A quarter of a century for Penny Smith with Cowra Early Childhood Services

Dedicated early childhood education and care (ECEC) professional Penny Smith ended the month of August by celebrating a special milestone – 25 years with Cowra Early Childhood Services (CECS). 

Mrs Smith has dedicated much of her working life to advocating for children and families in and around Cowra, a small town in the Central West region of New South Wales. 

In 1999 she took on the challenge of establishing a mobile early childhood service to serve the small rural communities surrounding Cowra, no small task, and one which began with her being handed a folder and told that she had funding to develop a service. 

From there, she passionately took up the challenge of starting from scratch, including finding a vehicle, suitable venues, sourcing furniture, and finding resources, equipment and staff to bring early learning directly to children and families. 

She researched the needs of each community, spoke to locals, checked out the regulations and within six months achieved the goal, operating her first session. 

She had the truck and her then co-workers Natalie Marek (Rush) and Ann Jones were on the road with her visiting seven communities each fortnight providing high quality care and education to the children of the district.

‘Truck school’ as it was affectionately known soon became the highlight of many children’s early years, and Mrs Smith had her desk established in the corner of Cowra Early Childhood’s office, with the truck in her driveway most nights. 

From those humble beginnings 25 years ago the mobile team has grown and expanded, and now have their own headquarters, an Exceeding rating, and long wait lists to access their services. 

“Reflecting on these past 25 years, it’s incredible to see how far we’ve come, from starting with just a folder to creating a thriving service that’s making a real difference in our communities,” she said. 

“But this journey has never been about one person—it’s been about the amazing team I’ve had the privilege to work with and the families and children we serve. I’m so grateful to be part of this incredible organisation and to continue this journey together.”

The entire CECS team joins with The Sector in congratulating Mrs Smith on this significant milestone, wishing her all the best for the remainder of her career.