Anglicare celebrates 45 years of Family Day Care service in the Goulburn region

Anglicare NSW South, NSW West and ACT are celebrating a significant milestone in 2022, having provided family day care (FDC) to the Goulburn region for 45 years. 

To mark the occasion, the provider is calling on more people to consider becoming educators with Director of Goulburn FDC, Katie Beelen-Smith, saying the need for the service grows year on year. 

“We receive enquiries about FDC vacancies on an almost daily basis,” Ms Beelen-Smith told local paper Goulburn Post. “We would love to have the capacity to fulfill this need within our local community, and we are continually looking to recruit educators to join us.” 

Goulburn FDC has been providing local families with a unique early childhood service option since its inception in 1977, caring for children from birth to 12 years of age. 

For Niki, a long-term educator with the service, the relationships she has forged with families over the years are the highlight of her role. 

“The personal connections you have with the children and their families is the best part about being an educator. There is the saying that it takes a village to raise a child, and FDC really helps create and form that village,” she told the paper.

Niki became an educator in 1994, at 22 years of age, the youngest educator the scheme had at that point. She recently celebrated a significant milestone when one of her longest cared for children prepared to transition away. 

Moneeque, who has been in Niki’s care for over a decade, recently moved on, and having such a long-term connection was something Niki found very rewarding. 

“It’s been a privilege to watch her grow, share her highlights and support her,” she said.

“I have a wonderful relationship with Moneeque’s parents and it almost became a co-parenting relationship, where we could share her milestones and highlights together, and work together to find solutions to support her as and when needed.”

Anglicare offers comprehensive support, home visits, mentorship and professional development, including covering the costs of first aid, CPR, and other training for people interested in becoming FDC educators.

For more information about Anglicare’s Family Day Care Services, or becoming an educator, contact Anglicare Goulburn on 02 4823 4000.

To access the original coverage of this story please see here.