Further your career in early childhood

Hi, my name is Kelli and I’m an early childhood teacher and co-director at Yeronga Park Kindergarten.

I absolutely adore coming to work to be with these kids, that I teach.

When they arrive in the morning, I get probably 22 hugs, everyday, and in the afternoon I get 22 hugs to say goodbye.

It’s an unreal age where they absolutely love their teachers, adore coming to kindergarten.

They shape the way the day goes, every day is different.

It’s exciting for us as educators because what they bring to the centre is where we can expand and do amazing things.

A lot of laughter, a lot of singing, a lot of nature play.

I think you have to be a very flexible, caring sort of person, to work in this role.

You do become very, very attached to them, and at the end of the year, I can’t stand it.

It’s a tear fest.

The memories they have of kindergarten are so special, that it makes me, just love what I do even more.

If you love being around kids, if you can think on your toes and you want to be energetic and enthusiastic all day.

That’s the job to do.

I’m Alexis. I was an early childhood educator and now I implement policies and programs to support Queensland’s early childhood workforce.

I love being able to run around in the playground with the children, and doing art and craft.

I love reading with the children.

It was work, but it wasn’t work.

To understand that every interaction that you have with the child is helping them learn something.

I just found it so rewarding.

That skills and experience lead me to be able to also work in universities and in RTO’s supervised pre-serviced teacher and diploma students on their pracs.

I’m currently the acting manager of a team in the Department of Education Queensland, so I come from playing with play dough, watching children grow and develop, writing transition statements and now I help inform policies and programs to support the early childhood workforce in Queensland.

Early childhood is a great career, it’s very transferable and very transportable.

Whether you want to move towns, move suburbs, move states, even internationally, you can take your career with you and you’ll always find opportunities somewhere.

It’s so rewarding watching children grow and develop and to bring the best out of them, so they can be life long learners.