A word from the facilitator, Ingrid Hazelspring:

Being a young mum flying solo I had no choice but to put my toddler into care and return to work as soon as possible. I look back on those days with dread, I placed so much trust in people I didn't know to look after the most precious thing in the world to me and having moved from Finance into Education since then I now realise my son's experience was probably much worse than I realised. What I have also learned is that educators do the very best they can with the knowledge they have.

Unfortunately, at so many professional development sessions I've attended, Nursery educators eventually speak up and say, "This is great for the pre-schoolers, but what do I do with my babies?". "Yes, that's hard," is often the response.

For the past six years, I've been on a journey to change the Nursery I inherited to one I am comfortable with. One where infant's programs are just as important as the pre-schoolers, where babies have a voice and where they feel truly safe and valued. It started with a short seminar by New Zealand's Childspace and snowballed to completing the RIE Foundations Course and now being the first in Australia to be accepted in the RIE Practicum Programme. Whilst I do not claim to be an expert, I have had the fortune of not only being able to invest in the PD I thought valuable but also be instrumental in making changes in my service. This experience has given me a wealth of knowledge to share with other educators passionate in improving the quality of infant care within the Australian framework.

Bachelor of Education

Student of RIE Practicum Programme