Vanessa Lam
5 June 2015: The Wiradjuri Preschool and Child Care Centre at the University of Canberra has been recognised for its excellence in education and care service by the Australian Children's Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA).
The centre is one of only four centres in the ACT to receive an Excellent rating for its outstanding practice.
"It's fantastic that we have been recognised for that level of excellent achievement and good to know that what we do on an everyday basis is acknowledged," Wiradjuri co-director Carmel Richardson said.
The rating is the highest an education and care service can achieve under the National Quality Framework, with only 33 centres Australia-wide having received the honour.
Wiradjuri has been operating for more than 22 years and caters for children aged from two to six years with pre-service teachers from the University's Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood) degree working alongside qualified educators.
"We knew we were pretty special and unique because we're the only student-led centre attached to a university course," Careen Leslie, also co-director of Wiradjuri, said.
The application process involved the centre choosing three out of seven areas in which they exceeded. They also needed to demonstrate how their philosophy and practice met the criteria and how they plan to keep exceeding in those particular areas.
The centre highlighted its research partnership with the University, its commitment to Reconciliation and its philosophy of inclusion and the innovative student-led teaching model.
Adam Duncan started working at Wiradjuri as a pre-service teacher during his degree and said working at the centre was an invaluable experience.
"It's hard to express just how valuable a place it is for students to work at, I have learnt so much," Mr Duncan, who graduated in 2011 and now works as a senior curriculum officer at Reconciliation Australia.
Ms Leslie hopes the centre will continue to grow and maintain its standard of excellence.
"It's a desire of ours to continue to be the best centre we can be and we are grateful for awards like these that highlight the importance and value of early education."
For more information on Wiradjuri Preschool and Child Care Centre visit their website.
