POPPIN’S Playhouse had two reasons to party last week as the centre celebrated its second birthday and revealed its top marks in a national assessment program to improve the quality of early childhood education.
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The long-daycare centre was opened in Tamworth two years ago by Mary Klasen and has grown in leaps and bounds.
It can cater for 60 children a day, aged 12 weeks to five years, and will be at capacity by the start of next year.
Eighteen educators are employed and 97 families take advantage of the service, which is open 52 weeks a year, including the Christmas week.
The centre was assessed in October under the National Quality Framework, a new quality standard designed to improve education and care across long day care, family day care, preschool/kindergarten, and outside school hours care.
Director Kellie Durant said they had finally learned that Poppin’s had scored the top rating of “exceeding” across the board, testament to the hard work and drive of Mrs Klasen and the staff, and the support of the families.
“As far as I know we’re the first long daycare centre in the Tamworth area to receive that,” she said.
The design of the centre had come in for particular praise from assessors, she said.
Children have access to a dedicated art centre and creative arts educator who works with them on up to four major art projects a year.
The outdoor area features a vegetable patch, which children then help prepare in the kitchen, a construction area, sensory garden and “mud” kitchen.
