Corangamite Shire is seeking recruits to join its Family Day Care Educator team.
Council’s Family Day Care Coordinator Christine Dewhurst said Family Day Care Educators care for small groups of young children in their own homes, effectively running their own business.
“Our Educators choose their own income by nominating the days and hours they work,” Ms Dewhurst said.
“They have the support of our Family and Children’s Services team as well as the network of other local Educators.”
Ms Dewhurst said any person over 18 could apply to become a Family Day Care Educator, provided they were willing to undergo relevant Police and Working with Children checks. Educators also needed to be at least working towards their Certificate III in Children’s Services.
Ms Dewhurst said the Corangamite Shire Family Day Care philosophy is to provide a sense of belonging through a nurturing, home-like environment.
“We often get questions around how people need to prepare their homes to be able to care for children.
“Most homes are perfectly suitable for Family Day Care – the important thing is that they provide a safe and healthy environment for young children.”
Timboon-based Family Day Care Educator Karen Morriss said it is the relationships with families and the ability to be creative every day that she loves most about her role.
An Educator for almost 18 years, Karen now enjoys seeing many of her former young charges enter adulthood in her community.
“I’ve loved building close friendships with my families over the years, and that doesn’t end when the children are grown.
“When you see how much they’ve progressed in a year and to know I’ve had a bit of a part in that – I find that really exciting.
“When I can create something that makes the children happy and they’re learning at the same time, that’s just a win-win.”
