Hello, my name is Melanie and I am the owner and nominated supervisor (which is a fancy name for director) here at Pegasus. I have been a preschool teacher for 30 years and believe that I have the best job in the world, every day is different and exciting and filled with laughter and learning. I have a certificate from Wollongong Tafe in Children’s Services and a Degree in Early Childhood Education from Macquarie University.
I’m also extremely passionate about providing children with natural environments and avoiding plastic toys and play spaces as much as we can. This really shines through in both our indoor and outdoor environments, something all the educators are immensely proud of here at Pegasus. I love to see the children engage in imaginative play where they make mud pies , using the Lilly Pillys from our backyard trees , that also provide shade and shelter from the elements, it’s a beautiful place to just “be”.
My husband Tony and I live in a tree house in Mount Kiera (Wollongong) where we are going to be kept very busy with renovations for many years to come. I have 5 children- Joel, Kyle, Ryan, Amy and Lilly and a stepdaughter Lani, so life is very busy for us but lots of fun. I enjoy camping (well glamping!), 4WD (as the passenger), gardening, snorkeling, standup paddle boarding and yoga. I am also particularly talented at shopping! I grew up in Thirlmere and attended both Thirlmere Public School and Picton High School, so I have a great connection with the local school and community.
Research shows that the preschool years are the most important years in a child’s life. It is believed that a child will learn more in their first five years than any other time in their life. As an Early Childhood educator, I feel it is vital to create programs and environments that enhance and stimulate children’s learning through fun, play and socialisation. As an educator I have a keen interest and passion for school readiness programs and believe that there is a very large gap between the preschool environment to the school yard. At preschool we provide programs and activities that provide children with the opportunities to learn and practice skills that will help them cope with the challenges of starting school. We are very fortunate here at Pegasus as our team of educators are a very close-knit group and have a great rapport with both each other and also our families and extended families. We organsie many community events where families are invited to come into preschool for functions in the evenings so that working parents can enjoy being a part of our community events.
I look forward to meeting all the new families and welcoming them into our “Pegasus Family”, as our policy states we aim to provide a homelike environment where children feel valued, safe and have a true sense of belonging.