Explore & Develop Annandale has been awarded the Excellent rating

Date awarded: 17 November 2023
Valid until: 16 November 2028

Explore & Develop Annandale has been awarded the Excellent rating by the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA), the highest rating a service can achieve under the National Quality Framework. 

The Sydney based service was recognised for its:  

• collaborative partnerships with professional, community or research organisations 

• positive workplace culture and organisational values, sustained commitment to professional development and support of educators 

• practice and environments that enhance children’s learning and growth. 

Examples of exceptional practice at the service include: 

• a collaborative partnership with a local paediatric clinic to enhance educators' knowledge of child development and early intervention. This partnership also included training on how to have discussions with families on their child’s progress and engaging in the process of referral to seek further support with their positive development.  

• the opportunity for children to lead an inquiry into reducing plastic waste within the community through the Boomerang Bag Project. Beginning in 2018, the children began to sew and create their own fabric boomerang bags which were then displayed on a stand outside the local grocery store, encouraging shoppers to use these instead of single use plastics. Through the Boomerang Bag Project, children have a more sustainable mindset and approach to the products they use, including making new resources out of recycled fabrics or using the sewing machines to repair torn clothing items.  

• the service initiated a two-year pedagogue in residence with Dr Red Ruby Scarlet. This was undertaken to support educator’s knowledge of the anti-bias approach and inspired several action-research projects including the development of a service flag and an exploration into gender. The service flag project was a child-led inquiry that occurred during the COVID-19 lockdown period. Explore & Develop Annandale worked in collaboration with Deb Garrett, researcher and lecturer from Macquarie University, to develop the flag. Children would meet on a weekly basis over Zoom calls to discuss and share their ideas and designs for the flag. The final product included representations of the community, the land, the children and families, and symbols that reflected the Sydney languages of: Djirang, Ngurra, Gadi and Badu. 

As a leader in the sector, Explore & Develop Annandale has a demonstrated commitment to practice sharing through extensive involvement in webinars, conferences, journals and articles. Since 2017, the service has contributed to these events and publications, helping to ensure their positive impact reaches beyond the children and families who access their service.  

About the Excellent rating

Services that receive ‘Exceeding National Quality Standard’ in all seven quality areas can apply to ACECQA for the Excellent rating. From 1 July 2023, the Excellent rating is awarded for five years. After this time services have the option to re-apply.