ACEQA - Mobile 2 Preschool recognised for high quality education

Published on 16 January 2024

This mobile service participated in the NSW funded Dual Programs Pathway in 2022 

Fairfield City Council Best Start Education & Care Mobile 2 Preschool has been providing high quality education and care to the Fairfield City community for the past 20 years  

We use two venues - Cabramatta Public School and Cabravale Leisure Centre, and we operate from Monday to Friday for 48 weeks each year. We are active within our community, participating in school and local events and linking families with support services they may need.

 We aim to:

• be well-informed of local support organisations and actively connect families to them, especially vulnerable or disadvantaged families 
• support families who are new to Australia, and assist them with enrolments and documentation support many children with additional needs, and our strong proactive relationships with schools support their educational journeys.

Fairfield City Council Best Start Education & Care Mobile 2 Preschool aligned with the National Quality Framework (NQF)

While our mobile preschool has been providing the children and community with the highest quality education and services whilst informally applying NQF standards since 2012, we are excited about formally aligning with the NQF because:

• it’s an opportunity for our team to showcase and promote how a mobile service provides quality and consistent care and education to children, families, and the community from various locations 
• our families have the reassurance that their children are receiving quality teaching practices through our co-designed Quality Improvement Plan (QIP) to enrich the early childhood experience 
• our children enjoyed being part of the consultation process as we prepared for the upcoming Assessment and Rating (A&R) and celebrated our achievements with the authorised officers.

Fairfield City Council Best Start Education & Care Mobile 2 participated in the A&R process in 2021

You can imagine the flurry of emotions the mobile preschool experienced as we supported children and families returning to the service and ‘normal life’ when we came out of COVID-19 lockdown.

While preparing for the A&R process, we were initially concerned about how we would meet the same NQF expectations as the centre-based and purpose-built services – as we had to demonstrate the same compliance whilst operating a mobile service, which has its challenges.  

However, we received a rating of Meeting NQS across all areas and felt relieved, pleased, and challenged as to how to improve our service moving forward.  

The biggest learning opportunity for the Fairfield City Council Best Start Education & Care Mobile 2 team was having our service acknowledged as a quality educational setting

Our educators extended their professional knowledge relating to A&R and observed how the children and families at the service worked closely in partnership with educators and management to achieve our rating together.  

We took pride in having the opportunity to show and explain our service’s daily practices and achievements, and we celebrated our achievements once the A&R was completed.

Fairfield City Council Best Start Education & Care Mobile 2 is aiming to achieve Exceeding NQS next

Our service is critically reflecting on the A&R visit feedback we received and continuously altering practices in consultation with children, families and management based on the changing needs of our community.  

Ensuring that our self-assessment supports practice changes through critical reflection extends our pedagogical thinking and supports achieving the best outcomes for children.  

Our Centre Director will consistently implement action research in partnership with our preschool community to identify practice changes to holistically enhance the service.

We will aim to achieve a rating of Exceeding NQS for our next A&R and embrace the opportunity with excitement and passion.  

Fairfield City Council Best Start Education & Care Mobile 2 is supported and operated by a local government approved provider

We are supported and operated by a local government approved provider, and we are one of the few mobile services with a strong support network. Most mobile services are isolated, operating out of the back of a van in rural areas and supporting some of their most vulnerable and marginalised communities.

We would like to support mobile services to connect and share experiences through a social media channel. This could help educators working for mobile services feel connected to peers, share their daily challenges and barriers, and gather ideas when reflecting on practices.