Emma Smith
Centre Manager - Mt Sheridan Early Learning Centre
“I want children to feel comfortable and be able to learn from exceptional role models as we are shaping the lives of the next generation.”
My career in early childhood education and care commenced in 2005 and I started working at Mount Sheridan Early Education Centre in Bentley Park in 2014. I hold an Advanced Diploma in Children’s Services and I have been working in early education since I was 17 years old.
I began working as an assistant in the pre-kindergarten room and then worked my way up to Lead Educator in the Nursery room and then Assistant Centre Manager which I absolutely loved. I then wanted to advance my career so applied for a Centre Manager role and was successful and have been in this role ever since.
What I have learnt during my years in early childhood education and care is patience and caring for someone else’s treasure and ensuring that have a fun and safe place to spend the day when they are in my care. I am very passionate when it comes to making children smile and have fun when they are away from their loved ones. I want them to feel comfortable and be able to learn from exceptional role models as we are shaping the lives of the next generation.
Children learn through play and we are qualified and passionate to bring fun educational experiences as well as life experiences to the children in our centre that they wouldn’t normally experience in a home environment. We are here to help mold their social and emotional wellbeing and support them on their growth and learning journey through early years providing them with the best tools to move to primary school with confidence.
Our Mount Sheridan Early Education Centre team are always up to date with the latest training on child protection and my child protection statement would be to ensure that each and every child in my care is provided a safe, secure, caring, fun environment for them to learn and grow in to the best person they can be. You can read more about our commitment to safety here.
We have long-serving, multicultural team members who reflect our local community. It’s the sort of centre where everyone knows all the children, no matter which room they are in. We are such a close-knit team it feels like one big family.
The best part of my job is the team – they are so committed and positive about their role as educators. The whole team sees their role as incredibly important, helping children establish the building blocks for a successful lifetime of learning.
We are here to support families every step of the way from greeting them and their child/ren at the front door, referring to them by name, asking lots of get to know you questions, showing them the great things we offer at our service, asking if they have any questions or concerns or fears about childcare.
We are here to support families with filling in paperwork, ensuring that their Child Care Subsidy is completed and confirmed etc. We make sure their first day is memorable and always do a check in in the first week or two and get any feedback that can help to improve our service when they first started as this helps us to build relationships and form bonds with the child and family so they feel safe and secure and reassured when they drop off their little one that we safe here to prove the best care to their family possible.
We provide a coffee station and take-home snacks for the families in the foyer if they are running late for work they can grab this on the way out. We have lots of fun family events during the year like babysitting nights, morning, and afternoon teas for special occasions throughout the year and parents are welcome on our centre excursions to join in the fun and learning as well.
A fun fact about me is that my children ride poddy calf’s in their spare time and compete in rodeos on the weekends.
Our Mount Sheridan Early Education Centre team cannot wait to meet your family and share this exciting journey with you.