Early Childhood Educators’ Day has been part of the Petit Early Learning Journey culture since our services opened for their first full year in 2015. Educators’ Day, as it is popularly known, is celebrated by all our teams, provides us and our families with an opportunity to say “Thank You” to all our teachers, educators and centre leaders.
The event was inspired by World Teachers’ Day which is celebrated annually in October. The Australian Childcare Alliance Queensland state body started the ritual in 2011. Petit Early Learning Journey is a current member of the alliance.
Now a popularised event that is fondly received around the country, educators and early childhood centres look forward to the fun and celebrations with their peers, families and children on Early Childhood Educators’ Day.
At Petit ELJ, we recognise the importance of celebrating the event with all our teams who champion for children’s rights, education and care. In this article, we look at:
- Why are our educators important?
- When is Educators’ Day celebrated?
- Educator gift ideas
- How does Petit ELJ celebrate its teams?
- How do we celebrate Educators’ Day
- What Early Childhood Educators’ Day means to our teams
Why are our educators important?
Australian educators and early childhood learning services play a vital role in the care, education, growth and development of children. From babies to preschoolers, our educators provide children with a sense of belonging, being and becoming.
Early Childhood Educators inspire children and support families in many different ways. They:
- Act as role models for children’s behaviour
- Show children how to interact with others
- Inspire children to learn and grow (mind, body and spirit)
- Support children’s emotional connections
- Encourage children to explore their interests
- Lay the foundation for learning and discovery
- Help children develop life skills
- Nurture children’s socialisation, critical thinking, motivation, and self-control skills
- Facilitate individual and group learning programs
- Help develop children’s good communication skills
- Create diverse hands-on curriculums
- Encourage inclusivity while recognising diversity
- Help children practise their fine and gross motor skills
- Inspire children’s creativity and imagination
- Create amazing breath-taking experiences and opportunities for children’s learning and play
- Establish a bond and a sense of trust through warm, nurturing interactions
- Develop partnerships with families
- Reach out to the local community to extend children’s experiences and sense of belonging and identity
- Set-up incredible indoor and outdoor environments that stir a sense of wonder
- Collaborate with other educators to find solutions and new ways of doing things
- Give children the confidence to transition and embrace change
- Advocate for children’s rights
- Organise rich experiences that bring communities together both within and without children’s core care and learning environment
- Give children a say, a choice and invite them to contribute to their learning
- Contribute to the wellbeing and health of children
Early Childhood Educators’ Day celebrates and acknowledges all of Australia’s educators in early learning services such as long day care, family day care, kindergarten, preschools and occasional care.
When is Educators’ Day celebrated?
It is celebrated on the first Wednesday of September in Australia.
What are some educator gift ideas?
From the simple to the sublime, we recommend saying “Thank You” to educators through –
- Hand written notes or cards
- Fresh picked flowers
- Coffee
- Cupcakes
- Smiles
- Children’s art
– which expresses your gratitude for their role in caring and educating children.
How does Petit ELJ celebrate its teams?
People and Culture Operations Manager Melissa Hart says “Our reward and recognition program is always evolving. At the end of each year we celebrate individuals who have stood out through our Awards which are voted for by the families and the team. This year will be our first year where we will be nominating a centre to be the Petit Centre of the Year, as a way we can celebrate achievements as a team and not just as individuals.”
“We also have a budget allocation for each centre where we work with our Centre Directors to recognise what is important for each individual centre’s goals and team. For example in Elderslie we have a kindness jar where each month an individual is acknowledged for their individual contribution to the team, but in Murwillumbah, Coffs Harbour and Marian they reward and recognise their teams in the moment and provide tickets to a raffle that is drawn each month. Meaning anytime you “catch someone doing something positive” you can provide feedback in the moment and celebrate together at the end of the month when the raffle is drawn.”
“We encourage each of our Centre Directors to work with their teams on how we can recognise the right behaviours and collaboration in a way that is unique to that service. We are also passionate about promoting within as well as supporting our teams day-to-day or week-to-week. This is done through training, succession planning and helping our teams to grow.”
“We have active succession plans in most of our services with some of our future leaders trying out different leadership roles and skills to see what will work for them. For example Irina at Petit ELJ Wooloowin has been given time to try out the Assistant Centre Director and Educational Leader roles to encourage her growth into a potential leadership position.”
“It is important to remember recognition comes in many forms and often the biggest and most impactful can be a simple thank you.”
How Petit ELJ Celebrates Educators’ Day
Educator’s Day is a very special event that our teams and all of Petit ELJ look forward to organising and celebrating every year.
“Our Support Office team in collaboration with our centre leadership team organise the gifts and surprises for our educators every year,” says Natalie Hopkins, Marketing Manager for Petit ELJ. “We enjoy seeing our families’ contributions made visible on social media and the pure joy and happiness it brings to our centre teams.”
“We provide our teams with:
- A dedicated printed educator t-shirt
- A special morning (or afternoon) team tea that has delicious and healthy treats
- Celebratory certificates to express our thank you
- Customised cards from our Centre Directors to every educator
- Gratitude stations or message walls set up for families to convey their appreciation.”
“Our gratitude stations start appearing at the end of August so families and community guests can relay their own tribute to our educators. We encourage our families to check-in with their Centre Director to discover how they can contribute to Educators’ Day.”
What Early Childhood Educators’ Day means to our teams
We invited a few of Petit ELJ’s Centre Directors to share with us what the Educators’ Day means to them and their teams.
Petit ELJ Burleigh
Briony Winters, our Petit ELJ Burleigh Centre Director says, “It is a special day to highlight and celebrate our wonderful team of diverse and unique educators’ contributions to making Petit ELJ Burleigh what it is today. We share our passion, enthusiasm, individual strengths and talents, which inspire our children and families.”
“It’s a time to further connect with our community and share their input and highlights for all our team’s hard work, dedication and love for their roles. We take this day to reflect and share all the positive impacts we make daily on the children’s learning and families’ lives, to inspire and grow confident, healthy and capable learners. It’s our pleasure to positively impact children’s lives. It is a very rewarding role we all play.”
Petit ELJ Marian
Kristie Torrisi, our Petit ELJ Marian Centre Director says, “Early Childhood Educators Day provides an opportunity for families, employers, and the wider community to recognise and show appreciation for the inspiring work educators do every day.”
“Each educator is unique, but they share a few special qualities: patience, fairness, empathy, flexibility, and the ability to make children feel safe and secure. They also have their passion and commitment to supporting children’s development and laying the foundations for the love of learning in common. That is not just inspiring; it is life-changing, and we should celebrate it.”
Petit ELJ Richmond
Mel Theodorakopoulos, our Petit ELJ Richmond Centre Director, says, “Early Childhood Educators’ Day gives us a chance to show off our sector and to show the public how important our job is. We can celebrate our team, who consistently show up to educate and care for our most precious citizens.”
“Even on their toughest days, they show up with love and empathy for the children in their care. Educators’ passion and enthusiasm are fundamental to a child’s learning journey, and we often get stuck in the daily grind. Still, this day allows us to pause, reflect on what is important, and show our appreciation for our team.”
Petit ELJ Kew
Agnes Teo, our Petit ELJ Kew Centre Director says, “Early Childhood Educators’ Day is a special day for all of us educators, where we are acknowledged and celebrated as our children’s first and biggest supporters in learning. We spend this day reflecting, recognising and recharging our love and passion for children’s lifelong learning.”
Join Petit Early Learning Journey and be celebrated
At Petit Early Learning Journey we welcome news from our teams and individual educators about the wins and successes in their day, both professional and personal. We invest and support our people’s passions and early childhood education and care career goals through professional development and personal growth.
Are you ready to join a sector of professional early childhood educators who truly care about the wellbeing, care and education of children?
