Child care professionals share a commitment to improving society by creating dynamic and nurturing care environments for Australia's youngest learners.
Read this month's Child Care Person in the spotlight Winner of the 2008-09 Fisher Price Child Care Worker of the Year from Oakville Preschool Learning Centre NSW.
Catherine Pace
Winner of the 2008-09 Fisher Price Child Care Worker of the Year from Oakville Preschool Learning Centre NSW
This month we are proud and delighted to profile winner of the 2008-09 Fisher and Price Child Care Worker of the Year Miss Catherine Pace from the Oakville Preschool Learning Centre.
My full name is Catherine Pace and I am known to the children as Miss Catherine. I am 21 years old.
C4K: Where do you work?
CP: I work at Oakville Preschool Learning Centre located in Oakville NSW. I work along side seven other staff members. Our centre is run as two rooms the two-three year room and the four-five pre-school room and I am the room leader in the two-three year room.
Even though we predominantly work in separate rooms our service has a 'one' centre approach to all we do and that means helping out where ever needed; brain storming together and relying on everyone's talents to provide a program of experiences that is varied and exciting.
We are a 44 place centre and are lucky enough to have more teaching and support staff than needed. As an average our child/teacher ratio is around one teacher to six children.
C4K: What is your professional background and career experience?
CP: After completing Year 12, I went to college to gain my Diploma in Children's Services. During my training I was fortunate enough to participate in work placement in different child care centres throughout the inner west, one being Oakville Preschool.
Over this time I gained an understanding that teaching children was more than just learning the ABCs or singing songs. Being a teacher is several different roles in one. It's being a comforter, an ally, a doctor or nurse, a counsellor, a speech pathologist, a friend and most importantly a warm lap. I gained the knowledge of how special working in child care can be and how as an individual I really could have a positive impact on someone's life. WOW intense.
In between my study I did a lot of voluntary work in child care centers and before and after school care to gain extra experience and knowledge. Having the opportunity to study and learn in combination with hands on experience encouraged me to work harder in my course.
On finishing my course I earned the Dux Award for Children's Services and the Excellence Award for Work Placement.
I am currently in my third year of working at Oakville Preschool Learning Centre. Going to work is always a pleasure as I truly love working in the pre-school environment.
C4K: What attracted you to a career in child care?
CP: I always wanted to work in child care; not for the money but for the opportunity to work with children. It is such a rewarding profession. Children are spontaneous and each day is unique and rewarding as you can never predict what the day may hold.
C4K: What does a 'normal' day look like for you?
CP: A normal day at work for me starts at 10:30 am, greeting the children as they have morning tea. I conduct group times (reading stories, playing games, singing songs, dancing etc), fill in communication and day books, do craft activities, programming, assist children with lunch and toileting, put children to sleep, clean, monitor children at play, develop children's portfolios, assist other staff, take enquiries, feed and take care of the animals which form our Humane Education Program, work in the garden, close down the centre at the end of the day and so on.
While we follow a set routine each day is very different. Children's needs and interests dictate what within the normal routine may be shortened or lengthened or indeed just changed. Flexibility is important and being able to adjust to the day-to-day needs of children and families is essential if we are to provide exceptional care.
Every day holds joy, laughter, tears, happiness and fun for the children. Being able to work in such an environment encourages me to be the best teacher and role model I can be for the growing generation.
C4K: What makes your centre unique?
CP: Oakville Preschool Learning Centre is run as a two room centre and each room has set routines with programs written weekly which are based on the children's needs, interests and strengths. The programs are generated by the children through spontaneous play and staff observations.
The most unique aspect of our centre is the Humane Education Program, which involves the children in caring for a variety of animals which are kept and bred at the pre-school.
We were prompted to incorporate the program after reports from parents and local community members that bullying was a serious issue affecting some families in our community.
The Humane Education Program was designed to encourage empathy in the children attending Oakville Preschool Learning Centre, including qualities such as kindness, compassion and understanding, motivation to learn and confidence about themselves as learners.
In the program the children and their parents observe and handle newborn animals. They may also witness the birthing process. Staff members answer questions and supervise the handling of the newborn animals.
The children gain practice and experience in caring for the animals and the animals provide non-threatening reassurance and non-judgmental acceptance. On a daily basis the animals also provide a sense of calmness, reduce anxiety and promote a feeling of being needed.
This program is so highly regarded in our community that in 2007 Oakville Preschool Learning Centre was awarded the Hawkesbury Excellence in Business - Environmental Award along with the Telstra Gold Award for Most Outstanding Business and in 2008 we were named State Child Care Centre of the Year.
Our program consist of Maude the much loved pre-school cow, our ewes Sheera, Fairy and Floss (named by the children) and our ram Cutlet. In the past few years Sheera has given birth to twins which the pre-school children watched. We also bottle feed goats and hatch chickens and ducks. The children assist in caring for the animals which gives them a feeling of importance and an understanding of nature and nurture.
Our centre has an award winning outdoor area set with different fixed and movable structures to stimulate the children's learning and imagination. We have a bike track, climbing structure, trampoline, sandpit, slide, cubby house, gazebo and market garden. We have soft fall and natural grass. Within this setting we run an outdoor program which helps stimulate the children's development in all areas.
Included in our outdoor area is a hydroponic garden which gives children the opportunity to get dirty while helping plant fruit, vegetables, flowers and herbs. The children are responsible for watering, weeding, planting and harvesting the crop. This encourages care and responsibility along with promoting team work and self esteem as the children can see first hand the results of their efforts
The children also take home some of the produce which they share proudly with their families. The children love this experience as it is hands-on and rewarding.
Parent involvement is encouraged at the centre and parents participate in programs such as multi-culture where they provide a variety of foods from their home land or another culture which is shared with the children.
Throughout the year we also have visits from magicians, police, fire brigade, reptile handlers etc and performances from cultural groups such as Spanish dancers.
We also hold different events which bring the community and families together for example fathers day breakfast, mothers day afternoon tea, bush dances and our end of year concert.
C4K: What are some of the advantages of working in the child care sector?
CP: There many advantages to working in child care. Every child is unique in their own way, and this is what makes every day special and rewarding. The children always make me laugh and smile with what they say and do.
A particular advantage for me is being able to watch and be a part of their growth and development. It begins at the start of the year when they are hesitant to come to pre-school, and day-by-day you see that change. Children start learning the routine, friendships develop, a positive bond between teacher and child forms and learning in all developmental areas takes off in leaps and bounds.
I continue to see them grow until they go to primary school. It's when the children come back in about a year's time to visit that I think 'WOW" look how they have grown.
It is hard to say all the advantages of working in child care as every day is new, challenging and highly rewarding.
C4K: What are some of the biggest challenges facing the child care sector?
CP: One of the biggest challenges facing the child care sector is the growing increase of large child care centres in all suburbs. It is almost like a competition in regards to who has the biggest and best centre.
The teaching curriculum is also changing to a more formative style of education and staff roles and responsibilities are ever increasing with the changes to regulations and accreditation.
There has also been a significant increase in the role of the child care worker over the past 10 years as we see learning experiences, typically learnt in the home falling into the responsibility of child care workers. Dental care, educating families about nutrition, safe food handling in the home, safe sleeping, health care etc are now our responsibility. In many ways we are educators of families not just children.
C4K: How has your centre changed to deal with these challenges?
CP: At Oakville Preschool Learning Centre we have addressed these changes and challenges by providing a hands-on learning environment. Our environment caters for the children's mental health as well as physical development. With this new and innovative approach to teaching we have seen an increase in learning outcomes in all areas including physical, intellectual and emotional.
Along with our environment we host adult education evenings based around these topics and any other areas families may be finding difficult. Our environment facilitates learning not only for our children but their families and our wider community also.
At Oakville Preschool Learning Centre staff work as a team to strive at making everyday fun and enjoyable and to meet all of the challenging changes in child care. Our Humane Education Program works incredibly well with teaching the children about empathy and qualities such as kindness, caring, compassion, understanding, motivation and confidence to learn.
The weekly interest area includes spending time outside and engaging in different activities with the animals. This enables the children to learn and grow using their senses, nature and nurture. It also brings the children along with their families closer to nature as they have the opportunity to feed the animals, witness the birthing process, name and care for the animals.
As part of our daily routine we also teach the children about different environmental practices. At lunch and morning tea times the children become familiar with placing their food scrapes into the green bucket which is known as Maude's bucket (our cow).
Every afternoon the children feed the animals their scraps. We also have recycling bins throughout the centre and we teach the children which products can be placed in the bins. The children know these scrap materials will then be turned into other useful things.
We have a worm farm which produces the fertiliser we use in our garden. The children love caring for (and playing with) the worms. The children are so familiar with engaging in these activities that they have become part of our daily routine.
C4K: How has your centre changed to deal with these challenges?
CP: Anybody thinking about or considering a position or promotion in the child care industry should give it a shot! Child care is one of the most spontaneous, imaginative, rewarding careers available. You just never know what is around the corner.
It won't take long to figure out if you love it or not as there is no in between. Sometimes it isn't about the money and about how much you earn but more about what makes you happy. A successful career is one where you put all you have into your job and the key to that is being happy in what you are doing!
And in what other job will you be told 100 times a day "I love you Miss Catherine."
To work with children, knowing they are the next generation is one of the best feelings I have as a teacher. Witnessing the children growing, learning, developing and most of all having fun is a reward in itself. Not to mention the growing bond you develop with the children and families. Everyday is a milestone of its own.
My only words of wisdom would be that we need to take the children back to when it was OK to get dirty, to dig in the garden, play with worms, use their own imagination using cardboard boxes for a cubby etc. There is too much emphasis on learning the computer or providing all the imaginary resources available instead of letting the children create.
Incorporating simple features such as a worm farm or small garden patch will have lasting benefits for children in any centre. From the fun of getting dirty, to the satisfaction of watching your plants grow, patience, co-operation and team work. They learn about caring for things and the consequences of their actions. They learn about nature and nutrition, maths, science, the circle of life and their environment. They use their imagination. Best of all it brings the whole centre together with the opportunity for families and the wider community to be involved.
At Oakville Preschool Learning Centre our animal breeding program, worm farm, learning garden and environmental teachings and fantastic motivated staff are the reason for our success.
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