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In early learning, children’s futures are shaped through people – the educators, the teachers, the leaders, the teams who show up every day in children’s lives to create high quality early learning environments.
Rated ‘Exceeding’ against the National Quality Standard, the team at Goodstart Burleigh Waters has a visionary approach to centre environments, where every space inspires learning.
Committed to excellence across all four practice uplift areas, the team has created a nurturing, language-rich environment that celebrates curiosity and connection and were recognised with the 2025 National Goodstart Goodies award for Enabling Environments Excellence.
Through intentional teaching, strong Key Educator Relationships, and reflective practice, children from birth to five are empowered to thrive.
Achieving stretch Quality Rating Scale (QRS) results in 2025, the centre’s philosophy-driven, nature-connected approach—grounded in Reggio Emilia principles—positions the environment as the third teacher, turning every moment into an opportunity for growth, discovery, and belonging.
To understand more about the role of environments in high quality early learning, Goodstart Burleigh Waters Centre Director Lee Green answered a few questions around her centre’s journey, advice for families and the Goodstart difference, check out the Q and A below:
1. Why is high quality early learning important?
Lee Green: High quality early learning provides opportunities for children to develop the way they see themselves and the world around them. During the first five years of life, children are forming their sense of identity, confidence and capability. These experiences pave the way for their future learning journey. If we ensure children feel safe, valued and inspired, they are more willing to explore and take risks. Making sure our environments are of a high standard is the starting point for quality learning. When the environment supports children, it then becomes the third teacher, allowing our educators to focus on authentic and meaningful relationships and shared experiences with the children.
2. Your centre is recognised as delivering high quality, tell us a bit about your centre’s journey to achieve an Exceeding rating
Lee Green: The Exceeding result reflects more than three years of change, growth, trial, error, family feedback and many conversations at team meetings, training sessions, professional curiosity and development, and a shared belief that quality is a journey that never ends but evolves with progress and time. It was crucial that we ensured the whole team was together on the journey, with the support of the Centre Leadership team.
3. What role does enabling environments play in providing high quality early learning?
Lee Green: At Goodstart Burleigh Waters, our spaces are calm, welcoming and responsive. They change and evolve as children’s interests emerge, allowing learning to feel relevant and meaningful. Open ended materials and loose parts encourage creativity, collaboration and problem solving, while familiar routines provide children with a sense of safety and belonging. Our environments are individually designed to invite curiosity, independence and connection. By using the “balcony approach” the educators can step back and observe from a distance before creating the learning environments for each room. This process allows educators to design their rooms through the lens of the child, which in turn allows us to provide high quality learning. We constantly source recycled, upcycled and natural resources that reflect in our learning environments with the Reggio Emelia inspired approach. Each environment is designed with all senses considered: sight, sound and smell.
4. What advice would you give to families when considering an early learning centre?
Lee Green: When families are choosing an early learning centre, I always encourage them to trust both what they see and feel when they walk through the doors. Look for educators who build genuine connections with children, who are actively engaged, listen closely, speak with warmth and show joy in what they do. Pay attention to whether children seem relaxed, engaged and comfortable in their environment. Look for smaller group learning (with an educator present and engaged, supporting the learning experience). Learning spaces shouldn’t feel rushed or chaotic, the learning spaces should feel warm, welcoming and inviting.
5. What do you love about being a Goodstarter?
Lee Green: At Goodstart Burleigh Waters, we lead with heart. There is a shared commitment to inclusion and continuous improvement, and a genuine recognition of the work we do together as a team. It all starts with TEAM. I value being part of an organisation that believes that every child deserves the best possible start in life. Who support their employees and who have a true commitment to keeping all children safe and protected.
Learn more about high quality early learning at Goodstart here.