Tina's Family Daycare

10/12/2025

12/11/2025

Highlight of my day, receiving little love notes 🥰😍

29/10/2025

Story time.......

Once upon a time, there was a bunch of family daycare educators who somehow found each other. What started as work connections quickly turned into something much more — a group of women who became BFF's.

Together we shared ideas, inspired one another, helped each other with programming, planned play sessions and excursions, and supported one another through every season — birthdays, births, weddings, divorces, losses, and all the little milestones in between.

Recently, one of our dear friends — someone I’ve known and admired for nearly 20 years — quietly reached 30 years in FDC. Thirty years! Yet sadly, she hadn’t been recognised for this incredible milestone. We couldn’t let that go unnoticed.

So, those that could make it, got together, this little bunch of Educators past and present, for luncheon to not only celebrate a birthday but to also surprise her. We presented her with a certificate, a gift and we raised a few fancy cocktails in her honour. It was simple but special — and filled with so much love and pride.

I just want to remind all the educators out there: celebrate your achievements, big or small. What might seem small to some could mean the world to someone else. We know how much heart, time, and care goes into this job — and sometimes, only another Family Daycare Educator truly understands that.

Here’s to us — the ones who nurture little hearts every day and lift each other up along the way. ❤️

12/10/2025

The other day, while I was cleaning and having a quiet moment to reflect, I was thinking about how often I hear and read that being a childcare educator can feel like a thankless job at times.

I looked around my room… and it hit me —
I am thanked every single day. 💛

I am valued.
I am respected.
Maybe not always by the world —
but most certainly and deeply by the children.
And that’s who matters.

I see it in the hand-drawn pictures that fill my walls.
In the little ones learning to write, proudly writing my name next to their own.
In the “I ❤️ U” notes, the drawings of our “daycare family,” and the pictures of us holding hands with a story to go with it.

When I see “feel better soon Tina,” I know they think of me even when they’re not here. 🥹

I hear it in their laughter,
feel it in their hugs,
and see it in the smiles that brighten every day.

The love in this room is all the proof I need —
what we do does matter. 🥰

10/07/2025

🏡Why I feel Family Day Care Feels Like Home — And Why That Matters So Much.

When a child needs care outside the home, what they need most is connection, consistency, and love. That’s what I’ve always believed — and it’s why I chose to become a Family Day Care educator many years ago. Not to just “mind children,” but to create a space where little people feel safe, seen, and truly cared for — every single day.

😞It breaks my heart to know that in many centre-based services, care has become more about numbers than about nurture. In centre settings, the way ratios are calculated is something most families don’t even know about — and it makes a big difference. Centres often work with what’s called an “under the roof” policy. That means the number of children in the whole building is divided against the number of educators in the building — even if those educators aren’t directly with the children all day.
⬇️Attached is a perfect visual of how it works.

😵‍💫This can lead to busy, overstimulating rooms with too many little voices and not enough adult connection. A child might have multiple carers in one day — someone to greet them in the morning, someone else at morning tea, a different face at sleep time… it can feel confusing and impersonal. And in all honesty, I personally don’t believe that’s what’s best for young children.

In Family Day Care, things are different. And that difference is everything.

🙋🏽‍♀️ One educator.
🍀 Four children under 5.
🙌🏼 Always.

🤗In my care, your child is never just one of many. They are known. Valued. Understood. We build real, meaningful relationships — the kind that grow stronger with time, trust, and shared memories. I know their favourite colour, the book they ask for every day, the way their mood changes when they’re tired or teething. I’m not just the person keeping them safe — I’m their everyday person, their comfort zone when they’re away from home.

🤷🏽‍♀️You, the parent, don’t have to wonder who’s looking after your child today. You don’t have to scan a report to know how their day went. You can just ask me — the same person who welcomed them that morning, helped them with their shoes, and check on them sleeping.

I do everything I can to make my FDC feel like a natural extension of home. Warm, calm, familiar. A place where children feel free to be themselves, while learning, growing, and building confidence in a gentle, supportive environment.

🩵🩷🧡💚💛💜
Family Day Care isn’t just about smaller numbers. It’s about bigger hearts.
It’s about connection, trust, and creating the kind of early childhood experience that children remember — the kind that helps them thrive.

If you’re exploring care options for your child, I encourage you to look beyond convenience or what’s most common. Ask yourself:
Who will really know and love my child each day?
Where will they feel safe, not just supervised?

Family Day Care might just be the answer you’ve been hoping for.
Because here, we’re not
“under the roof.”
We’re under one heart-led home — and that makes all the difference. 😉

923 likes, 53 comments. “a simple example of "under the roofline ratios" which are technically legal or a loop hole using the Across the Service regulation. ”

18/06/2025

WOW 🤩 Just being nominated makes me feel like a winner so here's my speech 👩‍🎤🎤 🫶 😉.........

I’m truly thankful and feel so blessed to be nominated for the 2025 Excellence in Family Day Care Educator of the Year Awards.
It’s such an honour to be recognised in a role that can be challenging but also incredibly rewarding — working with children, managing my own business, and supporting multiple families every day.
I’m proud of the respectful and caring environment I’ve created, and I absolutely love watching each child grow and learn.
To me, every child in my care is like a part of my extended family. I’m also lucky to have an amazing scheme supporting me, Rainbow Bridge Family Day Care, along with the most wonderful, supportive fellow family day care educators, both actively educating and retired, who are always there when I need them — they’ve become lifelong friends😘

11/06/2025

Today we wandered through the garden together, slowing down to notice the little things. Among the pineapple sage, we discovered beautiful red mushrooms—tiny treasures hidden beneath the leaves. This sparked a conversation about the ecosystem and how fungi play an important role in the web of life beneath our feet.

We talked about respecting nature—how not everything needs to be picked or touched. Sometimes, we just look, admire, and feel wonder. I shared my love for fungi with the children, helping them see that nature offers all kinds of beauty, not just flowers.

The children were curious, careful, and respectful. They asked questions and made observations, noticing bugs in the soil, new flowers, and textures in the leaves. These garden walks allow us to connect deeply with the world around us and develop appreciation for living things, big and small.

Observations:
🔹 Children showed curiosity and care while exploring the garden (2.4, 4.1)
🔹 They demonstrated respect for nature by observing without disturbing (2.1, 3.2)
🔹 Discussions about fungi supported scientific thinking and inquiry (4.2, 5.2)

Summary:
This simple garden wander became a beautiful moment of connection—to each other, to country, and to the tiny lives that surround us. Through shared wonder and careful observation, the children are building respect and love for the natural world.

(Links: EYLF – 2.1, 2.4, 3.2, 4.1, 4.2, 5.2 / P&P Sustainability, Learning through Play, Holistic Approaches, Responsiveness to Children / QA 1, 3, 5)