It has been such a privilege to be able to form such special bonds with the children in my care and to be able to watch them grow and develop over the years. The family day care environment allows me to be able to give each individual child the one-on-one time and attention they need which has helped foster some wonderful relationships. I have also loved watching the relationships between my own children and those who come for care develop and strengthen over the years as they have grown up together. The Bendigo FDC Team have been a great support and I have found that this has allowed me to be able to really focus on being an educator and enabled me to invest the time and energy required into the children in my care.
THERE’S MORE TO THE STORY: To hear from mum Melanie Brennan about Caitlyn’s care click here
What do you think have been positive experiences for the children whilst in family day care?
Family Day Care really is a home away from home for the children who attend. The strong relationships they have developed while being here both with myself as the educator and with other children have definitely been a wonderful outcome of the family day care experience. When children have been facing certain struggles or challenges, these relationships, along with the calmer environment have allowed for me to be able to work alongside families to closely support children through these times and I believe this support has helped children overcome and move through some of these challenges more quickly and smoothly than they may have been able to in another environment. We have a very flexible routine and program which allows the children to direct their own learning and follow their interests on any particular day. I have seen their creativity flourish and we have had some very rich conversations and experiences through spontaneous activities that the children have come up with themselves.
Making new friends is part of the Family Day Care experience. Caitlyn’s children Archie and Max have become good friends with Melanie Brennan’s children Mia and Indi.
What do you think have been positive experiences for your family whilst running a family day care business?
The opportunity for me to be able to remain at home with my own children while they are young whilst also being able to return to work and continue growing my skills as an early childhood educator has been greatly beneficial for our family. We have really felt that the relationships developed have also been between our whole family and the families who attend, not just between the children themselves which has been a lovely aspect of the experience. My children love having their friends come over to play so regularly and I have seen the positive impact it has had on them and their development in many ways.
What would you say to someone thinking about becoming a family day care early childhood educator with Bendigo Family Day Care?
If this is something you are thinking about then definitely give Bendigo FDC a call! They are such a positive, supportive and helpful team and will be more than happy to answer any questions you may have in order to help you make the right decision about whether this is the right fit for you. The idea of getting your house set up and everything organised can be a bit overwhelming initially however the Bendigo FDC coordination team made it such a clear and straightforward process for me and helped me realise it was nowhere near as daunting as I had originally thought. I was so glad I took that initial step of contacting them and I’m sure you will be too! Happy educating!
A huge thanks Caitlyn for sharing your thoughts and for being part of our Family Day Care team.
If you would like to learn more about becoming an educator or getting family day care please contact our Family Day Care team by email on or call 5406 1200.
Become a child care educator
RELATED INFORMATION
To lean more about our Family Day Care team click here
To meet more of our wonderful Childcare Educators click here
To see how our amazing BCHS Family Day Care team earned State Government recognition through the Achievement Program click here
Last updated: September 1, 2021
