Karrissa Corsaro enters second life as an ECEC professional after raising six children

Freya Lucas

Jun 02, 2021

Save

North Nowra’s Karrissa Corsaro left school in Year 10 and had her first child at 21, spending a number of years as a stay-at-home mum before completing an early childhood education and care (ECEC) qualification with TAFE NSW.

After raising her six children, Ms Corsaro began her Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care at TAFE NSW Nowra in 2020, and is now midway through her Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care and working as an educator at the same centre her own children attended, Shoalhaven Community Preschool.

“I always knew I wanted a career but when you’re 16 or 18, you’re just too young to really know,” Mrs Corsaro said.

“In the end it was being a stay-at-home mum that really drew me to my passion. To see how much they learn and grow in those early years made me want to help other children do the same.”

When asked about her favourite aspects of her role, Ms Corsaro said it’s “so gratifying” to “see those little brains tick and learn a new skill … it really is incredible.”

TAFE NSW Nowra early childhood teacher Eva Dillon-Smith lauded Mrs Corsaro for her passion and professionalism as an educator.

“Karrissa is just a phenomenal person and to work with children all day and then to come home and be a mum to six just shows that,” Ms Dillon-Smith said.

With ECEC in “desperate need” of more educators, she continued, studying a qualification in ECEC “is a great way to find almost guaranteed work.”

“It’s such a richly rewarding profession, and you’re able to make a real difference in a young child’s life.”To learn more about TAFE NSW, please see here.

Don’t miss a thing

Childcare centres may have clear rules for staff numbers, but there are loopholes to get around them

There is a growing number of “serious incidents” in Australian early childhood services, including day cares.

What Can Australia Learn from Ontario’s Child Care Ratios?

As workforce pressures continue to shape early childhood education and care (ECEC) policy discussions in Australia, international comparisons provide useful perspectives. Canada’s approach, particularly in Ontario, offers a case study in how educator-to-child ratios, maximum group sizes and qualification requirements can be legislated as an integrated framework.

Burnout in early childhood education: Why leadership support is the missing lever

Early childhood educators have one of the most important jobs in Australia. We trust them to keep our kids safe, to educate them in their most formative years, and to care for them when we can’t do it ourselves. And far too often, educators are doing it all on empty.

Workforce planning in ECEC: from compliance requirement to strategic advantage

With workforce pressures continuing across early childhood education and care (ECEC), a structured approach to workforce planning is emerging as a critical leadership tool, not simply an administrative exercise.

National Early Childhood Worker Register: commencing 27 February 2026

The introduction of the National Early Childhood Worker Register from the 27 February, has signalled a significant shift in workforce oversight across early childhood education and care (ECEC).