Little stars, big honours at early childhood awards

Staff at early learning centres have had their hard work recognised at the Central West Early Childhood Awards, with Eugowra Community Children’s Centre (ECCC), Trundle Children's Centre and Community Kids Parkes all picking up awards. Kaylee Smith, from Community Kids in High Street, was presented the Samara Golding-Piper Memorial Award for Excellence in Leadership. Eugowra Community Children’s Centre was presented with the Yindyamarra Award and the Excellence in Inclusion Award, while Trundle Children's Centre was presented with the Excellence in Teamwork and Culture Award. Trundle trainee Bailee McAneney also received the Outstanding Early Childhood Trainee award. Trundle Children's Centre director Sarah Kilby said they were thrilled to win the Excellence in Teamwork and Culture Award. "It's a really great one to have that recognition because we do have a great team here and we work quite hard to keep a happy, cohesive team," she said. Ms Kilby said they achieve that through professional development and team building evenings. She said having a team who are understanding of each other has a positive impact on the children and their learning as well. Ms Kilby and the team have also been very impressed with Bailee's maturity and her dedication to both her work and her TAFE studies. "We've been very lucky to have her at the centre throughout 2026," she said. Currently studying her Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care, Bailee works across both the preschool and the zero-to-three-year-old room. Bailee said winning this award was a little unexpected as all of the other finalists were a little older and she has only been working in the industry for less than a year. She said she loves her work and is excited to come to work every day. Bailee McAneney from Trundle Children's Centre received the Outstanding Early Childhood Trainee award. She fell in love with the job when she came on board for a work placement last year and decided to return to undertake her traineeship. Eugowra Community Children's Centre director Raewyn Molloy said it was a great honour accepting the Excellence in Inclusion Award and the Yindyamarra Award for respectfully integrating First Nations knowledge and perspectives. Ms Molloy said they are committed to providing high-quality, inclusive and evidence-informed practice that responds to the individual needs of every child. "As a community-based service in a regional area, we recognise that access to specialised professional services can be limited," she said. The service has been linking families and children to external support networks and providing professional development to upskill their staff. Ms Molloy said this was done with the goal of not allowing distance or availability to become a barrier to the children's development. She attributes the Yindyamarra Award to them asking their educators how they can do better and whose voices they were listening to. "This reflection led to professional learning focused on Aboriginal culture, history and the local Wiradjuri community," Ms Molloy said. "Educators were encouraged to challenge assumptions, strengthen their knowledge and develop a deeper understanding of the traditional custodians of our local area. "We have intentionally reflected on our relationship with the local Aboriginal community and how we can strengthen our practice to ensure Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives are respectfully and authentically embedded throughout our service. "Through collaboration, leadership and genuine community engagement, ECCC is creating a culturally responsive environment where children feel a sense of belonging and are encouraged to value diversity." Looking forward, Ms Molloy said the centre is developing their knowledge further around the local Wiradjuri culture, through language, professional development, connections and community engagement. "The service is continuing to support children and families to access support networks and developing programs to support the inclusion of all children," she said. "As part of the new facilities, which are currently under construction, the service has a community room attached, which will be available for visiting professionals and organisations to provide support to the children of Eugowra."