Affinity Education Group (Affinity) has improved their meeting or exceeding ‘National Quality Standard’ (NQS) rating by 28% since February 2018.
This is an improvement of 9% on average each year, compared with the sector, which saw an increase of 3%. This makes Affinity Education one of the fastest growing providers of quality within the Early Education and Childcare sector.
The latest snapshot by the Australian Early Childcare & Quality Authority (ACECQA) identified that only 93% of services across Australia have been rated compared to the Affinity portfolio, of which 100% have been rated. As of October 2021, 87% of Affinity-owned centres were rated as ‘Meeting’ and ‘Exceeding’ the National Quality Standards. This breakdown included 78% of centres ‘Meeting’ and 9% ‘Exceeding the National Quality Standards.
“Quality early education and care is critical in a child’s development, particularly in the first five years of a child’s life. Affinity ensures our children are provided with opportunities to experience quality learning through the implementation of ‘Belonging, Being and Becoming’, the Early Years Learning framework for Australia.” Jodie McClelland, Quality Manager for Affinity explains.
Affinity’s dedicated national Quality Team established more than five years ago. This is made up of nine industry professionals who bring 180 years of collective education, training, assessing, teaching and regulatory authority experience.
NQS ratings are determined by the Australian Children’s Education & Care Quality Authority (ACECQA). They set a national benchmark for the quality of children’s early education and care services across Australia. A centre must achieve ‘Meeting’ in all seven Quality areas to receive an overall ‘Meeting’ rating. An overall rating of Exceeding NQS is applied to centres that go above and beyond the requirements of the NQS in terms of embedded practice, critical reflection and meaningful engagement with families and communities in at least four of the seven quality areas.
Jodie continues, “While the last eighteen months might be characterised by its unprecedented challenges, we choose to commemorate and celebrate the resilience, being completely connected and teamwork that our educators have exhibited. Providing exceptional quality care for our families and children is a key characteristic of our centres and it’s fantastic to see this recognised by the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority. By striving to go above and beyond, we can provide best outcomes for children and their families.”
CEO Tim Hickey congratulated Affinity’s Centre Managers and Quality Team on the most recent milestone. “The exceptional achievement of these Centres is a result of dedication and passion and reflects Affinity's commitment to providing outstanding early education and care to every child who attends our centres.