Our teachers are all fully qualified and we maintain excellent staff:child ratios, ensuring children in our centre get the care and attention they need to thrive. Our low staff turn-over provides consistency for our preschoolers and is testament to the warm, welcoming environment we seek to nurture, not only for the children but those who work with them too.
Coming back to Albany Community Preschool was a real pleasure. I was so happy to see that the principals of community, parent involvement, affordability and child centred practice hadn’t changed in the 12 years I had been away. I have come back more experienced, with time spent studying for a post graduate diploma in Specialist Teaching to add to my Bachelor of Education, as well as leadership in other areas of Early Childhood education and teacher education. Its great being able to lead a team of passionate teachers in an environment that is free to meet the needs and aspirations of the children and parents in the community.
I began my career at Albany Preschool as a student as I was required to complete 16 hours a week for my studies, I did this as a volunteer. Lynne was my Associate teacher and from there my career grew. Once I gradated with my degree in Early Childhood education I was offered a full time position as a teacher. After a number of years it was my turn to be the associate teacher and guide the students. Recently the opportunity came up for Lynne to move into centre managers role and I was offered her position of head teacher and it felt like a natural progression. I am really enjoying the role and enjoying the challenges this brings. Albany Community Preschool is an amazing place to work and I feel fortunate to have started my career in such a great place with such an amazing team supporting me.
I became an early childhood teacher because I love working with children, they bring me so much joy. I love supporting and extending their interests and learning and I am committed to making a positive difference to the children during their time at preschool. My favourite things to do are gardening, cooking, sewing, dancing and playing dramatic games, whether it’s pirates sailing off on the high seas or mermaids having an underwater adventure. After working for us for 19 years, Janice retired in May 2023 and now works for us as a relief teacher.
I always wanted to work with children from an early age. The best part of my job is building relationships with the children and developing their sense of belonging and trust. I think we have an amazing environment for children to explore, build on social relationships and skills and learn with a huge variety of resources. I love that in this chaotic world, our fabulous outdoor area gives children the time and space to just be kids.
Being surrounded with children makes me feel young at heart and I love coming into preschool each day knowing the children are developing and learning in a loving, nurturing, safe, fun and healthy environment. I enjoy listening to the children’s imaginative stories and conversations and I feel like I learn just as much as them some days! The children are so lucky to have a beautiful natural environment to play in, pets to pat and real bikes to ride around on.
I love that Albany Community Preschool is a happy, positive, supportive environment for children as well as teachers and whānau, which makes it a pleasure to come to work. I really enjoy working with the children in our Globugs extension group, which is our readiness for school preparation programme. It’s a time to focus on and develop individual children’s skills, which is very rewarding as a teacher.
I have always wanted to be a teacher/ kaiako at Albany Community pre-school ever since my son attended here 19 years ago. I love the large open outdoor area which invites open-ended play and a chance to explore the natural environment and the inside space which offers such a variety of learning opportunities within a holistic learning environment.
I became an early childhood kaiako because I enjoy the companionship of learning and working alongside tamariki. I take great delight in seeing children extending their interests through active exploration and watching them grow into unique individuals. I whole heartily believe that all tamariki learn in their own way and in their own time.
As an educator, I strongly believe that building strong relationships and partnerships with my fellow kaiako, parents and whānau is crucial to tamariki’s overall development, growth and well-being.
I am a qualified teacher with a Bachelor of Education (ECE). First Aid level 2.
I have been working at ACP during my gap year at university, where I have completed three out of four years of a psychology degree. I enjoy every day spent in the centre, watching the children explore and learn about our world and how things work. Seeing their excitement and appreciation for everything, no matter how small, reminds me to do the same and be grateful for every day. Working here is full of positivity, encouragement and laughter, and each day I learn just as much from the children as they learn from all our teachers.
Apart from being surrounded by a great and passionate team of teachers, I too enjoy being around the children. It is also great to get to know the families as we feel privileged to be part of their children’s lives and learning. I love it when the children occasionally visit me in the office to share the news of their worlds - I do hear some interesting and entertaining stories.
