Day Care scheme manager Kerrie Patterson said the “outstanding and rare accolade” was because of an “unwavering commitment to excellence” in the provision of early child care education in Gunnedah, Boggabri, Wee Waa and Quirindi and surrounding districts.

“Gunnedah Family Day Care is one of only two family day care services in Australia, which have achieved ‘exceeding standards’ following the implementation of the revised Education & Care Services National Regulation and the new National Quality Standards, both of which were implemented on February 1, 2018,” she said.

“This is a testament to the commitment to quality in all aspects of our service. The process was comprehensive yet extremely rewarding in the long run.

“I am extremely proud and honored to be a part of such an exceptional service and it is heartening to see that our efforts to achieving service excellence have now been acknowledged within a National Framework and we have come up trumps.”

The scheme manager said the National Quality Framework for Early Childhood Education and Care applies to long day care, family day Care, outside school hours care and pre-chool services and helps service providers to implement continual improvement processes to support early childhood development of children within their charge. It also provides a framework to assist families in making an informed choice as to which service is best for their child.