08/08/2026
This week marks 11 years of Family Day Care for me… and somehow around 20 years in early childhood education. 🥹
I started in childcare just before I turned 17. I definitely didn’t know then that all these years later I would still be doing what I love.
Before Family Day Care, I spent around 9 years at the same centre, with a couple of little breaks and maternity leave along the way.
When I look back at those years now, I don’t really think about the rooms I worked in, the activities I planned or the things I achieved.
I think about the people.
The educators I worked beside. The directors I worked under. The centre owners who gave me opportunities.
They were all completely different people — different personalities, different strengths and definitely different ways of doing things 😂 — but I learnt something from every single one of them.
Some built my confidence. Some challenged me. Some showed me different ways of looking at things. Some listened to my ideas and made me feel like they mattered.
And somehow, little pieces of all those people helped shape the educator I am today.
I’m actually lucky enough to still care for family connected to those very early years, which feels pretty special after all this time. 🤎
Then 11 years ago I took the massive leap into Family Day Care. Once again, I found myself surrounded by people who supported me, listened to me, encouraged my ideas and helped give me the confidence to create something that really felt like me.
And I’m still learning from people now.
So instead of putting together a reel of everything I’ve accomplished over the past 20 years, I think this milestone deserves to be about everyone who helped me get here.
To past and present educators, directors, mentors, fellow Family Day Care educators, every family who has trusted me with their children, and especially my own family who have lived and breathed Family Day Care right alongside me…
Thank you.
Because after nearly 20 years, I think the biggest thing this career has taught me is that it has never really been about doing it alone.
It’s about people, relationships and connection.
And I think that’s probably why I still love it so much. 🌻🤎
