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When Jess reflects on her journey to becoming a family day care educator, she describes it as both a return to her first love and the start of something brand new.
Originally, Jess dreamed of becoming a kindergarten (preschool) teacher, but life took her in a different direction. For two decades, she worked as a myotherapist before finding her way back to early childhood education.
After having her two children, it was their experience in family day care that reignited her passion. For Jess, the opportunity to provide that same nurturing environment was a natural step.
“The idea of being able to create an environment that gives children the opportunity to learn and grow and have their confidence built - but in a family environment where we’ve got the dog, the pet rabbit and my children here, and it’s safe and friendly - was just too good to pass up,” said Jess.
Completing her Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care, Jess began the process of finding a service in her area and setting up her environment.
Like many aspiring educators, Jess faced significant barriers to getting started. The initial setup cost included enclosing her yard with new fencing as well as changes and upgrades to existing fencing. Smaller safety requirements quickly added up too – items like oven knob locks, an oven screen, a dishwasher lock and locks for doors to unused areas of the house – with the total cost was into the thousands. These setup costs took away from being able to purchase resources and creating the kind of learning environment she had envisioned.
That is where the support from the Capability Trial made a real difference. Knowing those costs would be reimbursed meant Jess could focus on establishing a safe, high-quality environment without the financial strain.
“When the Capability Trial came along, I thought ‘perfect!’ It doesn’t matter the money that I’ve had to use to make the environment compliant. I can get that back and then use that to buy resources and materials and create the perfect learning environment,” Jess explained.
Today, Jess’s family day care is thriving. She provides education and care for children aged one to five, four days a week, along with school holiday care for school-aged children. In a small town on the Mornington Peninsula, where wait lists for education and care are long and options limited, the opening of Jess’s family day care has made an immediate impact on her local families.
For families with children under three in particular, where demand for quality, affordable education and care is high, yet places are scarce, having Jess’s service open has created opportunities that had previously been out of reach. Parents have shared that securing a place has created more opportunities for work and study.
“It can be very hard to get a child care place here,” Jess explained. "Most of the people I have spoken to in the community who are looking for care, can’t get a place. They are on really long wait lists for long day care and there’s not many other options.”
For some families, this is their first experience with formal care. The familiarity and trust Jess has built as a local community member and parent has eased what can be a stressful transition.
“Giving people that may not have ever wanted to put their children in care, but knowing they need the help, the confidence to be able to do that and knowing that it’s someone they know local to their community – it’s made a big impact.”
Building her programs around the children’s interests, set themes and the seasons, Jess creates a program tailored to each child’s individual developmental stage.
Recently the older children have been exploring spring including planting of flowers, making caterpillars from beads and pipe cleaners to support fine motor development and collecting chrysalises and waiting for them to hatch. The younger children have been immersed in spring-related sensory exploration and building early connections to nature.
For Jess, the rewards for being a family day care educator are personal and profound.
“I love the connection with the children. Being able to connect with all these little people and watch them grow and learn is just amazing. I love it!”
She finds joy in their milestones the most:
“The sparkle in their eye when they’re doing something when they say ‘I did it!’ - that is one of my favourite things to hear.”
Looking ahead, Jess feels confident in her future as a family day care educator. The Capability Trial has supported Jess to establish a safe, compliant space while building an environment rich in resources and learning opportunities.
If more opportunities like the Capability Trail were available or even considering family day care, her message to others is simple.
“You have to take the opportunity. To be able to work from home, be there for your children and be able to make a very good income is amazing.”
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