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This week are delighted to introduce you to Centre Director Rhonda Mayo and Co-Owner Fahim Khondaker from the Calamvale Early Learning Centre in Brisbane.
The Calamvale Early Learning Centre currently has 19 staff and 115 children.
What is your professional background and career experience?
RM: I have a Bachelor of Education: ECS and 23 years in early childhood education covering Queensland education in school settings and early learning centres.
FK: I am a Chartered Accountant and work in the Corporate Finance and Advisory division of a multinational professional services firm. I am also the co-founder of EYLF Apps Pty Ltd.
What attracted you to a career in early childhood education and care?
RM: I left a nursing career to commence study in my degree, and along the way I found a true passion and desire to be a part of a child's life and their educational journey.
FK: The enthusiasm and positive attitude of early childhood educators in general never ceases to amaze me. As a father, it is quite rewarding to be involved in a business where we get to look after a parent or guardian's most prized possession for the day. We get to provide them with the peace of mind that their children are being well looked after and receiving a quality education while having lots of fun.
What does a 'normal' day look like for you?
RM: Busy…greeting all children, parents and staff, reading e-mails, working alongside staff, taking the time to talk to and listen to staff, dealing with any concerns that may arise, and carrying out other administrative responsibilities. Each day is new, exciting and challenging - I embrace each day as a learning experience, reflect, and learn.
What makes your centre unique?
RM: Our centre is family owned, our children and staff are from a diverse range of communities, our menu is totally Halal and we are community orientated. We support the Cancer Council (Qld), a small remote school in Pele and a number of small island schools off Vanuatu with donated educational resources for the teachers and children.
We have a significant wealth of knowledge and experience with a combined total of 168 years of experience in early childhood education and all our staff are valued members of our family. We do not advertise much, instead we rely on 'word of mouth' referrals for all enrollments.
FK: From a strategic perspective, we have focused on providing quality education and care. This means that we always invest in our staff, our facilities and our equipment. We ensure that we are up to date with the latest developments in the sector and are continually looking to improve the service we provide.
What are some of the advantages of working in the child care sector?
RM: It is always a pleasure to be a part of young children's lives, watching them develop, learn and discover the world around them. There is a quote that I believe captures what some teachers may feel: "Children are born with wings, teachers help them to fly."
FK: Child care plays a significant role in our economy and is something that most people need. This presents us with an opportunity to stand out if we can provide a quality service.
What are some of the biggest challenges facing the child care sector?
RM: Receiving wider recognition of our profession and acknowledgement as early childhood educators and the important role we play in children's development.
FK: The temporary teething issues adjusting to the regulatory changes have been fairly challenging for the sector. With an increased focus on qualifications, getting the balance right between qualifications, and acknowledging the value of experience and practical skills is something the sector needs to get right.
How has your centre changed to deal with these challenges?
RM: We focus on teamwork and encourage one another, in each room we have educators working together as a team.
FK: The regulatory changes are here to stay and are backed up by a lot of academic research, so we embraced the change and prepared ourselves as well as we could to meet the requirements.
We have also been fairly innovative in adopting technology to manage our reporting requirements which even led us to developing our own customised observation reporting software and starting our own software company in 2012.
How does the industry need to change to adapt to these challenges?
RM: We should continue to promote the new image of educators as professionals. This is a change that must start from within. Firstly, we should take pride in who we are and the work we do and then move on to educate the parents of our children so that the word may spread.
FK: Greater collaboration is required among educators across Australia. The NQF and EYLF are very broad in nature and can be interpreted in many ways; collaboration would ensure that the better and more effective practices are adopted by everyone.
The need for collaboration is evidenced in the increasing number of larger multi-centre corporations in Australia, but for those working in single centres or FDC, it is important to discuss matters with fellow educators both within their centre and in the wider industry.
This is where social media sites like Facebook and Pinterest are very good, there are a lot of active 'communities' on these sites that we always recommend our educators to use.
We took the concept of collaboration one step further with our reporting software. Our software allows educators to share their observations and reports with other educators across Australia, that way they can get instant feedback on their reports, share ideas and inspire each other.
What advice would you offer someone thinking about a career or looking for a promotion in child care?
RM: Before entering the profession, you should ask yourself whether you have the passion, and do you truly believe in what you want to do? Don't do it for the money, glory or fame - at times it is a thankless position. Two relevant quotes which sum it up beautifully are "I was important in the life of a child" and "No one should teach who is not in love with teaching."
We often worry about what a child will become tomorrow, yet we forget that he/she is someone important today. Be proud that you are someone in that child's life…today.
FK: No matter what anyone says, this sector is ultimately about the children so do right by them and everything else will fall into place.
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