Eligible SDN Staff now receiving Worker Retention Payment
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What is your role at SDN?
I am an Early Childhood Educator at SDN Glebe with a Certificate III qualification. My main role is to connect with children on a deeper level through their personal interests, to help them recognise their value. I am particularly passionate about helping children with learning and behavioural challenges, or those who come from difficult backgrounds. I want to create a space of belonging for them, so they feel comfortable to share their feelings, interests and be their true selves.
Tell us about your connection to SDN Glebe and what inspired you to return as an educator?
I attended SDN Glebe in 1990 from the age of three. Living locally as a child, Toddler’s Junction (as the centre was called at the time) was located convenient for my family. My mother recalls that I was excited to go to the centre each day. From a young age, I had always dreamed of looking after and teaching children and naturally had always taken a ‘caretaker’ role for younger children around me. After becoming a mother myself, I realised that this was something I wanted to pursue as a career. Then, after completing a traineeship at another centre, I applied for a position at SDN Glebe. I felt that my connection to SDN Glebe from my childhood was a encouraging sign and the family feel of the centre resonated with me as an educator.
Tell us about your experience working at SDN Glebe.
Prior to working at SDN Glebe, I only had experience working with infants but was interested in how children developed as they age. Joining SDN Glebe provided me the opportunity to build upon my existing experience by supporting children across all the ages of early childhood.
One of the first things that I noticed after joining Glebe team is that I felt truly respected and heard. It is clear to me that the staff at SDN are sincerely interested in my success and wellbeing.
Working at SDN has also allowed me the flexibility and balance that I need in my life as a parent. It is refreshing to be able to separate my work life from my home life without any lingering stress. I can spend quality time with my daughter during our personal time, while feeling fulfilled at work during my hours at the centre.
With support from SDN, I am now considering my next step of earning a Diploma, to further enhance my skills in supporting children’s wellbeing, learning and development.
What has been your biggest learning or takeaway so far?
One of my biggest learning’s is to never underestimate the importance of noticing children’s individual interests, to aid their learning. Recently, I noticed that one of the children in my centre was having a particularly tough time when they would arrive. I began to sit down with the child every day to decipher what was causing the distress and where the child’s areas of interests were. In partnership with the family, we in the child’s interests together and as time progressed, the mother and I both noticed improvement in the child’s mood, behaviour and participation.
Moments like this have allowed me to bring new methods of communication into my own home and apply them to my parenting skillset. I have learned to focus more on listening to my daughter’s thoughts and feelings before rushing to respond, and ultimately be more patient in understanding her interests too.