people of Bonner.