Goodstart Blue Haven exemplifies what can be achieved through team dedication, collaboration and a relentless focus on the learning, development and wellbeing of children.
With a strong commitment to high quality, inclusion and community impact it’s clear why this centre was recognised as Goodstart’s 2024 Centre of the Year.
Based on the Central Coast of New South Wales, Goodstart Blue Haven strives to create a nurturing environment for both children and educators with a strong focus on inclusive environments, sustainability, reconciliation and a positive and supportive team culture.
With a National Quality Rating of Exceeding in all 7 quality areas, the team consistently demonstrates outstanding performance across all key performance drivers, including family engagement, educational outcomes, and safety. This hard work is underpinned by consistent 100% occupancy and genuine family appreciation.
Centre Director, Michelle Acreman was praised for her leadership at Blue Haven and highlighted how the centre’s teamwork helped to create the outstanding environment the team have all cultivated – a place where children can thrive and where families feel supported and reassured.
“Winning this award gave the team a boost and sense of pride that the hard work they put in everyday for children was acknowledged by a wider community,” she said.
Throughout 2024, the team held a special focus on promoting access and inclusion. The centre's exceptional practices for children with diverse needs, demonstrates its proactive approach to meeting all children’s needs.
Educators use the Inclusion Mapping Tool (IMT), with support from Goodstart’s Social Inclusion Team, to capture a comprehensive view of children at the centre and identify those requiring additional support. This tool informs curriculum decisions, ensuring that all children are included in the program. For instance, children with specific needs are provided with individualised learning resources, such as visual schedules or sensory tools, that help them fully participate in group activities.
The team also offers opportunities for older children to assist younger peers, such as during community mealtimes, mixed-age group activities, and family groupings in the morning and afternoon, helping foster empathy and respect.
Through collaboration with Speech Pathologists, Occupational Therapists, and Psychologists, educators have been able to build a deeper understanding of each child's needs. This collaborative approach ensures that all children, particularly those with diverse needs, receive the support they require to thrive in the learning environment.
“We have had a lot of children at the centre who needed our support in building self-regulation and resilience. We really had to call on our ability to reflect on what was happening and ways to move forward. Regular conversations, critical reflection and teamwork ensured that our children who struggle to regulate themselves, were supported, nurtured and assisted to develop necessary skills for their future – starting from our nursery up to our preschoolers.”
“We have a high proportion of children who need individual support for various reasons – trauma being high on the list. We learnt early on that in order to support these children and their families, we needed to support each other as a team first.”
Goodstart Blue Haven has had a profound impact on the local community, becoming a trusted partner for families and providing vital support for children with additional and diverse needs – this has been achieved through local centre and school connection and partnerships.
Through their Goodstart Goodies Award win, the team received an incredible $2500 that they put towards their team bonding, as well as a massage therapist for a day. With great thanks to one of our Goodies sponsors, EducationAll, the team was also rewarded with $10K worth of resources of their choosing to enhance their early learning environments.
Michael Di Prinzio, Managing Director of EducationAll Australia said EducationAll being a proud sponsor of the Goodies Awards doesn’t fully capture their excitement.
“We are truly honoured to partner with an organisation that invests so deeply in its people and values all they do, not only in their roles but also for the children in their care,” Michael said.
“The Goodies Awards are vital for acknowledging and celebrating the everyday efforts of educators, many of which often go unrecognised.”
“Congratulations to all the winners, and a special shout-out to Goodstart Blue Haven. We hope you and the children enjoy the resources for many years to come!”
Looking towards the future, the Blue Haven team hopes to continue with their practice uplift, focusing on embedding new strategies and ensuring high quality outcomes for all children, expressing the love they have for being a part of the Goodstart community.
“What I love about being a Goodstarters is having a team of Centre Directors who can support you in all facets of the role - from the leadership and administration aspect of the role to the emotional support needed - along with the broader support available throughout the network.” Michelle said.
“I love the fact that I work for an organisation that genuinely works to include our vulnerable children in high quality early education and care settings and assists centres to develop skills and knowledge needed to make this possible.”
Goodstart’s National Goodies Awards is a national reward and recognition program to acknowledge individuals and centre teams delivering best practice and enriching the communities in which we live and work.
Learn more about the Goodies here.
