Bendigo Family Day Care has been recognised for providing outstanding support to educators, and for the wider impact they have on children, families and the local community.
The service, run by Bendigo Community Health Services, has been doing just that for 44 years.
“We are here to do what we can to meet individual needs and not just offer a ‘one size fits all’ method,” Tamarra says.
“We try to get to know each of the families and the educators in our service to ensure they both have a valuable experience.”
It’s not uncommon for the team to see a child come into the service from 12 weeks of age and stay with the same educator until they head to high school.
“What an amazing gift that is for us,” Tamarra says.
“(Fellow coordinator) Bec and I have gotten to know the families and the children in care on a first name basis and we are lucky enough to daily get calls from some educators with a child wanting to say ‘Hi to Bec and Tam’, which warms our heart.
“To help a family find suitable care and see and hear how well the educator has supported their family and become an extended family member is simply beautiful.”
Tamarra says this is where FDC is unique.
“It’s personal,” she says. “Each educator and family meld into each other’s lives and together ride the highs and lows of family life together, but just like a family, they work through it all together.”
Tamarra says the COVID lockdown years were a stark example of that.
“To see our educators fight through COVID as essential workers and increase the cleaning, health and immunisation requirements, and adhere to rule changes every day without even a second thought, just reminds us how wonderful our team of educators are and how they too only want the best for their families and to do what they can for their community.”
Any qualified Early Childhood Educator seeking to start their own home-based business with the support of an outstanding team should contact Tamarra and Bec via fdc@bchs.com.au
“Bendigo Family Day Care has had a waiting list of prospective families since February this year and we are so full that we don’t see that we can open our books for new families anytime soon,” Tamarra says.
“We are actively looking for educators to join our service. If you have a Certificate Three in Children’s Services or equivalent, Bec and I would love to hear from you as we cover all areas throughout the City of Greater Bendigo and the Loddon Shire.”
The National Service of the Year winner will be announced on November 23 at the Excellence in Family Day Care Awards Gala Dinner in Parramatta.
