Concordia College Out of School Hours Care has been awarded Excellent Rating

Concordia College Out of School Hours Care 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.

From 1 February 2018, services in all states and territories (except Western Australia) must be rated Exceeding National Quality Standard in all seven quality areas to be eligible to apply for the Excellent rating. The Excellent rating is awarded for three years. After this time, services have the option to re-apply. 

The Adelaide-based service was recognised for its collaborative partnerships with professional, community or research organisations; practice and environments that enhance children’s learning and growth; positive workplace culture and organisational values; and sustained commitment to professional development and support of educators.

Examples of exceptional practice at the service include:

• Children and educators engaging in an action research project to develop a pro-social learning curriculum. The action research project led to the development of the ‘4 Rs’ guiding principles: Relationships, Respect, Responsibility and Risk-taking. The ‘4 Rs’ filter throughout the program, routines, practice and environments for both children and educators. Continuous improvement of the ‘4 Rs’ curriculum is driven by children’s ownership and innovative thinking.
• Children developed different interest clubs including the ‘Racing Club’, driven by their interest and desire to use ‘Plazma’ cars. The club provides lines of inquiry around the different surfaces that can be ridden on, obtaining a licence, safety, designing race tracks and the management of the carts.
• Each child at the service has access to their own tablet which is used to capture their individual and group learning and ‘air drop’ to educators’ work stations. Educators use the children’s recordings to inform planning and to track children’s learning and growth. Recordings are also uploaded to an online platform by educators for children and families to view.
• Educators worked in collaboration with families to develop effective documentation processes relevant to the needs of children and families. Educators sought family feedback and engaged in critical reflection to identify documentation methods that captured children’s learning journeys in a way that was meaningful and engaging for children and families.
• A collaborative partnership with a Technology Studies Teacher (TST) at the adjoining school was initiated by the service to support educators to further their skills, knowledge and content required to support children’s interest in construction. The TST supported educators in developing a ‘risk assessment’ for children and families, as well as content and lines of inquiry for the Construction Club. Children engaging in the Construction Club now have the opportunity to learn wood working skills such as chiselling, sanding, varnishing and laser cutting.
• The service seeks collaborative partnerships with other outside school hours care services to inspire professional learning and growth, and to improve outcomes for children and families. For example, Concordia College Out of School Hours Care engages in collaborative staff meetings with other outside school hours care services to reflect on practice and plan combined excursions. Educator and Director collaborations within the established partnerships have also resulted in educators taking a purposeful and meaningful approach to planning for children’s interests.
• To recognise and value the strengths, knowledge, skills and talents of its educators, the service provides the opportunity for two team members to share the role and responsibilities of the assistant director. Positive workplace culture is reflected in the service’s ability to retain educators for extended tenure. For example, educators have retained employment at the service for 16 years, 13 years and five years.
• Five educators hold teaching degrees which demonstrates the service’s commitment to building a workplace culture that values professional knowledge and educational growth. 

As a leader in the sector, Concordia College Out of School Hours Care proactively seeks opportunities to mentor, inspire and lead local outside school hours care services while ensuring their positive impact reaches beyond the children and families who access their service.

About the Excellent rating

From 1 February 2018, services in all states and territories (except Western Australia) must be rated Exceeding National Quality Standard in all seven quality areas to be eligible to apply for the Excellent rating. The Excellent rating is awarded for three years. After this time, services have the option to re-apply. 

More information is available on the ACECQA website.