FDCA announces Regional Educator Award winners

Freya Lucas

Jul 21, 2022

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Regional winners in the annual Family Day Care Australia (FDCA) Excellence in Family Day Care Awards have been announced, marking the first step on the road to the announcement of the national awards on 17 September 2022.

The FDCA Awards recognise the work done by educators, coordinators and services in the family day care (FDC) sector to deliver high-quality early childhood education and care to children across Australia, and are the only national awards dedicated entirely to the FDC sector.

FDCA Chief Executive Officer Andrew Paterson spoke to the incredible achievements of this year’s Award recipients.

“Our educators are the lifeblood of our sector,” said Mr Paterson. “Their dedication to children and families and their unique and nurturing approach to early years education is the reason why so many families choose FDC.”

Families, services and educators are invited each year to tell FDCA, in their own words, what makes their educator, coordinator or approved service such an integral and special contributor to their lives and to the lives of the children in their care.

There are four Award Categories, namely:

Educator of the Year
Coordinator of the Year
Services of the Year
Star Awards.

Regional winners (educators only), Star Award winners and national finalists in each category are selected by an official FDCA selection committee. The FDCA selection committee is made up of the following representatives, who each have extensive experience in the FDC sector.

Sarah Fowler - FDCA Board Director and Board Chair
Phillipa Hargrave - FDCA Board Director
Rosie Pupo - FDCA Board Director
Georgina Zadelj - FDCA Board Director
Cathy Bavage - FDCA Board Director.

The Regional Winners are as follows:

Australian Capital Territory

Ayesha Durrani - North Canberra, Communities@Work Family Day Care and In-Home CareLeah Uttley - South Canberra, Communities@Work Family Day Care and In-Home Care

‍New South Wales

Ilana Butnaru - CBD, Inner West and Eastern Suburbs, Family Day Care Sydney WideShoko Wark - North Shore and Northern Beaches, Artarmon Family Day CareAfroza Yasmin - North West and Hills District , Baulkham Hills Family Day CareSreevidya Yadatisastrula - Parramatta and Western Suburbs, Twinkle Family DaycareEmma Turnbull - Richmond and Hawkesbury, Collective Family Day CareKristina Lepedjian - Ryde and Macquarie Park, Christian Community Aid Family Day CareJacqueline Singh - South West and M5 Corridor, Camden Family Day CareMagda Sanchez - Southern Suburbs and Sutherland Shire, Sutherland Shire Council Family Day CareMahananda Jamble - Albury Wodonga and Murray, Greater Hume Children ServicesKylie Hazell - Blue Mountains and Central West, Bathurst Family Day CareHannah Smith - Coffs Harbour and North Coast, Mid Coast Family Day CareVanessa Edwards - Dubbo and Central, Cabonne Family Day CareJo-Anne Warhurst - Far West and Central North, Far West Family Day Care ServicesRenuka Raj - Gosford and Central Coast, Coastwide Family Day CareMaddison Lord - Goulburn and Southern Tablelands, Goulburn Family Day CareLinda Fraser - Newcastle, Maitland and Hunter, Coastwide Family Day CareKaylene Milligan - Port Macquarie and Mid North Coast, Mid Coast Family Day CareKaren Grieve - Tamworth and North West, Tamworth Family Day CareAnna Johansen - Tumut, Southern Highlands and Snowy, Wingecarribee Family Day CareAngela Coffey - Wagga Wagga and Riverina, Intereach Family Day CareLinda Tandy - Wollongong, Illawarra and South Coast, Early Years Care

Northern Territory

Cecile Miel - Darwin, Kentish Family Day CareEmily Lawler - Alice Springs, Alice Springs Family Day Care‍‍Queensland

Renae Green - Brisbane North/Sunshine Coast, Empowered Family Day Care ServiceYilin Liu - Brisbane South, My Place Family Day CareSarah McIver - Brisbane West/Ipswich/Boonah, Choices Family Day CareFelica Burridge - Cairns and Far North, North Qld Family Day CareLisemay Townsend-Lalloo - Logan/Redlands/Gold Coast, Excellence In Care Family Day CareAnna Wertmuller - Mount Isa/Western Qld, Holistic Approach Family Day CareRebecca Dwyer - Rockhampton/Central Qld, Enhance Family Day Care - CapricorniaKylie Brown - Toowoomba/Darling Downs/Somerset/Lockyer, Excellence In Care Family Day CareAlysha McNeill - Townsville/Northern Qld, Enhance Family Day Care - Townsville and RegionsBelinda Crosbie - Wide Bay/Hervey Bay/Maryborough, Enhance Family Day Care - Capricornia

‍South Australia

Amber Connolly - Adelaide, Southern Districts Family Day Care SchemeMerrilyn Hannaford - Adelaide Hills and Barossa , Hills Murraylands Family Day Care SchemeHelen Preston - Mt Gambier and Limestone Coast, South East Riverland Family Day Care SchemeAlison Cook - Riverland and Murray Mallee, Hills Murraylands Family Day Care SchemeTara Utting - Whyalla and Eyre Peninsula, Eastern Eyre Family Day Care SchemeMaxine Voigt - Yorke Peninsula and Clare Valley, Country Central Family Day Care Scheme‍‍Tasmania

Trudy Chilcott - Devonport and North West, Adventure Patch Family Day Care NorthSue Higgs - Hobart and South, Adventure Patch Family Day CareSvitlana Brasher - Launceston and North, Northern Children's Network Family Day Care & In Home Care

‍‍Victoria

Zenaida Ternola - Bayside and South Eastern Suburbs, Wyndham Early Learning Family Day CareMahnoosh Khayamim - Eastern Suburbs, Shining Stars Family Day Care ServicesNuzhat Nadeem - Northern Suburbs, Unicorn Family DaycareKatherine Truong - Western Suburbs, Lil' Angels Family Day CareNatasha Blackwell - Bairnsdale and Gippsland, Windermere Family Day CareJanina Sharer - Ballarat and Central Highlands, Golden Plains Family Day CareDebra Towerton - Bendigo, Goldfields and Macedon Ranges, Bendigo Family Day CareJacqui Sestito - Geelong and Great Ocean Road, City of Greater Geelong Family Day Care ServiceJacqueline Wallace - Horsham and Grampians, Inspired Family Day CareKelly Martin - Mildura and Murray, Intereach Family Day CareKaren Eldred - Shepparton and Goulburn Valley, Holistic Approach Family Day CareMegan Dunks - Traralgon and La Trobe Valley, Baw Baw Shire Family Day CareJulie Parker - Yarra Valley and High Country, Foundations Family Day Care

Western Australia

Rebecca Beattie - CBD, Inner and Western Suburbs, Nature Alliance Family Day CareNicole Dreja - Eastern Suburbs, Nature Alliance Family Day CareRoselyn Lawrence-Williams - Fremantle and Southern Suburbs, Connections Family Day CareAlpa Shah - Northern Suburbs and Joondalup, Nectar Family Day Care ServiceEmma Fox - Rockingham and Kwinana, Elite Family Day CareElspeth Smith - Albany and Great Southern, Willi Wag Tails Family Day Care ServicesElizabeth Stanger - Broome and Kimberley, Nature Alliance Family Day CareCassandra Dennison - Bunbury and South West, Nature Alliance Family Day CareSri Morgan - Geraldton, Gascoyne and Midwest, Elite Family Day CareJennifer Kroeger - Kalgoorie, Goldfields and Esperance, Nature Alliance Family Day CareStacey Ann Gallagher - Mandurah and Peel, Bright Futures Family Day CareTanya Lee Phillips - Northam and Wheatbelt, Willi Wag Tails Family Day Care Services‍Four National Educator Finalists will be announced on 9 August 2022. The National Finalists will then attend the 2022 Excellence in FDCA presentation on Saturday 17 September 2022, to be held at the FDCA 2022 National Conference Gala Dinner in Hobart, where one National Educator of the Year will be named.

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