By Danielle Kutchel
Susan Deacon has always been passionate about the provision of quality childcare.
A mother herself, Ms Deacon has been in early childhood education for 20 years after starting in family day care when her own children were young.
Realising how much she enjoyed it, she trained for her certificate three qualification to become an educator.
And now, she’s taken the next step at Merinda Park Learning and Community Centre, where she is the new Children’s Services Manager.
Already Ms Deacon has been at the centre for six months, and she’s made an impact; centre manager Jan Gilchrist said Ms Deacon was a “caring and supportive” member of the Merinda Park family.
“She’s a great role model and creative in her thinking,” Ms Gilchrist said.
For her part, Ms Deacon said she loves the fact that Merinda is a community-based service.
“As educators in early childhood we are that introduction to the outside world for most families, and that connection to the community for that family,” she said.
“It takes a community to build up a child and we’re part of that community.”
Ms Deacon and other staff at Merinda Park were kept busy throughout lockdown, open for the children of essential workers.
She has been welcomed with open arms by the management team and more importantly, the families and children.
She said her favourite part of the job is seeing the smiles on the faces of children and watching them develop and grow.
“With children around that three-year-old age where their conversation goes from one word to a sentence, that’s just beautiful,” she smiled.
Find out more about Merinda Park Learning and Community Centre’s children’s programs at https://www.merindapark.com.au/
