Riley – Early Childhood Educator

My name is Riley and I am one of our Deadly Kindy Jajumbora early childhood educators.

I grew up in a small beach town and I absolutely love the beach. Being outdoors in natural fresh air environments is also a passion of mine so my spare time is usually spent walking in the rainforest or sitting by the beach.

I have been an early childhood educator for over 8 years and love the industry. However I still have so much to learn from each and every child. I am from a Polish background and know a few words in Polish. I am also learning Spanish as a language.

I’ve only just started working for ATSICHS and I’m so excited to join the team and get to know everyone.

Before working here I worked in a long day care for six years. I wanted to work with ATSICHS Brisbane to challenge my knowledge of early childhood education by engaging with a kindy program and kindy aged children. I was drawn to ATSICHS and the Deadly Kindy program because I’m keen to learn more about our country’s history and it’s First Nations people.

My role as an early childhood educator is to grow and learn along our gundoos. I work to ensure they are ready for the next big challenge – school. Also to ensure all children feel safe in the learning environment.  I want all families and children to feel respected, loved and valued while respecting culture and diversity. One of the professional skills I am working on is public speaking. I can be quite shy in large groups so this is something I would like to improve.

The most rewarding part of my job is seeing the happy and smiling gundoos each day.  I enjoy working with a positive team and seeing everyone happy in their roles within the centre. My favourite part of my job is that each day is different. Each day there are new challenges and awesome moments.

Outside of work I enjoy being at the beach, hiking in the rainforests and travelling. I also like to use my problem solving skills by doing escape rooms. I enjoy solving all the puzzles to work through the scenarios.

The most unusual talent I have would be being able to write with both hands.

If I could be any animal, it would be a dolphin.  Forever swimming in the ocean, peaceful and happy.