We are excited to announce that our very own Gabriela Savio, Lead Educator for Milestones Early Learning Darwin City, has been chosen from more than 30 nominees as one of only 3 finalists in the Northern Territory Education and Care Awards for 2023 in the category ‘Outstanding Educator’.
Affinity Education Group Northern Territory Area Manager Tameka Meehan said the nomination recognised Gabriela’s dedication to continuous professional development in order to provide exceptional education and care to the children in her centre.
Tameka explained, “Gabriela is always the first educator to put her hand up to participate in any form of professional development to increase her knowledge and skills so she can provide the highest quality of care and education to all children in her care.
“As part of our Lifelong Learning Curriculum, Gabriela has completed the 3a Abecedarian Approach Australia training and now incorporates the four key elements of enriched caregiving, learning games, conversational reading and language priority into her current role as the Toddler Lead Educator.
“The learnings Gabriela has taken away from her training in Circle of Security and Key Educator Relationships have given her a thorough understanding of the need for all children to develop secure attachments with their caregivers and the skills to help her create a positive and secure environment for the children to learn and grow. Gabriela has also had the opportunity to mentor other educators around these key learnings.”
What makes an outstanding Educator?
Gabriela shared, “I am a strong believer in using evidence-informed practices to influence my own practices and planning for quality outcomes for children’s learning. During my time as a Lead Educator in the nursery room, I used my knowledge of Circle of Security, Attachment Theory and Key Educator Relationships to ensure I was providing a safe and secure learning environment whilst building strong, reciprocal and communitive relationships between each child and family based on trust and respect.
“In my current role as Lead Educator in the toddler room, I have used my key learnings from the 3a Abecedarian Approach, focusing on supporting language development and early social skills to plan experiences to achieve quality outcomes for our toddler children.
“I take the time to build secure relationships with both the children and their families to better understand what their strengths are and how best I can support each child to their full potential. I have a strong passion for inclusion and am very intentional in the way I set up learning environments to ensure the full participation of all my children, regardless of their abilities.
“I make sure I include the children’s thoughts and ideas when setting up learning experiences and aim to challenge our children’s thinking by getting them to come up with different ways their environments or experiences can be planned so that their peers are all able to participate."
Affinity Education Group, Tameka and the whole team at Milestones Early Learning Darwin City are extremely proud of Gabriela and the acknowledgement she has received for her outstanding work in the Early Childhood Education and Care Sector.
The winners of the Northern Territory Education and Care Awards will be announced on Friday 22 September!