Child care professionals share a commitment to improving society by creating dynamic and nurturing care environments for Australia's youngest learners.
This month we feature an interview with Cathy Bell from Prospect Early Learning Childcare Centre in Adelaide South Australia. Cathy recently won the Macleans Early Childhood Educator of the Year Award for SA/NT in the 2012 Australian Family Early Education and Care Awards.
Cathy Bell
Prospect Early Learning Childcare Centre
Adelaide SA
Child care professionals share a commitment to improving society by creating dynamic and nurturing care environments for Australia's youngest learners.
This month we feature an interview with Cathy Bell from Prospect Early Learning Childcare Centre in Adelaide South Australia. Cathy recently won the Macleans Early Childhood Educator of the Year Award for SA/NT in the 2012 Australian Family Early Education and Care Awards.
C4K: What is your name?
CB: My full name is Catherine Bell, but everyone calls me Cathy – unless I'm in trouble! Interestingly enough, my primary school teachers all called me Catherine, until Grade Five when my teacher asked me what I liked to be called (her name was Catherine too!) Such an eye opening and empowering moment in my youth! Anyways...I'm 37.
C4K: Which centre do you work in? How many staff and children are in the centre?
CB: I work at the Prospect Early Learning Childcare Centre (PELCC), in Adelaide, SA and it has been my home for years now. We are a family owned, 80 place centre with 15 regular staff, although three are off on maternity leave at the moment! We definitely had the water checked after that run of pregnancies!
C4K: What is your professional background and career experience?
CB: To be honest my first job was in holiday care, remember, this was decades ago! I was a year eight student, all of 12 years of age, working as an assistant at the 'Funny Farm' with many adults and team meetings about styles of leadership, I learned a lot!
Formally though, I began work at Bright Beginnings Child Edu-Care Centre in Brisbane. Under the guidance and leadership of the amazing Janine Shockman, I took on my studies and worked my way up from unqualified to director over seven years (and three babies!) Here I learnt about positive discipline, was introduced to inclusion support and additional needs, developed programs and trained staff. All of this has stuck with me and the team at PELCC are reaping the rewards!
Before child care I worked in a discount retailers. Again, I worked my way up from Christmas casual to store manager. Working with large numbers of teenagers and giving them the understanding of their own skills and strengths has actually given me a great springboard into my child care career. After all, we need to recognise the individual personalities, their strengths and needs in much the same way. The aims of the day may be different, but we want similar long term goals. For everyone – child or teenager – to be effective communicators, take responsibility for their actions, transfer knowledge to new areas, to experiment with space and mathematical concepts and to gain a positive self image.
C4K: What attracted you to a career in child care?
CB: My mum, she's been a teacher, a volunteer, an advocate for women's rights, worked with disadvantaged teenagers and families, taught literacy to adults and so much more. She showed, me with her actions and choices, that each of us is greater than just ourselves. We all have the potential to make a change, make a difference in the small bubble of the world around us.
I originally studied at university to be a teacher, but I started at 16 and honestly had no study skills. I told myself that I would work and in 10 years "when I was grown up" I would return to study with knowledge and drive. However, I was in a well paid job and scared of giving that up for years of study, I thought "what if I can't do it?" So, when Janine offered me the job at my son's day care, I considered it and eventually took it, figuring it to be a stepping stone into a teaching lifestyle. But I loved it, more-so than I think I could ever love a classroom, so I stayed! In true mother/daughter style, I also take a morning off each week so that I can be a Community Mentor, spending time with my girl Symone, hopefully instilling the same self worth and opening opportunities to her, that have been made available to me.
C4K: What does a 'normal' day look like for you?
CB: Hahaha my mind automatically changed 'normal' into 'neuro-typical', see what having an autistic son and being inclusive, and celebratory, to a range of additional needs does to you! Without fail, my day begins with a range of greetings and hugs from the children who are there when I arrive. I love that amazing moment of connection! Each day brings new adventures, especially now we are fully entrenched in the EYLF cycle of programming. I love that as a team we can create a theme and bring it to life with activities, music, stories and role play. I think it's exceptional that we flesh out the program by following the children's interests and the family inputs.
C4K: What makes your centre unique?
CB: Well every centre is unique really. As the team is filled with individuals, the families couldn't be clumped into stereotypes and the management committee discusses and implements the directions their centres need to go. I guess what makes my centre so amazing, is that the team genuinely get along! The staff are all long term, those that are new to us, were generally students who thrived and excelled in our environment.
Because the team get along so well, we can freely discuss our failures and successes, our ideas for improvements and celebrate the concepts and initiatives the staff show every day! Our families are so diverse! I love looking around and seeing a sea of colour in our classroom – with everyone just getting along. The inclusive culture extends to diversity of culture, language and ability. I couldn't think of a better social environment for children to become immersed in!
C4K: What are some of the advantages of working in the child care sector?
CB: Getting those hugs! Seriously, they are great, as is being asked to join in play, or seeing yourself emulated as the children play 'school' or 'teachers'. I love that we have the ability to make a huge difference in families confidence, as they grow and learn their parenting roles. I cherish the opportunities that arise from the bonds we have with children and their families. I work hard to ensure that if we have any concerns for a child's development, that we work with the families, inclusion support and outside agencies to get the earliest intervention possible and give these children the best possible opportunities for a bright future.
C4K: What are some of the biggest challenges facing the child care sector?
CB: The biggest challenges for me are recognising my own biases and confronting them. I'm a naturally arty-crafty person who avoids sports like the plague. But that doesn't swing when I have sports mad families or children who thrive on active play. Felicia gets all her kids to cheer me on when we start a game of soccer! It's a real boost!
On a more substantial note though, I think the challenge to be seen as not only a valuable resource for our future generations, but also an undeniably rich and complex part of our current societies needs is one major challenge all people in the child care sector face. That's why I joined the Union, their Big Steps campaign works towards getting us better recognised with higher financial rewards, preferably subsidised through the government's education budget and not putting stress on families or centres to cover the costs.
C4K: How has your centre changed to deal with these challenges?
CB: It's less about the centre and more about the culture developed within the staff. Once we were all on the same page, we were able to push our boundaries and begin making real opportunities for the families to feel valued and part of our community. We've held two big events this year, Harmony Night Celebrations and a Tasmanian Devil Awareness and Fundraiser. Both of these were hugely successful – more so than our regular End of Year Party! We are really looking forward to this year's party and seeing the true joy and connections celebrated by all!
C4K: How does the industry need to change to adapt to these challenges?
CB: Look, as an industry we are on the right track. The push towards all staff being educated, to offering training opportunities for all, to making the universal language and reflective practice a routine – it all really helps. It's a push that some individuals and some centres needed to get to the next level.
C4K: What advice would you offer someone thinking about a career or looking for a promotion in child care?
CB: Work to your strengths, balance your loads of work and play, recognise the age groups you love and why, be confident that the love you have to give will reap the benefits of the children's learning, feel free to be silly, sad or strong – sharing your emotions helps everyone realise that feeling is healthy and beneficial and there are processes to cope and deal with them. Look for opportunities to streamline your routines and put energy into your planning, that way your days will be spent far more productively and with heaps more time to interact, scaffold and extend on the children's interests, strengths and needs.
C4K: Final words?
CB: There are people who have put their thoughts into words far better than I ever could! I would encourage people to read child care blogs from around the world, use the internet as a broad tool for increasing knowledge, sourcing ideas, finding resources and connecting with other professionals. Don't be afraid to ask – businesses have all sorts of stuff they throw away, perfect for the creativity and curiosity of the young ones in our care!
If you or someone you know deserves to be featured in this section drop us a line at editor@careforkids.com.au.Each child care person we profile will receive a selection of DVD's for their service courtesy of Roadshow Entertainment.
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