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In episode #4 of the FDCA Online Engagement Series, FDCA Advocacy and Engagement Manager, Michael Farrell will be joined by FDCA Sector Liaison Coordinator and 2021 National Coordinator of the Year, Lyndall Cotterill, 2022 National Educator of the Year, Hannah Smith and 2018 Educator of the Year National Finalist and multiple regional award winner Martha Smith to discuss a range of tips, hints and hacks for family day care educators.
This episode will be a must see for new and experienced educators alike.
FDCA members are invited to submit questions for the panel to answer during the live broadcast.
A live stream will be available on this page as well as FDCA's Facebook page and YouTube channel.
Please note, if you wish to submit a live question during the stream, you will need to log into your Facebook or YouTube account and submit your question via the comments section.
Lyndall Cotterill
Family Day Care Australia
Sector Liaison Officer & 2021 National Coordinator of the Year
Lyndall is an experienced educator, who has been working in the early education and care sector for the past 14 years, with 10 of those years in family day care. Lyndall commenced her career as a primary teacher - specialising in PDHPE. However, after having her own children, her love and passion for the Early Childhood sector grew as she learned that the early childhood years are the vital stages for laying the foundation for future learning. This inspired Lyndall to embark on a new career direction in Early Childhood Education.
After obtaining her Masters of Education Lyndall started out her Early Childhood career as an Early Childhood Teacher in Long Day Care settings. It wasn’t until she stepped into Family Day Care where Lyndall found her true passion and growth. Lyndall most recently held the positions of Coordinator and Educational Leader within Midcoast Family Day Care, where listening to the educators, working alongside them and mentoring them to gain confidence in acknowledging their uniqueness brought her great joy and satisfaction. Lyndall was awarded 2021 National Coordinator of the Year in the FDCA Excellence in Family Day Care Awards.
Lyndall currently holds the position of Sector Liaison Officer at FDCA.
Hannah Smith
Midcoast Family Day Care
Family Day Care Educator and 2022 National Educator of the Year
Hannah Smith is a family day care educator with Midcoast Family Day Care and has been working in early education for over twenty years, with fifteen of those in family daycare.
Hannah is passionate about nature play, inclusivity and is currently studying Masters of inclusive practices.
Hannah is also the current Excellence in Family Day Care Awards National Educator of the Year after being presented with the award in 2022.
Martha Smith
Baw Baw Family Day Care
Family Day Care Educator and 2018 Educator of the Year National Finalist
Martha Smith has been an educator in early childhood since 2006 and is currently a family day care educator with Baw Baw Shire Family Day Care where she has been for 13 years.
Martha was the winner of the Excellence in Family Day Care Awards Victorian/Tasmanian Educator of the Year in 2018 and became a national finalist and won regional educator of the year for 6 years since 2016 before taking a well-deserved break on maternity leave in 2022.
Currently studying her Bachelor of Early Childhood Teaching through Swinburne whilst working and being a new Mum, Martha’s passion lies within environmental sustainability and community engagement, both of which she embeds methodically in her service.
On any one day you can find Martha and her family day care children exploring their local community garden, climbing trees at the park, building cubbies indoors or planting produce in their veggie patches.
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