Toukley Public School’s Kooloora Preschool has been awarded the highest rating achievable for an early childhood education and care service, an honour it shares with just 10 other services across the state.

The preschool is helping to revitalise the lost Darkinjung language with its students and has helped develop a localised Aboriginal curriculum which has been rated as Excellent.

Assistant principal and preschool educational leader, Sharon Buck, said the team of six staff had been working tirelessly towards applying to the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) for the Excellent rating.

“I was elated,” Ms Buck said upon receiving the news.

“The whole team is feeling very honoured and proud of this recognition for the hard work they do each and every day.”

Ms Buck said it was a “monumental occasion”.

“There are around 10,000 early childhood services across Australia and only 28 hold this rating,” she said.

“It validates what we do, it validates that the service is a leader in our community and for other early childhood services, and that our initiatives are recognised and valued as making a difference for children and families.”

ACECQA said Kooloora Preschool was recognised for its:

• Practice and environments that enhance children’s learning and growth.

• Collaborative partnerships with professional, community or research organisations.

• Commitment to children that respects, reflects and celebrates culture and diversity, including their place of origin.

ACECQA highlighted examples of exceptional practices at the service, including the implementation of a Darkinjung culture and language program.

ACECQA also commended Kooloora Preschool for working with Gorokan Public School, Gorokan High School and Muru Bulbi Aboriginal Education Consultative Group to develop a Localised Aboriginal Curriculum; engaging in programs that enhance early childhood literacy development; and bringing services together to discuss how to improve cultural safety as exceptional practices.

With the benefit of a NSW Department of Education grant, the service accessed the Sounds Words Aboriginal language and Yarning (SWAY) oral language and literacy program and connected with Uncle Gavi Duncan, who provided Darkinjung translations.

Ms Buck participated in the Darkinyung Language Centre’s inaugural program and received the centre’s support to teach the dialect to preschoolers. She helped to develop further resources, which included recording videos with songs, games and counting in Darkinjung to share with 10 community preschools to help them embed language in their services.

“Darkinjung was a lost language and it’s being revitalised,” Ms Buck said. “It’s important to respect the land that we live on, model that and keep the language alive as best we can.”

Regulatory authorities assess and rate services and provide them with a rating for each of the National Quality Standard’s seven quality areas, that is, educational program and practice, children's health and safety, physical environment, staffing arrangements, relationships with children, collaborative partnerships with families and communities, and governance and leadership - as well as an overall rating.

Services that receive a rating of Exceeding in all seven quality areas are eligible to apply for an Excellent rating.

Kooloora Preschool is one of of 11 NSW Department of Education preschools designated especially for Aboriginal children and Ms Buck said about 75 per cent of the 38 enrolled children were from Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander families.

“We want to ensure the Aboriginal families and children in our community have a service that they can come to that they feel respected in, feel culturally safe in and that is high quality,” she said.

Other public preschools that have received an Excellent rating in the past include Woy Woy Public School’s Guliyali Preschool, Lansvale Public School Preschool and John Brotchie Nursery School.