Jo Richmond
Centre Director
My name is Jo Richmond and I am the director here at Wattle Road Early Education Centre. I come from a corporate background, spending many years within accountancy and internal audit, managing a team of staff and liaising with businesses to assess their risks and help build solutions to potential problems.
It was only when my eldest son was born that I stumbled across childcare and became fascinated by children’s learning and development, especially in the early years. This lead me to do my Early Childcare Teaching degree, which has only flamed my interest and passion regarding early childhood education.
I am originally from England but have lived in many different countries but have now been in Australia for 15 years and it has become my home. I live nearby, with my husband and our 2 sons who attend the local school and really enjoy the close-knit community that we have become members of over the past few years. I love to cook and spend as much time as possible with my family and friends, but I am also really enjoying working here at Wattle Road and becoming part of a new community, getting to know the staff, parents and of course the children!
My personal philosophy on early childhood education is vast and grows / evolves all the time, but it can be summed up as;
“Children’s natural curiosity and innate capability for learning and developing, will ensure they become successful and confident individuals, but only if they are given the appropriate environment for this. It is our job as educators to provide the nurture, support, guidance, activities and resources, to allow children’s discovery of themselves and the world around them to translate into positive emotional, social, physical and cognitive development.”
Ms Sepideh
Room Leader
My name is Ms Sepideh and I am the teacher of Dancing Dolphins’ room (3-4 years old) at Wattle Road Early Education Centre. I am originally from Iran but I moved to Australia with my family 10 years ago. I myself have 2 children, a daughter age 15 who is at year 10 and a son age 22 who studies Civil Engineering at UTS. I have always tried to be a good mother as well as a good guidance for them.
When I arrived at Australia, I had a dream of being a teacher as my passion is learning and teaching. The first step was starting the course of English for Further Study. I completed the course in 2009. In 2011 I completed Certificate 3 in Children’s services by Advanced standing. In 2013 I completed diploma in Children Services. In January 2017 I graduated from Charles Stuart University in Bachelor of Education (0-5). I’ve now been working in the Early Childhood field for 8 years.
I believe learning is happening all the time and is interlinked through all developmental fields. I believe each child is unique, has different interests, backgrounds, and developmental stages and the environment plays a major role in the success of an early childhood program. I also consider families a vital aspect of my program.
Ms Nicky
Room Leader
My name is Ms Nicky, and I am the Jumping Jacks room leader here at Wattle Road Early Education Centre. I have been an Early childhood educator for 7 years. Most recently I had the opportunity to teach in an Australian International School in Singapore for 2 years. I had the privilege to be mentored by a Head Master who is the author of many books on education, and the recipient of an OBE for his time and dedication to education.
As a teacher of early education, I feel that it is important to establish an environment where children can build trust and grow confident. Children should feel happy, safe and connected to the people around them. They should feel valued and have a voice that they know is listened to. Children should feel comfortable to explore the world they live in and encouraged to have new ideas, to reflect, problem solve and learn skills for life, not just today.
I believe that children should find their own path to learning in an environment that supports their emerging autonomy, while offering extensions of learning when appropriate.
I believe in working with the family and respecting cultural diversity. I value any input from the family regarding any decision making that involves the children, from my room programs to the management of the centre.
I am now living back on the Northern Beaches in Dee Why with my husband of 21 years and 19 year old son Sam and 15 year old son Jack. I enjoy cooking and reading and walking my beloved Bulldog, Barbra!