THIRD time’s hopefully the charm for local childcare centre director Corrinne Cloake.
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She’s been nominated for Director of the Year in the Australian Family Early Learning Education and Care Awards for the third time.
“The nomination is anonymous,” she said.
“It’s probably come from a parent, which is a good indication we’ve been doing something right.”
The Denison Street Early Learning Centre director said building relationships with parents was key for the centre’s development.
“We try to have a meet and greet with all of the parents,” she said.
“We understand they probably have some concerns, especially new parents about leaving their children with someone they don’t know.”
Mrs Cloake has seen a great deal of change since she started at the centre in 2002.
“You didn’t need to be qualified to work in early childhood, now it’s Cert III as a minimum,” she said.
“It’s increased the benchmark and expectations of childcare, which gives parents peace of mind.”
Mrs Cloake said this acknowledged the key role of early learning in children’s development.
“There’s a lot of research showing children learn a lot more in those first five years,” she said.
Mrs Cloake said pay-parity for teaching graduates in early childhood with education counterparts was a challenge still facing the industry.
Finalists for the awards will be announced on April 26.