What does an Exceeding childcare rating mean?

An Exceeding National Quality Standard rating means an early learning centre performs above Australia’s national benchmark for education and care quality.

Who awards the Exceeding rating?

Early childhood education and care services are assessed by regulatory authorities using the National Quality Standard, with ratings recorded by the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA).

Does an Exceeding rating matter for my child?

Yes. An Exceeding rating indicates that the centre demonstrates high-quality educational practices, safe environments and strong relationships with children and families.

How often are childcare centres assessed?

Centres are periodically assessed and rated against the National Quality Standard. Services must maintain high standards to retain their rating.

What age groups does Sanctuary Maudsland support?

Sanctuary Maudsland provides early learning and care for children from six weeks to school age, supporting each stage of development.

Can I visit Sanctuary Maudsland?

Yes. The best way to experience our centre is to visit in person. Our team would love to welcome you and show you around. Click here to enquire today.

What Exceeding means for your child at Sanctuary Maudsland

Choosing the right early learning environment for your child is an important decision. If you’ve seen that Sanctuary Maudsland is rated “Exceeding the National Quality Standard”, you may be wondering what that actually means for your child.

In simple terms, an Exceeding rating means the centre delivers education and care that goes above Australia’s national quality standards. For families, this provides confidence that children are learning and growing in a high-quality, nurturing environment.

At Sanctuary Maudsland, this recognition reflects our commitment to creating a place where children feel safe, supported and excited to learn every day.

Early Childhood Education and Care services in Australia are assessed using the National Quality Standard (NQS).

The NQS is overseen by the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) and sets the benchmark for high-quality early childhood education and care across the country.

Centres are assessed across seven important areas including:

educational programs and practice
children’s health and safety
the physical learning environment
relationships with children
partnerships with families and communities
leadership and service management
staffing arrangements.

An Exceeding rating means the service consistently demonstrates practices that go beyond the standard requirements in multiple areas.

This rating recognises early learning centres that provide exceptional environments where children can learn, explore and thrive.

Sanctuary Maudsland is recognised on the ACECQA National Register as Exceeding the National Quality Standard.

This reflects our team’s ongoing commitment to providing:

thoughtful, play-based learning experiences
strong and respectful relationships with children
supportive partnerships with families
engaging learning environments
continuous improvement in education and care.

You can view the official listing on the ACECQA National Register here:
https://www.acecqa.gov.au/resources/national-registers/services/sanctuary-early-learning-adventure-2

For families, this recognition offers reassurance that Sanctuary Maudsland provides a learning environment focused on quality, safety and wellbeing.

While the rating itself is important, what matters most is how it benefits children each day.

At Sanctuary Maudsland, an Exceeding rating reflects the everyday experiences children have in our care.

Strong relationships with educators

Children learn best when they feel safe and connected. Our educators build genuine relationships with each child, helping them develop confidence and a sense of belonging.

Engaging learning through play

Our programs are guided by the Early Years Learning Framework and focus on play-based learning that supports curiosity, creativity and exploration.

Children are encouraged to:

ask questions
experiment and discover
express themselves through creative play
build social and communication skills.

A focus on wellbeing

Health and wellbeing are central to our philosophy. Children experience:

active outdoor play
opportunities for mindfulness and calm
healthy eating habits
environments that support emotional wellbeing.

These experiences help children build positive habits that support lifelong learning and development.

At Sanctuary Maudsland, we believe early childhood education should nurture the whole child — socially, emotionally, physically and intellectually.

Children take part in a wide range of meaningful experiences including:

creative arts, music and dance
nature-based outdoor learning
sustainability activities such as gardening
life skills programs including cooking experiences
collaborative play that builds friendships and confidence.

These opportunities encourage children to develop independence, resilience and a lifelong love of learning.

Families often tell us they feel a sense of warmth and belonging when they visit our centre.

That’s because Sanctuary is built around strong values of connection, respect and, inclusion and collaboration.

At Sanctuary Maudsland we focus on:

creating a home-like environment where children feel safe
supporting curiosity and adventure through learning
building strong relationships with families
nurturing each child’s confidence and individuality.

Our Exceeding rating reflects the dedication of our educators and the supportive community we’ve built together.

What does an Exceeding childcare rating mean?
An Exceeding National Quality Standard rating means an early learning centre performs above Australia’s national benchmark for education and care quality.
Who awards the Exceeding rating?
Early childhood education and care services are assessed by regulatory authorities using the National Quality Standard, with ratings recorded by the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA).
Does an Exceeding rating matter for my child?
Yes. An Exceeding rating indicates that the centre demonstrates high-quality educational practices, safe environments and strong relationships with children and families.
How often are childcare centres assessed?
Centres are periodically assessed and rated against the National Quality Standard. Services must maintain high standards to retain their rating.
What age groups does Sanctuary Maudsland support?
Sanctuary Maudsland provides early learning and care for children from six weeks to school age, supporting each stage of development.
Can I visit Sanctuary Maudsland?
Yes. The best way to experience our centre is to visit in person. Our team would love to welcome you and show you around. Click here to enquire today.

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Recent Articles From Sanctuary

Bottling the Moments at Sanctuary Buderim

By Lauren Hall • August 20, 2026

Welcome back to Bottling the Moments, where I take you behind the scenes of my centre visits and share some of the moments that make me smile, make me laugh and remind me why early childhood education is such a special place to be. My recent visit to our beautiful Buderim centre was all about connection. Connection with our children, our team and many of our families during pick up. Families who trust us with their children every single day. When I arrived, Cody was waiting to take me on a tour of the centre, popping into every room to say good morning to the team, and to the children. I love starting a visit this way. It gives me the chance to say hello to everyone and get a feel for what is happening across the centre before I settle in and spend time with the children. Most of my morning was spent with our littlies in Starfish and Jellyfish. I was greeted by our Jellyfish toddlers with the most beautiful smiles. Mateo and Lenny could not have been more excited to see me, and honestly, it filled my heart with joy. Being welcomed like that by our little ones is pretty special, and it was the perfect way to start my morning with them. Lunch in Jellyfish was chicken curry, and I will admit, I did not expect to be quite so impressed watching a room full of toddlers tackle it. Spoons loaded, little hands determined, they fed themselves with a level of focus and independence that had me completely captivated. I loved watching how confidently they were feeding themselves. It was another one of those everyday moments that reminds me how much learning happens throughout the entire day. I then spent some time in Starfish with our littlest ones. With only four babies there that day, I was very lucky to get plenty of smiles, cuddles and playtime with Mauve, Lola, Ayla and Oliver. Oliver is still settling into his new environment, so I was more than happy to sneak in a few extra cuddles to help him feel safe and secure. Starting care is such a big transition for our babies, and for their families too. It is such a privileged position we are in. Our families trust us with their most precious little people, and in those early days, our babies are learning to trust us too. To learn that when they need comfort, we will be there. That they are safe. That they are cared for. And eventually, that Sanctuary is a place where they belong. Being part of building that trust is pretty special. After rest time, I found myself with Turtles and Dolphins for a treasure hunt. My group was Remi, Ella, Charlie and a couple of their friends, and off we went in search of treasure. We found an ant. We found a leaf. We found some bark on a tree. And apparently, according to every single member of my group, we also saw a bird. I did not see the bird. But they were absolutely adamant it was there, and despite my best efforts to tell them I couldn't see it, I was very clearly outnumbered! It was so much fun following their excitement as they discovered each new piece of "treasure" along the way. Over in Coral, it was story time, and this one was a little bit special for me. I had brought along a couple of books from my own son Austin's collection, and the group chose A Hero Like You and Boogie Bear. They loved them. Genuinely, properly loved them, calling out, pointing, joining in with the parts they already knew by heart. I absolutely loved being able to share a couple of Austin's favourite books with the children, and seeing how much they enjoyed them made this moment extra special for me. Over in Seagulls with our kindy children, everyone was outside enjoying the beautiful sunshine and there was plenty of energy to burn, so naturally, a game of tag was the perfect choice! Before long we were running around the playground, with everyone very determined not to be caught (and equally determined to make sure Miss Lauren was!). Very quickly I had about ten children chasing me, and at one point I somehow ended up on the ground being tickled, with a few of our team looking over to make sure I was okay! There was lots of laughter, lots of running and I think it's fair to say the children had a little more energy left in the tank than I did. After all that excitement, I found a quieter spot with Austin and a few of the children who were drawing. Austin and I have shared lots of special little moments since he first started with us as a baby in Starfish, so it was lovely to sit together drawing pictures and having a chat. It was one of those beautiful little moments that reminded me just how special it is to watch our children grow. From those early nursery days to now sitting beside me in Seagulls, these are the connections I feel incredibly lucky to have. Some of my favourite moments from a visit are also connecting 1:1 with our team members, either while they are in their element in their environment with the children, where they share the exciting activities from the week, or over a cuppa or lunch in the staff retreat. I had a beautiful conversation with Josie, one of our educators, who was so curious about our other Sanctuary centres. We chatted about what makes each of them different, what they are like and some of the wonderful things happening across our wider Sanctuary community. I loved her genuine interest and curiosity. I also spent some time with Chloe for one of our Future Leaders mentoring sessions. These are conversations I absolutely love. Creating opportunities for our future leaders to reflect, grow in confidence and discover what they are capable of is one of the most rewarding parts of my role. Cody, Laura and Annie had organised a special lunch in the lunchroom so I could sit with the team on their break, away from the busyness of the rooms. We talked about everything and nothing. Everyone was buzzing about the upcoming Long Lunch, and somewhere along the way the conversation turned to what everyone was currently watching, which, if you have ever sat in a staff room, you will know is a very serious topic of debate. Moments like these matter just as much as anything that happens in the rooms. Our educators give so much of themselves every day, and getting the opportunity to sit, laugh, chat and simply connect with them is something I really treasure. As I drove home that afternoon, I found myself smiling again, not because of one big moment, but because of dozens of little ones. The excitement on Mateo and Lenny's faces. A room full of toddlers proudly feeding themselves. A bird I apparently missed. Sharing two of Austin's books with a new little audience. A beautiful conversation with Josie. Time spent with Chloe talking about her leadership journey. And a lunchroom full of laughter and excitement about our upcoming Long Lunch. These are the moments that remind me why creating the right environment matters so much. They are the moments that make Sanctuary what it is. Until next time… Lauren x