Family day carer Mel Dreger's passion is making children visible and valued in the community.
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And the nine young children she cares for each week benefit from building strong community ties and learning how they can make a big difference to other people.
Ms Dreger, who has been named as Regional Educator Winner for Ballarat and the Central Highlands in the 2020 Family Day Care Australia's Excellence in Family Day Care Awards, started caring for children at home almost seven years ago after eight years spent working in child care centres.
"I really believe in smaller groups of children and the feeling when you have a small group of children you can get to know them really intimately and form a really powerful and influential relationship with them," she said.
"They thrive and excel in family day care where you can hone in on their interests, support their development and have the same educator at the start and end of the day."
Although her program has changed a little this year because of COVID restrictions, Ms Dreger prides herself on the community ties she and her day care children have built and continued throughout the year.
"Previously we would go to a nursing home every week and do music class sessions and evern week we would write to the nursing home - they are our pen pals," she said.
"We are still writing those letters and I drop them off. In the next few months we have got lots of random acts of kindness planned. There's a cat at Delacombe Community Centre the children want to buy pet food for and we will drop it off when we go to the park - it's about building thoughtfulness and a culture of love, kindness, acceptance, compassion and empathy.
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Instead of creating a rigid program, Ms Dreger prefers to let the children's interests guide their activities.
"I plan things, and have the childrens' goals and developmental milestones, personal growth, strengths and weaknesses in mind but collaborate with the children. When children have a say and their voice is respected and heard they will be more invested in what they are doing resulting in better learning outcomes," she said.
Ms Dreger will find out next month if she progresses through to the national day care award finals where last year she was one of four finalists for the top award.