By Renee Wood
Foundations Family Day Care is celebrating the success of one of its educators and coordinator in recent awards for the sector.
Healesville educator Julie Parker has won the Regional Educator Award and coordinator Kathi Hewitson has been awarded the Victorian/Tasmania Coordinators Award in the 2022 Family Day Care Australia (FDCA) Excellence in Family Day Care Awards.
Ms Hewitson is now a finalist for the national award, which will be revealed in September.
Both women were thrilled to be recognised for their service allowing children and families grow through Foundations.
Ms Hewitson said it’s a wonderful honour and it’s a credit to Julie and her other 10 educators.
“I wouldn’t be the coordinator I am without them. They constantly inspire me to be better and to do better, to find new innovative ways of doing things so that ultimately the kids are the ones who thrive even more,” Ms Hewitson said.
Julie Parker has been working in family day care for 16 years after first joining the council’s program offering the service.
This was cancelled after nine years and Julie has since been working with other family day care not for profits.
Now Julie is with Foundations Family Day Care which operates across Victoria and soon into South Australia.
Ms Parker said joining Foundations has given her the opportunity to improve and grow.
“When you’ve been doing a job for such a long time, you can get a bit set in your ways… and I do feel that I’ve taken a giant leap forward again with Foundations as far as giving you that that passion to keep learning more about the children and about the Early Childhood,” Ms Parker said.
Ms Hewitson has also been working in family day care for almost three decades and sees great benefits for everyone involved.
“Having been in that role myself, I knew what they needed,” she said.
“I then knew that they needed to be really, honestly authentically supported, that they need needed somebody who understood that they’re running their own small business, but they’re also being part of a service.”
Family day cares operate out of the educator’s home and revolves around direct care over small groups of children.
Ms Hewitson said the philosophies for the business are respecting nature, being out in the community, diversity, equity and inclusion.
“Small groups means the children have the attention of an individual educator, as well as that they can be in care from six weeks right through to 13. So they’ve got continuity of care the whole time,” Ms Hewitson said.
“There will be the one person, they don’t have shift changes, as often happens, again that helps with the children’s learning and development and makes them feel safe, it helps build community.”
Both women first started in Family Day Care when they had young families of their own and were able to care for their own children as well as others.
They said it’s a great career that allows you to get to know the children in your care and their families closely.
“The fact that we get to know our children, so well… I have families come through and knowing the whole family, helps me support each individual child because I know as I said the context within their family,” Ms Parker said.
Foundations is also currently seeing the demand rise across the board and only expects this to grow.
“The knowledge of family day care is very low – when people think childcare they think of centres. They don’t know that we’re under the same act and regulations and we can also get childcare subsidy for them,” Ms Hewitson said.
“We get all the benefits of long day care… but we get so much more because we are family day care”
Anyone interested in looking for a family day care or to become an educator, can get in touch with Kathi Hewitson on 0421 599 416 or visit the website for more information https://www.ffdc.com.au/
