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The nominators’ competition has now been judged and the winners are:
1st Prize, Natalie Wooldridge of Rouse Hill, NSW
Natalie said the rest of Australia needs to know that “Child care service providers really are the backbone to supporting families . Without the dedication of these tireless workers our society would crumble. These carers need to be acknowledged for the wonderful service they offer.”
2nd Prize, Donna Field of Gordon Park, QLD
Donna wrote: “Childcare is a necessary and under-valued part of our society. It enables families to survive the difficult work-family balance and great childcare centres, not just enable families to survive that balance, but to thrive in it. The carers and teachers who run this truly valuable sector are caring and nurturing our future and deserve more recognition than they get.”
On Friday 1st May a gala celebration was held in Sydney to announce the National Winners in the 2008-09 Australian Family Fisher-Price Child Care Awards.
The winners are:
Child Care Worker of the Year
Amanda Mahomed, Tildi Montessori Early Learning Centre, Foster, Victoria
Amanda's passion is that children are treated as individuals with individual programs and with their individual needs met. So important is this to Amanda, that she left her primary teaching career to work in family day care where she could make it happen. Based in Foster in rural Victoria, Amanda feels strongly that rural children should not miss out and that they should have the same educational opportunities as children in metropolitan areas. To her, childhood is about special moments and focusing on "the whole child". Amanda operates her child care service through East Gippsland Family Day Care Scheme. |
Amanda Mahomed (right) with Rachel Lewis Fisher-Price |
Child Care Director/Scheme Coordinator of the Year
Barbara Wood, Leederville Early Childhood Centre, Leederville, WA
Barbara has worked in the child care industry for over 46 years and over that time has developed a vision of early childhood. Her vision is about parents enjoying their children so that children enjoy their childhood. At the foundation of this vision is that if parents love their children then children will enjoy their childhood. So, in tandem with running outstanding child care at Leederville Early Childhood Centre, where the children are all nurtured, Barbara runs parent training programs with a view to nurturing parents. Barbara highly values her team and sees interrelationships between parents, children and child care staff as a whole. |
Barbara Wood (right) with Michelle Hunder Australian Scholarships Group |
Children’s Service of the Year
Hospital Hill Occasional Care and Preschool, Wollongong, NSW
Hospital Hill is “a bit of a melting pot” as they were so aptly described on the nomination form sent in by a parent. This community owned and operated service embraces families from a range of diverse cultural backgrounds. Many of these families are new to Australia, and the staff at Hospital Hill supports their integration in what is very much a two-way street – it’s more like ‘bi-cultural orientation’. An exchange of cultures occurs as child care staff learn as much about each family’s culture as they teach about the Australian way of life. Hospital Hill is impressive in that, even in an occasional care environment where children do not attend on set days for set times, staff still manage to operate an emergent curriculum program; and it is clear that they manage to provide children continuity in projects and programs. Teamwork and flexibility is everything in an occasional care environment, and the staff support one another to ensure ongoing quality of care for children and families. |
Debbie Sharman (left) Tamara Gardner (right) of Hospital Hill Occasional Care with Ratna Selvaratnam Schering-Plough |
Rising Star
Jessica Langford, Jesscot Montessori Preschool, Magill, SA
Twenty-one year old Jessica has been interested in child care as a career since she was 14 when she met a young baby whom she said “changed her life”. As a trained Montessori teacher, Jessica is a dedicated and caring professional who appears to live and breathe a love of children and child care. Jessica is a teacher at Jesscot Montessori Preschool – the preschool her own mother Barbara set up for Jessica when Jessica was a young child. In Barbara’s words, “Jessica has a passionate belief in the importance of the early years in influencing a child’s future. She therefore does not believe in a separation of care and education. She innately understands that every word, every gesture, every moment of trust that a child places in her, carries a potential of influence over that child.”
Jessica is a shining example of the enthusiasm and inspiration that a young person can bring to child care and to individual children’s lives. She is a fine model to all young people entering the child care industry in Australia. |
Jessica Langford (right) with Margaret Young President Early Childhood Australia |
We are thrilled to announce the State Winners in the 2008-09 Australian Family
Fisher-Price Child Care Awards:
Fisher-Price Child Care Worker of the Year
VIC/TAS: Amanda Richter, Tildi Montessori Learning Centre, Foster, Victoria
NSW/ACT: Catherine Pace, Oakville Preschool Learning Centre, Oakville, New South Wales
WA: Cheryl Pearse, Eastern Region Family Day Care, Perth, Western Australia
QLD: Karen Monro, Mt Warren Park Special Educaton Developmental Unit, Brisbane, Queensland
NT/SA: Caterina Venturin, Nightcliff Family Centre Inc, Darwin, Nortnern Territory |
State Winners, Child Care Worker of
the Year |
ASG Child Care Director / Scheme Coordinator of the Year
VIC/TAS: Shelly Dowsett, Centre Director, Pelican Childcare University Hill, Bundoora, Victoria
NSW/ACT: Lorna King, Centre Director, Norwest Childcare Centre, Baulkham Hills, New South Wales
WA: Barbara Wood, Centre Director, Leederville Early Chilhood Centre, Leederville, Western Australia
QLD: Barbara Twidale, Centre Director, Goondiwindi & District Family DCA Inc, Goondiwindi, Queensland
NT/SA: Penny Thompson, Centre Director Magill Campus & Community Children's Centre Inc, Magill, South Australia |
State Winners, Child Care Director
of the Year |
Demazin Children's Service of the Year
VIC/TAS, Ashwood Children's Centre, Ashwood, Victoria
NSW/ACT: Hospital Hill Occasional Care and Preschool, Wollongong, New South Wales
WA: International Early Learning Centre, Beaconsfield, Western Australia
QLD: Gulliver’s Mobile Kindergarten (Goondiwindi District Family Day Care),Goondiwindi, Queensland
NT/SA: Walkley Heights Child Care Centre, Walkley Heights, South Australia |
State Winners, Children's Service of
the Year |
Australian Family Rising Star Award
State winners are not selected in the Rising Star category. The national winner will be selected from amongst these seven finalists:
Kimberley Kerr, Gooddo Day Care Centre, QLD
Jessica Langford, Jescott Montessori Preschool, SA
Rebecca Westlake, Horizons Child Care Centre, WA
Rebecca Fergusson, Jenny Wren Childcare and Early Learning Centre, ACT
Lauren Scerri, Oakville Preschool Learning Centre, NSW
Laura Jacobs, Collegiate Early Learning, TAS
Amanda Lloyd, Airport West Child Care Co-operative, VIC |
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Congratulations to all 1,335 nominees! You will be receiving a certificate soon.
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