Did you know that mid-last year we started Rainbow Bridge Family Day Care?

I’m co-director along with my fabulous colleagues Victoria Edmond and Marta Koncz, and we have RBFDC educators on the Gold Coast, the GC Hinterland, Tweed and right down to Myocum near Byron Bay. It’s the sole reason I’ve not been on my blog quite as much.. Setting up a new business is super time consuming. I had no clue!

Riding the rollercoaster

We’ve been working on this project for almost two years, and let me tell you, it’s been a rollercoaster ride!  What a time to start a new business… just when the Government decides to crack down on the $230 odd MILLION DOLLARS fraud that has happened in the sector.

(It’s something that makes my blood boil actually… a small pod of unscrupulous individuals taking advantage of non-english speaking migrants for their own monetary gain. These ‘educators’ had little or no english, few – if any- qualifications, and were encouraged and guided to rort the system by claiming an excessive amount of hours of CCB, signing fake timesheets, and purporting to provide care when no care actually took place.  Some schemes have taken advantage of JET funding, charging astronomical hourly fees, which were, quite astonishingly, paid in full. There’s so much more to the story… I can’t even begin to imagine how much worse it gets.)

What this has meant for us, as new providers, is that we have been caught up in their crackdown. All funding has been cut as of July 1st. New laws have come into play that force our business to double our outgoings and double the workload as we operate across the NSW/QLD border and hence are in two states. And now the vaccination debate.  It’s been blow after blow after blow, but have no fear… the Rainbow Bridge team is here!

I’m the Training and Development Manager

My role in the business is Training and Development Manager, which means I get to have all the fun of running creative workshops with our team, along with Victoria who provides the most delicious food you’ve possibly ever eaten. It’s the best job ever.

And so, as we deal with the repercussions of funding cuts, we have taken a proactive stance and have decided to release our exclusive Foundation Training workshops (10 in total) as well as a bucketload of “creative booster” workshops, crafty tutorials, and webinars to anyone working in early childhood education.  In the new year, we plan to create a meeting hub for those educators who, like me, thrive on group dynamics when it comes to planning, problem solving, sharing resources and handy tips.

 

But for now, come and join in the fun of our training workshops!

 

If you are:

• a teacher in a preschool or kindergarten,
• an educator in a long day care centre,
• or working in family day care,
• or in-home care….

and you want to increase your knowledge, skills, and abilities in the area of holistic big-hearted childcare, you are in luck!

 

New Training Calendar released today.  Click HERE for a printable PDF of upcoming events.

 

Today, we’ve released our NEW training and events calendar for June 2015- February 2016.

All these events will be held on the Gold Coast, (Nerang, Mudgeeraba or Coolangatta – depending on the number of bookings and the size of the space we require.)

However we are open to offering sessions in Brisbane and/or in Brunswick Heads should there be interested people.  Please email Amber at training@rainbowbridgefamilydaycare.com to enquire further.

(Please note: A minimum of 4 participants are needed for the workshop to go ahead. We will refund your money in full should a workshop be cancelled by us due to lack of numbers.)

Bookings are NOW OPEN for the June and July sessions.

Please click on the links in blue below for a detailed description of each workshop, and to book and pay.

 

IMAGINATIVE PLAY AND SIMPLE TOY MAKING (FT #6) PLUS CREATIVE BOOSTER- making toys!

Saturday 27th June    9am to 3pm   Venue TBA (Nerang, Mudgeeraba or Coolangatta, depending on numbers and space requirements)

RHYTHM AND ROUTINE (FT #1)  &  PROGRAMMING AND PLANNING CYCLE (HOLISTIC) #FT 2

Saturday 4th July   9am to 3pm   Venue TBA (Nerang, Mudgeeraba or Coolangatta, depending on numbers and space requirements)

TASTE TEST #1 SESSION FOR CENTRE DIRECTORS, FDC SCHEME PROVIDERS, AND TRAINING ORGANISATION REPRESENTATIVES

Topics:  Creative Discipline and Sustainability in practice

Thursday 16th July   10 am to 1pm     Venue: Bert Swift Community Hall, 11 Centurion Cresent, Nerang.

Come along to experience a snippet of what we do to help you decide if your staff could benefit from our training opportunities too!

TASTE TEST #2 SESSION FOR CENTRE DIRECTORS, FDC SCHEME PROVIDERS, AND TRAINING ORGANISATION REPRESENTATIVES

Topics:  Imaginative storytelling and Supporting and developing children’s ability to ‘play’

Wednesday 22nd July   10 am to 1pm    Venue: Bert Swift Community Hall, 11 Centurion Cresent, Nerang.

Come along to experience a snippet of what we do to help you decide if your staff could benefit from our training opportunities too!

PAINTING EXPERIENCES AND ACTIVITIES FOR CHILDREN 101

Wednesday 22nd July   10 am to 1pm     Venue TBA (Nerang, Mudgeeraba or Coolangatta, depending on numbers and space requirements)

Come along to experience a snippet of what we do to help you decide if your staff could benefit from our training opportunities too!

 

 

MORE WORKSHOPS GO ON SALE SOON!  Including Craft Sessions and Workshops just for parents!

Check back here in early July.  Or sign up to my newsletter to ensure you never miss an update.

For all other workshop enquiries, please call 0488 369139.