Learn more about Marisa
“Myself and the director of the centre I work in, we attend ACA conferences so we heard Jae speaking about The Fraser Foundation and a lot of our educators do their studies through TAFE, so they’re all part of the ACA and that’s how we got word about it,” Marisa says.
She says the application process was straight forward, lodging an application outlining why she was applying, then the board approved payment of a portion of her studies.
Marisa says her program is about $24,000 for the 12-month accelerated graduate diploma, something she’d struggle to pay for without some assistance, but she’s thrilled to have the support.
“It’d have been financially very stressful. It’s quite expensive. It’s tailored just for early childhood. I’m halfway through now and it’s been absolutely fantastic. A lot of it is knowledge-based that you already know, but it’s extending on that knowledge.
“I will be ECT-qualified, and it will provide me with an extensive knowledge as well within the sector, because it’s somewhere I want to stay. I’ve been in the sector for 16 years. In an educational leader role, I can use that to extend on other educator’s roles, their knowledge and give them guidance.”
“I started in high school when I was doing a Certificate III, then I came out of school and went straight into my early childhood journey. It’s been an interesting journey, it’s done a bit of a full circle – before it was all about the natural environment, then plastic, now we’re back to the naturalness of the environment and supporting children more, getting down on their level and just being involved, being a part of their journey, more than just supervising.
Marisa is ‘off the floor’ now, working with educators going to all rooms, assist with the children. I was in a nursery room for the last 10 years straight, I’ve now come out into more of a leadership role the educators and guiding them with the children’s development.
It’s the passion. If you have that passion, that drive, working with young children and wanting to be a part of their growth and development, I think go for it. You have to have that passion. I don’t know how to explain it. I’ve always been gravitated to children, from a young age, I just love being a part of seeing them develop and gain new knowledge. Being a part of their success, you’re there for the process, and that achievement at the end.
Children teach you many things. Patience! (laughs.) They teach you how to nurture and how to just be there for them. Slowing down and enjoying moments with them, that process. It’s not just ‘we’re going to go from here to here’ but enjoying that whole journey of helping them and teaching them new things and them learning, you’re seeing that progression and having that achievement. Going back to babies, you see them walking. So they’re pulling themselves up, then let’s take some steps, you’re there for it. You see that success in their eyes, it’s just like ‘I did it!’ you’ve been a part of that, it's something that’s really close to my heart.