When asked to provide feedback on Barrack Heights Community Preschool, delighted parents have responded:
“Every single staff member is absolutely amazing at what they do. They are all so supportive not only to the children but to the parents as well. I couldn’t fault them at all”
Boasting an exceeding rating, a larger-than-life outdoor play area and one insatiably passionate Director, Barrack Heights Community Preschool is the place to be for little one’s aged birth-5 years in the Shellharbour Region. The service is conveniently located only a 2-minute drive from Stockland Shellharbour and our sister-service, Shellharbour Early Learning and Care. This central location near the local shopping centre, library, community garden and Blackbutt Forest allows the service and children within it to develop and foster connections and engage with the community.
Director Tammy is an advocate for family-centred practice and believes that practice that is focussed on both the children and their families helps to build strong children and strong families.
“At Barrack Heights Community Preschool, we believe in providing the highest quality of care and education, with strong values rooted in social justice, fairness and equity for all; allowing access for all children, families and our community to shape the service we are and will become”.
– Tammy Lindsay
Meet Director Tammy here:
In 2019, the service was rated against the National Quality Standard (NQS). The NQS sets a high national benchmark for early childhood education and care and outside school hours care services in Australia. Services are assessed and rated by their regulatory authority against the NQS, and given a rating for each of the 7 quality areas and an overall rating based on these results. Not only did Barrack Heights CPS achieve an overall rating of Exceeding, but achieved a rating of Exceeding in all 7 of the National Quality Areas. When providing feedback, the offical NQS assessor commented:
“Your service is commended on its achievements in providing quality outcomes for children. In particular, careful planning, reflective practice and willingness to collaborate with families and other community organisations to enhance and promote children’s learning and wellbeing demonstrate the commitment to quality by educators at your service. It is recommended that management and educators continue to reflect on current practice to maintain the quality outcomes evident during their assessment and rating process.”
The service is staffed a strong core team of 17 educators, 8 of whom have been with Big Fat Smile for more than 8 years, including director Tammy, who has been with the organisation for 10 years across a number of services. High quality care is the key focus for the team. Education is delivered in a fun and engaging way that is play-based and captures the interest of all children, ensuring inclusive, age appropriate environments that foster the needs of all children.
To learn more about Exceeding-rated Barrack Heights Community Preschool or to make an enquiry, find out more here
