Goodstart has been operating for seven years and is Australia’s largest provider of childcare, yet few people know our real story. Here’s five things we think you might not know about us.
Seven years ago Goodstart was formed when a group of charities and philanthropists came together to transform the early learning landscape in Australia.
Their goal? To make sure all Australia’s children get the very best start in life, regardless of their life circumstance or postcode.
Being not for profit means that any surplus we make is reinvested back into our centres. From upgrading playgrounds and centre facilities to buying new resources and investing heavily in training for our staff, it’s all about making sure we provide the best possible learning environments for children.
Did you know that in the last financial year 174 of our centres received upgrades? This brings the total number upgraded since Goodstart commenced to over 400.
Being a social enterprise means we exist purely to do good things. So while we provide high quality early learning to all Australia’s children, underpinning all that we do is a strong social purpose - to help create better lives for our children and families, especially those experiencing disadvantage.
This means that we dedicate time, budget, resources and a whole lot of passion to supporting vulnerable children and their families. We run dedicated programs and services that wrap around communities and families to ensure they don’t miss out on quality early learning and have a network of people and services there ready to support them.
Did you know we support more than 5,000 vulnerable or at-risk children in our centres?
We now have 1019 degree qualified teachers working across our network, 900 of which are in dedicated teacher roles leading our formal kindergarten and preschool programs.
Our teachers take all of their knowledge and experience and put it into practice in an early childhood setting. Each day in our kindergarten and preschool programs they plan amazing play-based activities and learning experiences that are designed to build all the skills each child will need for school and life.
They take each child’s individual interests and really run with them, promoting a sense of inquiry while they explore, investigate, discover, imagine and hypothesise.
Did you know we currently sponsor 120 of our educators who are studying to become teachers with dedicated study leave and practical time?
While we have more than 644 centres across Australia in every state and territory, each centre is unique and is passionate about embracing the diversity of their local community.
When a centre mirrors the children’s culture and background it not only creates a strong sense of belonging, it also significantly improves a child’s learning and development outcomes.
So our centres work hard to bring diversity to life, from creating partnerships with local Aboriginal elders and culturally diverse groups, to tapping into the amazing knowledge and customs of their staff and families.
Did you know our family feedback surveys are now translated into 12 languages other than English?
One of the benefits of being part of a large organisation like Goodstart is the resources and support that is available to our staff and families.
Across our network we have more than 40 child and family practitioners, speech pathologists, occupational therapists and social inclusion coordinators working with our centres and families to provide guidance and support with any learning, development or behaviour concerns they may have.
Alongside this, our teams also have access to online resources, webinars, case studies and professional development opportunities to help them find the best approach to support each individual child and their family.
Did you know that each year, Goodstart hosts an international panel of thought-leaders to discuss the most innovative ideas in early learning and childhood development?
We are not-for-profit
Seven years ago Goodstart was formed when a group of charities and philanthropists came together to transform the early learning landscape in Australia.Their goal? To make sure all Australia’s children get the very best start in life, regardless of their life circumstance or postcode.
Being not for profit means that any surplus we make is reinvested back into our centres. From upgrading playgrounds and centre facilities to buying new resources and investing heavily in training for our staff, it’s all about making sure we provide the best possible learning environments for children.
Did you know that in the last financial year 174 of our centres received upgrades? This brings the total number upgraded since Goodstart commenced to over 400.
We are also a social enterprise
Being a social enterprise means we exist purely to do good things. So while we provide high quality early learning to all Australia’s children, underpinning all that we do is a strong social purpose - to help create better lives for our children and families, especially those experiencing disadvantage.This means that we dedicate time, budget, resources and a whole lot of passion to supporting vulnerable children and their families. We run dedicated programs and services that wrap around communities and families to ensure they don’t miss out on quality early learning and have a network of people and services there ready to support them.
Did you know we support more than 5,000 vulnerable or at-risk children in our centres?
Degree qualified early childhood teachers lead our kindergarten and preschool programs
We now have 1019 degree qualified teachers working across our network, 900 of which are in dedicated teacher roles leading our formal kindergarten and preschool programs.Our teachers take all of their knowledge and experience and put it into practice in an early childhood setting. Each day in our kindergarten and preschool programs they plan amazing play-based activities and learning experiences that are designed to build all the skills each child will need for school and life.
They take each child’s individual interests and really run with them, promoting a sense of inquiry while they explore, investigate, discover, imagine and hypothesise.
Did you know we currently sponsor 120 of our educators who are studying to become teachers with dedicated study leave and practical time?
While our network is big, our heart is local
While we have more than 644 centres across Australia in every state and territory, each centre is unique and is passionate about embracing the diversity of their local community.When a centre mirrors the children’s culture and background it not only creates a strong sense of belonging, it also significantly improves a child’s learning and development outcomes.
So our centres work hard to bring diversity to life, from creating partnerships with local Aboriginal elders and culturally diverse groups, to tapping into the amazing knowledge and customs of their staff and families.
Did you know our family feedback surveys are now translated into 12 languages other than English?
We have dedicated learning and behaviour specialists
One of the benefits of being part of a large organisation like Goodstart is the resources and support that is available to our staff and families.Across our network we have more than 40 child and family practitioners, speech pathologists, occupational therapists and social inclusion coordinators working with our centres and families to provide guidance and support with any learning, development or behaviour concerns they may have.
Alongside this, our teams also have access to online resources, webinars, case studies and professional development opportunities to help them find the best approach to support each individual child and their family.
Did you know that each year, Goodstart hosts an international panel of thought-leaders to discuss the most innovative ideas in early learning and childhood development?