Hello…
I am Miss Jo and I have had the pleasure of working in the Early Years since 1994. After leaving High School (many years ago now) I began working at Benowa Early Learning Centre. I began my studies through TAFE and graduated with a Diploma of Childcare and Education. I worked as an Assistant and spent a lot of my early years with the babies, which I just adored. I eventually worked up as a Lead Educator and gained more experience with the older age groups. Benowa Early Learning Centre really did set me up for success as a confident Educator.
I took a break from working with children in an Early Years setting and continued my work with children in a completely different setting – a cruise ship! I worked for Disney Cruise Lines for 4 years where I entertained children from babies to teenagers. Working for the cruise line was a wonderful experience where I met people from all over the world and gained more confidence and independence by working away from home. A truly magical time in my life.
While on the cruise ship I met my future husband and spent the next four years living and working in Vancouver, Canada. Another amazing time in my life but I was getting quite homesick and eager to get back to Australia.
While I had some incredible experiences overseas, I always thought of Benowa Early Learning Centre for many reasons. BELC always felt like my second home as it was my first ever job after leaving high school and the memories of the children and relationships with their families was always very special to me. It just made so much sense to come back ‘home’, so in 2009, after being away for 9 years I began working again at BELC again.
I am now so proud to say that I am the Director of this beautiful centre. In 2020 I completed my Bachelor of General Education studies from USQ while working full time and I am the very proud mother of an amazing little man who attended Benowa Early Learning Centre from babies to graduation. To this day my son will still recall his time at BELC and often wishes he could still come to the centre instead of going to school!!
I have always had a love for the Early Years and find working in this environment very fulfilling. I absolutely love creating life-long relationships with the children and families. Watching children grow and develop into amazing little humans is the highlight of my career for me and I couldn’t imagine ever doing anything else.
I believe that each child should be treated as an individual – respecting their strengths and supporting them to reach their milestones. I believe that it is equally important to build partnerships with families, working together as a team for the best interests of each child. I feel that each child follows their own path to reach their full potential and it is my job to allow each child the time and opportunity to reach their goals in a loving and nurturing environment.
I am so very privileged to work with an amazing group of educators who all bring something very special to our family at Benowa Early Learning Centre. I look forward to meeting new families who also want to call Benowa Early Learning Centre home.