The child care sector is characterised by people dedicated to creating exciting, nurturing and innovative learning environments for Australia's youngest learners.
Every month this section of our newsletter will profile some of Australia's most dynamic child care professionals.
If you or someone you know deserves to be featured in this section drop us a line to editor@careforkids.com.au
Interview with SDN Riverwood Manager
Nicole Tytherleigh
Nicole Tytherleigh
Manager of the SDN Riverwood Child and Family Learning Centre (NSW), Nicole Tytherleigh, believes public perceptions of early childhood education and early childhood educators need to change to ensure the child care sector can attract the brightest talent to perform this vital role in society.
How many staff and children are in the centre?
Team of 12 - including nine educators (seven full-time and two part-time), one cook, one administrator and myself.
How many children are in the centre?
Currently there are 46 children attending the centre per day:
- 20 children aged 3-5 years
- 16 children aged 2-3 years
- 10 children aged 0-2 years
I started my career while studying for my CCCS (Ass. Dip equivalent) at TAFE. Not long after my career in Early Childhood education began I started work with Canterbury City Council's Children's Services.
During this time I was fortunate to work with some remarkable educators and mentors, who helped shape my teaching skills as well as my personal philosophy and professional outlook.
I have worked in a variety of services including Long Day Care, Family Day Care and Occasional Care but predominantly in LDC as a classroom educator. I began working with SDN Children's Services just over a year ago and am more than happy I made the move. I enjoy working within a network of collegial professionals as part of an organisation committed to the provision of quality care and education.
What attracted you to a career in child care?
I must admit I was not originally interested, coming from a family of teachers I was determined not to become one too! Actually, if truth be told I wanted to become a pilot!
However, while I was at high school I took a holiday job in a local child care centre and before I knew it I was 'hooked'. Now I look at my profession as one that offers an interesting daily mix as well as long-term challenges.
What does a 'normal' day look like for you?
My day is often a juggling act, shifting between the many 'hats' I wear as the director of a child care service. I see my main role as that of visionary and leader of the group; this encompasses providing support and guidance for the educative team in curriculum construction, building and nurturing relationships and also fostering professional growth for all staff.
I support staff through regular and ongoing dialogue, through professional support sessions, through facilitating curriculum meetings, through writing documents in consultation with educators that celebrate the processes of learning and through facilitating opportunities for reflection. My daily interactions include liaison with parents and families and nurturing reciprocal and respectful relationships is a central element of my role.
Other important aspects of my job include community liaison, meeting with community stakeholders and other service professionals, meeting with individual educators, families and agency professionals on a regular basis, and then there's always all the paperwork that accompanies the position.
The role of Centre Manager is incredibly diverse and interesting, and I feel I'm doing something that is valuable and important.
What makes your centre unique?
We see our service as unique, and reflective of the entire community of learners (ie children, educators, families) and we capitalise on the wealth of knowledge and experience that each member brings to the table.
Together we create an emergent-style curriculum, one that recognises the strengths, interests and passions of the children. Currently we also receive Federal Government funding through the Child Care Links (CCL) initiative, which supports our work in strengthening relationships between service, families and community.
What are some of the advantages of working in the child care sector?
More and more research suggests that the first five years of life are the most crucial in terms of brain development. What an awesome responsibility we have then, as early childhood educators, to be engaged with children during such a crucial time. The job provides an interesting and varied work day as well as a high level of professional satisfaction.
What are some of the biggest challenges facing the child care sector?
There is a significant shortage of Early Childhood Teachers (ECTs) across the field. Perhaps the employment conditions of the school system (ie school holidays and higher pay) are just too great to complete with what centre-based teaching jobs are offering. More and more students studying early childhood education at University are choosing to work in schools.
There seems to be a perception that early childhood education isn't as important as school-age education, and in order to change this we need to raise the profile of our own profession. It is difficult to attract and retain skilled ECTs in child care centres with many services simply unable to do so and this can significantly impact on the quality of programs offered to children and families.
How has your centre changed to deal with these challenges?
We need to raise the profile of early childhood education. Just think, wouldn't it be great if the very best university candidates were attracted to a career in early childhood education. This isn't just about working conditions and pay; it's about changing public perceptions about early childhood education. We have an enormous challenge here and as a profession we need to rise to that challenge.
What advice would you offer someone thinking about a career in child care?
This is not just 'a job'. It is physically and emotionally demanding, but if you are looking for a challenging and rewarding career then this may be for you. We need to offer children the best early education experience and to do this successfully we need to attract energised, interested, driven people to this profession.
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