Family day care educator earns national recognition after 15 years

CCA Family Day Care educator Tivana Sando has been named one of four national Educator of the Year finalists in the 2026 Excellence in Family Day Care Awards. The Sydney educator will represent the combined NSW/ACT region when the national winners are announced in Brisbane on 28 November.

Her selection follows a regional win for Sydney’s South West and M5 Corridor. CCA said Tivana has worked in family day care for more than 15 years, building longstanding relationships with local children and families.

In sharing the announcement, CCA said her service consistently has a waiting list of families seeking to enrol. It also reported that Family Day Care Australia CEO Andrew Paterson had personally congratulated her on becoming a national finalist.

Four educators progress to national final

Tivana joins Julie Conway from Queensland, Meenakshi Mahajan from South Australia and Crystal Way from Tasmania in the national educator final. Each represents a combined state and territory region in the awards.

The educator selection process considers examples of practice, including children’s learning and the relationships educators build with families and communities. Nominees are asked to describe their work and provide supporting material through the awards submission process.

This year’s awards attracted more than 4,200 nominations, with 12 national finalists selected across the educator, coordinator and service categories. The finalists will be recognised at the Excellence in Family Day Care Awards Gala Dinner, where the national winners will also be announced.

View the national finalists through Family Day Care Australia here.