The Canterbury Bankstown Council Children’s Services Manager, 66, has been managing the area’s long, occasional and outside of school hours care services, the family daycare scheme, administration staff and speech pathologists for 18 years and in the last decade, has also worked privately as a trainer, writer and mentor.
Karen designed an initiative in 2019, enabling parents from asylum seeker backgrounds to realise their work or study dreams by having their children placed in reduced or no-cost childcare centres and is developing the council’s Child-friendly Cities Report and Action Plan.
With Bachelor and Masters degrees, she also has a post graduate degree in special education but no plans to retire, though after the arrival of her first grandchild, is tempted.
“It’s a great privilege to be honoured as a finalist for a Hesta Award,” she said.
“I’ve had a wonderful career but it’s important to note for others considering early childhood as a career, that loving children is not enough.
“You need to be focused on their education; there’s not much playing with them involved but a lot of hard work that can be challenging and requires dedication.
“We work under a national curriculum and there are national laws and regulations which we must abide by.
“However, the work can be incredibly rewarding and I’m grateful the council encourages us to be innovative and continually improving.”
HESTA Award winners will be announced in September.
