the Year at the 2014 Nursery World awards. She talks to Olivia
McCrea-Hedley about her career and what inspires her.
Why did you choose a career in the early years sector?
I've always wanted to work with children, but when I was younger I wasn't sure exactly what I wanted to do. I suppose I fell into childcare when I took a role as an unqualified nursery assistant and I've never looked back. I fell in love with the job and decided to do my degree with the Open University while working at the nursery. I then went on to get my Early Years Professional Status at Kingston University.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
I love the variety and the fact we're able to make a difference to young children's lives. I passionately believe in the importance of high quality early years education - if we get that right then a lot of the problems for children later down the line in school can be avoided. I also love the people element of it. Our teams are so diverse and there are so many different roles. There aren't that many jobs where one day you can be meeting a parent and really honing your customer service skills and the next day working with a regulator.
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