Goodstart Early Learning Hughesdale, located in Southeast Melbourne, Victoria, took out top position in the state. Achieving a rating of 9.9 on the KindiCare App, the centre also achieved an Exceeding National Quality Standards Rating by ACECQA.

Goodstart Early Learning Child Care Centre Hughesdale is easily accessible via public transport, and in close proximity to local primary schools and Monash University.

The centre has a long-standing, committed team with most educators having been with the centre for more than a decade. The educators and staff come from a variety of cultural backgrounds and some of the educators are fluent in Russian, Mandarin, Hindi, German, Punjabi, French, Greek, Telugu, Bengali and Cantonese.

Inside, all of the rooms - from Nursery to Kindergarten / Preschool - are all set up in line with an Early Years Learning Framework, with sensory and play based learning opportunities. Colourful, stimulating surrounds ensure the children have the chance to grow and develop through sensory, play-based learning.

At Goodstart Hughesdale, Director Chelcee Karp, who is currently on maternity leave, is responsible for delivering and driving this high-quality program and vision.

Acting Centre Director Reuben Murray commented “We are absolutely humbled and honoured to be recognised as the number one centre in the state and number two in the country in the KindiCare Excellence Awards.

We have built an incredible culture based on admiration and respect for one another. We are a family that cares about the emotions, feelings and welfare of the people in our community. Our approach prioritises safety, quality and engagement which are the key ingredients to our success.

Everyday our devoted team of blackbelt educators show up with high expectations, using every interaction with the children as a learning opportunity to support their development and foster growth. The educational landscape is changing, and we place a lot of importance on Emotional Intelligence, Critical Thinking and Problem Solving.

Goodstart puts people over profits. We couldn’t do what we do without the support from this phenomenal organisation. There is a lot of emphasis on personal and professional development, health and wellbeing and we have enough resources at the centre to help us pursue what it takes to achieve excellence.

It is a great privilege to be the leaders in this sector as we focus on the process which produces such tremendous results.

Whenever there is an external award it’s super encouraging…at the end of the day, the children will be our number one gauge on how we are going. If they are safe and happy, we know we are on the right path.”