Being the best version of me

Sometimes, just when you weren't sure of yourself, everything becomes clear. Or, maybe not clear, but you can see a lot more clearly than you could six months ago. Three weeks ago, I had one of those moments. I'd finished my Cert III in Children's Services, and had thoroughly enjoyed my week off, lazing around, and firing off a few job applications. I was ready to start getting up at seven in the morning again, and settling into a routine, apply for some more jobs, and generally prepare for what would, undoubtedly, be a long wait before I got so much as an interview, let alone employment.

The two job applications I sent off during my week off had been sent on a whim, that is, I liked the sound of the jobs advertised, I had the necessary qualifications, they were in a good location, and weren't asking for experience. I didn't expect anything to come of them, because I'd never got a job on my first try before, and I wasn't terribly hopeful. It was mid-year, a bunch of Cert III courses would have finished, and every just qualified Sarah, Sally and Sue would be looking for an assistant level position in children's services.

So just imagine my surprise when I received a call from Eltham College Kids Melbourne City, asking if I could come in for an interview early the next week. Not daring to hope, I said yes, I was available, and a quietly confident feeling settled in my stomach for the rest of the day. The reason for this feeling was that the woman who called me had said something no other potential employer had ever asked me when asking if I could come in for an interview: Are you still looking for work?

It wasn't the kind of question prospective employers asked if they just wanted to screen you for a position, after all.

When I arrived for my interview, I took the lift up to level four, and rang the door bell. Like most childcare centres, ECKids kept the doors locked, and you needed to type in a code on the keypad to open the door. Reception could open the doors from the inside without the code if you were a new parent or staff member. The handle was also positioned higher than usual on a door, so that if one of the children managed to escape their room and get out to reception, they would not be able to reach the door handle and escape the centre.

Through the door was a lovely, clean reception area, with a comfortable, white leather couch and two matching chairs. There was a round, glass table in the middle of a rug, and lounging under the table was a large, caramel colour rabbit.

I told the receptionist I was there for the interview, and she showed me a small meeting room off to the side. It was a group interview, as my interview time had accidentally been double booked, but the woman I was interviewed with was wonderful, and we've actually become great friends since.

Truth be told, it was the best interview of my life, because I came out of it with a job! Yes, a job. My very first application turned into my very first job.

I've been working at ECKids for about three weeks now, on a casual basis, 'floating' (as we call it in the industry) between different rooms. There are eight rooms in the centre, six downstairs, and two upstairs (yes, the centre is over two levels), and I've worked in five rooms downstairs and one upstairs.

ECKids is different from the centers I did my placements at, first of all in size (ECKids has places for 160 children a day), but also in set up. In most childcare centers there are three rooms, 0-2yrs, 2-3yrs, and 3-5yrs, and they take children from 6wks to 5yrs. ECKids takes children from 6wks to 6yrs, and not only has a childcare centre and three-year-old kinder downstairs, but two structured, government accredited kindergartens upstairs, run by bachelor qualified kinder teachers. One is for four year olds, and one for five year olds. I haven't been in the four year old kinder, but I did spend the day in the five year old kinder last week. I didn't enjoy my pre-school placement when I was at TAFE all that much, but I really enjoyed the structured pre-school environment at ECKids. It was different to placement, I grant you, because it was a five year old pre-school, rather than a three-five year old room at a daycare. However, my favourite room I've been in so far as been one of the toddler rooms, 1-2yr olds.

By the time the children get to this room, Toddler A, they're walking, and they're saying several words, or are able to communicate, relatively clearly, what they want. One thing they all love is singing songs, so I've been brushing up on my nursery rhymes. Most of the children can say the name of their favourite song, and most can sing the majority of nursery rhymes, even if they can't use the words out of that context. It's lovely to have a group of little children at your feet, contentedly singing along with you. They're like a little chorus birds, a little out of tune, but lovely to hear all the same. Some hands down favorites have been: Baa Baa Black Sheep, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, and Ring Around the Rosy.

So, what does this have to do with being the best version of me? Well, I had to do an employee induction before I started work at ECKids, and there was one part of this induction that really stayed with me. That was the part that said that all staff working at ECKids must strive to 'be the best version of you'. I've really taken that to heart in the last three weeks, and strived to become the best version of me that I can possibly be.

So, there you have it, a little late in coming, but, as they say, better late than never. I'm sure you'll hear all about my adventures with the children at ECKids as time goes on, and I start to know them all a bit better. But, for now, just remember this:

~ Juliana