By Alesha Capone
Early childhood educator Debbie Macleod says that her passion for working with youngsters remains as strong today as when she first started in the field 31 years ago.
Debbie has been named the Regional Educator Winner for the western suburbs in the annual Excellence in Family Day Care Awards, presented by Family Day Care Australia.
She is in the running to be named a national finalist in the awards, to be announced on December 7.
Debbie said it was a “wonderful feeling to be recognised for the role we play in young children’s lives”.
“As a high school student, helping out at my local kindergarten inspired me and this is where my passion to work with children began,” she said.
“As an educator you play an important role in a young child’s learning.
“To be there to nurture and encourage them to accept challenges which enable them to gain life skills is very rewarding.”
Debbie has been working for Wyndham Early Learning for six years.
“They are a fantastic service to be a part of,” she said.
Debbie said that at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when some children were not able to attend care, they missed their friends and social circle.
“We adapted by making videos of us reading or singing songs to send to our absent friends,” she said.
“We also involved technology and FaceTime so the children had a sense of connection.
“I was proud to watch the children adapt to the change in a world that they didn’t fully understand the why.”
