We asked Australia to say ‘thank you’ to educators, and they responded loud and clear

The Thank You Educators initiative is always a highlight of the Care for Kids calendar, with the team relishing the opportunity to learn more about Australia’s inspirational early childhood education and care (ECEC) workforce. 

2024 was no different – nominations from across the country flooded in, with parents, families and team mates sharing their stories of educators from Adelaide River in the Northern Territory all the way down to Huonville Tasmania, wanting to offer the chance for the people who make a difference in the lives of children to be recognised and celebrated. 

“What we have seen again is the parents of Australia showing how vitally important educators are! With close to 8000 educators nominated we are again blown away with the genuine want to express thanks to the early childhood educators of Australia. Thank you to all the parents, educators and service managers, who spent time nominating a deserving educator.” Ash Sachdev Care for Kids CEO said.

In 2024 there were an incredible number of nominations received, nearly 8,000, eclipsing the number of nominations from 2023 and highlighting just how deeply valued and respected the ECEC workforce is.

The Thank You Educators 2024 winners are: 

• Kayla M from One World Children’s Centre 
• Dylan N from Goodstart Early Learning Tuggerah 
• Hai Anh N from Park Ridge Early Learning Centre 
• Puja S from Edge Early Learning Port Adelaide 
• Jashanpreet K from Nido Early School Mount Hawthorn
• Mikayla H from Children First South Hobart

“I want to congratulate everyone who was nominated with a special shoutout to all our very worthy winners. You are all very deserving! I am personally looking forward to seeing over 10,000 educators nominated in 2025 and can’t wait to see this great campaign grow even more.” Mr Sachdev added. 

Childcare Virtual Open Day

To continue the momentum and enthusiasm from the campaign the Care for Kids team are excited to announce the 2024 Childcare Virtual Open Day – the preeminent childcare event for families. 

To be held nightly between October 20 and October 24, 2024, from 7:30PM (AEDT), the week-long series of workshops has been designed to give parents ‘everything they need to know and prepare for childcare.’ 

The workshops have been designed to empower families who are navigating the world of early learning, and are hosted by Soph and Jayde from the “Beyond the Bump” podcast. 

Specifically designed for time poor, and often sleep deprived families, the workshops will include tips and insights from early childhood experts on topics like sleep routines, attachment and resilience, immunity, and school readiness. 

Each session will include practical advice and evidence based strategies to help parents to make informed decisions about children’s development. 

A highlight of the workshop series will be a deep dive into early childhood education, showcasing the important role that early learning settings play in child development. 

Families will have a ‘front row seat’ to what happens in early learning settings presented by some of the most prominent names in the childcare sector such as KU Children’s Services, Goodstart Early Learning and Global Sky. 

Other highlights include a gutsy workshop by Bable, founders of Baby Food Bible, tips from Paediatric Nurse Penny on building immunity, and expert advice from Child Psychiatrist Dr. Kaylene Henderson on getting children ready for “BIG school!” 

The schedule for the workshops is as follows: 

• Sunday, October 20: Sleep & Routines with Gen Muir
• Monday, October 21: Attachment & Resilience with Emily Hanlon
• Tuesday, October 22: Building Immunity with Penny Blunden
• Wednesday, October 23: School Readiness with Dr. Kaylene Henderson
• Thursday, October 24: Early Learning 101 with a panel of early childhood education experts from leading childcare providers Goodstart, KU Children’s Services, and Global Sky Education

ECEC services across Australia have engaged their parent communities with this valuable resource. 

All registered attendees will be automatically entered into the draw to win $1,000 of childcare. 

To take advantage of these free expert led sessions, please register here, or share the registration link with families in your learning community. One registration provides an ‘all access’ pass to the entire workshop series.