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 Karmen Phillips from Blackwater Community Childcare Centre in rural Queensland.
Karmen Phillips - Blackwater Community Childcare Centre in rural Queensland
C4K: What is your full name?
KP: My name is Karmen Phillips and I am 34 years old.
C4K: Which centre do you work in? How many staff and children are in the centre?
KP: I am the Director of the C&K Blackwater Community Childcare Centre and we currently have 13 staff and 153 children.
C4K: What is your professional background and career experience?
KP: I have a Bachelor of Education majoring in Early Childhood Education. I have taught in Rockhampton and Blackwater. I have also worked for QR developing training material.
C4K: What attracted you to a career in child care?
KP: I wanted to be part of a team that offers the best opportunities and environment for children to learn.
C4K: What does a "normal" day look like for you?
KP: My mornings are usually pretty busy. I collect the mail on the way to work. When I arrive I take my daughter to her group, give big hugs and kisses and then it is straight to the office to see waiting parents and respond to any queries they may have.
As the director of a child care service you have to be multi-skilled. My day consists of dealing with managerial duties, as well as looking after staff and overseeing the effective implementation of our curriculum, Building waterfalls. In the afternoons I relieve the staff member that was on the early shift.
C4K: What makes your centre unique?
KP: As a C&K community based centre we use Australia's first collaborative early childhood curriculum framework, Building Waterfalls. C&K published this curriculum, which strongly emphasises the important role of family, children, educators and the learning environment. This curriculum is unique to C&K.
The physical environment of our centre is different to other centres because there are no hallways to connect rooms, so staff have to walk through one room to get to the next. This means that we are interacting with each other during the day and not working with the children in isolation from each other. This creates a more home-like feel to our centre.
C4K: What are some of the advantages of working in the child care sector?
KP: We build great lasting relationships with families and have the opportunity to witness the growth and development of children from when they are babies to five years of age.
C4K: What are some of the biggest challenges facing the child care sector?
KP: I still find that some people believe that child care centres are simply a baby sitting service. I believe it is important that the public understands that the staff who work here are all qualified professional people who work hard at their chosen career. Despite numerous research and studies, the importance of play is underestimated by many.
C4K: How has your centre changed to deal with these challenges?
KP: I let the families of the centre know what professional development workshops staff attend and how it will benefit their child. The introduction of Building Waterfalls has helped with explaining the importance of play to parents.
C4K: How does the industry need to change to adapt to these challenges?
KP: C&K has played a crucial role in advocating the importance of play. Building waterfalls has provided us with the opportunity to discuss and present to families how an idea from a child can build to a wonderful learning experience for many.
C4K: What advice would you offer someone thinking about a career or looking for a promotion in child care?
KP: Be passionate about what you believe in.
I think we all need to continue to advocate on behalf of what's best for children.
Research has shown this includes quality child care staff, low staff ratios (meaning more individualised attention for children), involvement of families, spacious outdoor environments and, of course, play based problem solving learning.
If you or someone you know deserves to be featured in this section drop us a line at editor@careforkids.com.au.Each child care person we profile will receive a copy of Play School Collection (3 DVD set) for their service.
Courtesy of ABC Kids and Roadshow Entertainment.
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