the Y
the Y
3,120 kilometres, 5 venues, and hundreds of Y Kinders staff! Y Kinders term two Professional Development Days wrapped up on the 22 May in Mildura.
Held across the state for all our kinder teams, they provide invaluable opportunities to connect, collaborate and learn from each other.
They’re all about building stronger teams, improving communication and creating supportive environments where everyone feels valued.
The Days took place in Ringwood, Bairnsdale, Korumburra, Maryborough and Mildura, with a core team of presenters and representatives from our head office delivering packed days of sessions. Topics covered ranged from Inclusive Practice, the benefits of two years of funded kindergarten and an overview of our exciting new Sandbox project.
Ben Leersen, Sunraysia Area Director commented, “At Y Kinders, we believe in the importance of development for all our staff, whether they are permanent or casual, long-time team members or have just recently joined us. Everyone is included, from those educating multiple groups to those who work a few shifts a month. Having the opportunity to learn and grow isn’t just for the children in our programs—it’s for our staff too!”
Maaike Johnston, Early Childhood Teacher, and member of our Sunraysia relief team, gained new insights into creating learning spaces and programs for children for whom English is an additional language.
“The session with fka Children’s Services really reinforced the importance of supporting home language for children and for them to see themselves represented in the environment. Also, to give children a ‘brain break’ from English is really important,” Maaike explained.
Y Kinders’ General Manager, Carly Middleton, was at all 5 days. “Our PD Days are held twice yearly and every time we always aim to build on the previous ones,” she said.
“We listen to the feedback from our teams and seek out presenters and topics aimed to support and develop our staff. We take pride in continuously improving and keeping abreast with current approaches, trends and developments in the sector. And it’s so rewarding to hear from our teams about how much they enjoy the days and the next steps they plan to take both personally and professionally after the sessions.”
We warmly thank all who took part, as we celebrate continuous learning and professional development for everyone at Y Kinders!
