NextSense Preschool has been named as a finalist in the 2024 Australian Childcare Alliance NSW Excellence in Early Childcare (EECE) Awards, with winners to be announced at a gala evening on 2 November.

The Preschool is leading the way on integrated early learning for children aged three to five years who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind or have low vision, with the students learning alongside their hearing and sighted peers. The inclusive and blended approach helps children develop crucial social and emotional skills that set them up for life, and there is an exceptionally low teacher-to-student ratio of 1:5 across three classrooms.

It is part of the newly opened NextSense centre for innovation on the Macquarie University campus, which is a major centre for delivering hearing and vision loss health and disability services, education, and research, and also features a school.

The facility is custom designed, with features including a bush tucker sensory garden with edible plants, an accessible playground, braille and tactile signage, and state-of-the-art acoustics and lighting to provide optimal learning environments for all children, including those with hearing and vision loss.

NextSense Head of Education Strategy Lisa Wahab said she was thrilled that the Preschool is a contender in this year’s awards.

‘Our commitment to research and deep research expertise at the centre for innovation means that we are able to embed best-practice into our teaching, and we are looking forward to sharing this expertise more broadly to ensure that all children with hearing and vision loss have access to the best support, regardless of where they experience their early learning and school education', she said.

‘I look forward to connecting with other outstanding educators at the awards night in November.’