Hi, my name is Mel. I am a Mum of 4 children earth side and 1 child with angel wings. I live in Tamworth but am originally from the Hunter Valley area. I have always had a desire to work with children whilst I was in high school, I was a babysitter for many families in the town. After high school I went to university to study nursing, completed this degree and worked casually at Maitland Hospital before relocating to Tamworth. At this time, my oldest was diagnosed with Leukaemia, living in hospital, and caring for my son for 17 months made me rethink my career. I took time off and had 2 more children.
I was offered a job as a teacher’s aid for the hearing impaired and worked in this role for 7 years, but I always had a desire to work with younger children. When my position was up for review, I was offered a casual position at a preschool. After just one day I found my calling. Whilst working as an Early Childhood Assistant I also became a swimming instructor and was often given the opportunity to teach special needs babies and children. It was an amazing privilege to teach children with little to no language and physical ailments learn a skill for life and I worked both roles for 5 years.
A position came up at Kootingal Preschool which I applied for, and I was successful in gaining a position as a classroom Educator. I have been here for 7 years now and love it! The service is beautiful and I love working with children and their families to help children achieve the very best they can, setting them up with life skills so that they have a wonderful foundation to grow and learn from. The staff are enthusiastic with what they teach and collaborating with fellow staff that are just as passionate about children as myself only brings out the best in all of us.
