Bright Stars made in heaven

Caring for children can be the most rewarding - and sometimes life affirming - thing a person can do.

Couple that with getting paid and for some it’s an occupation made in heaven.

Bright Stars Family Day Care, a flexible, small group day care service that has been operating in the Mid West and Pilbara for more than 33 years, offers all this and more.

The service - owned and operated by the City of Greater Geraldton on a not for profit basis for the City - offers a vital service to the community and is actively seeking people who would like to become educators, working from their own home.

A maximum of seven children are cared for in a home environment, or in the case of remote areas, a dedicated venue.

Manager of Bright Stars, Karen McDowell, said becoming an educator with the service opens up a rewarding career path.

“Based on the early years’ learning framework, studies have shown that the first five years of a child’s life are vital years for brain development in children, and by choosing to become an educator the opportunity is there to invest in the future of children by providing quality care,” she said.

“Along with this the financial rewards and job stability is good; we have four long-term educators who have been part of the scheme for more than 20 of the 33 years the scheme has been in operation.”

Mrs McDowell, herself a long-term employee, said educators are provided with quality on-the-job training and must be prepared to qualify with a Diploma or Certificate III in child care.

“Ongoing training and support is provided for educators; and Bright Stars has been consistently awarded high accreditation since the quality control measure was introduced in 2002,” she said.

“Our educators don’t fit a box; we welcome all ages, cultures and all kinds of homes. The demand for our flexible service is always ongoing; it’s not designed solely for the nine to five workforce, we cater for people who work outside these hours and also on weekends.”

Mrs McDowell said Bright Stars Family Day Care welcomes people from rural and remote regions of the State who may be interested in becoming an educator.

“We have been building capacity in the North West and the scheme is useful in helping families when relocating. Prospective educators should also consider the portability of the business,” she said.

“This is pretty unique in that being a home based business if an educator relocates anywhere in the Mid West or Pilbara, they can take their business with them.

“The latest data from the ABS identifies family day care as one of the biggest home based business providers in Australia with more than 13,000 educators working from home around the country.”

If you are interested in becoming an educator, contact Karen McDowell on 9921 7155. The next training session will begin in mid-February. The session will cover a range of topics including assistance with setting up, licensing and operating a family day care service.

Pic caption: Geraldton educator, Kara Kamid, engages Jay Kamid, Austin Kamid (rear), Emma Cracknell and Kadance Kamid in an interactive storybook reading.