Sonas Childcare Karrinyup

Get to know our Centre Manager – Kylie Devlin from Karrinyup

Tell us a bit about your career in Education and Care?

I have worked in Education and care for the last 12 years. I have a Bachelor degree in Early Childhood Studies and a post graduate degree in early years professional status. I qualified in the UK and have worked both there and here, in Australia. I began working as a qualified educator directly with the children. Over the years, I have worked my way up to the Centre Manager role, and I have been doing for the last 11 years.

What led you to want to work with children?

I always wanted to work with children. Working with children and their families gives me an abundance of happiness every day. I love to see them grow and develop and am passionate about supporting them to achieve new goals. As a mum I watched my little boy blossom under the care and love of his educators and they became like family having an impact on his character and development.

What keeps you here?

The challenge of each day and the joy I get from building positive relationships with children and their families. I am dedicated to making the experience of early education a positive a long lasting memory.

I want to be the support a parent needs when leaving their child for the first time and want to have a long lasting relationship which is built on trust with the children and their families. I want to get to know our children and their families and share in their delight when a new skill is learnt or a new friend is made.

I am here to provide comfort and friendship to children and to set boundaries which make them feel safe and secure. I will listen to their questions and stories and will answer them with honesty and a genuine interest.

What do you love best about working with children?

The surprise and wonder that children have. They see everything with innocent eyes and have so much hope. The way the learn from everything around them and how they can teach us new things each day.

I believe I have a responsibility to be a positive role model for the children. I want to challenge them and extend their knowledge and skills by using their interests to engage them in activities.

I want to provide a fun and stimulating environment and be the extra resource which is so important.

I feel honoured to be trusted with people’s most precious little one and will give my all to ensure that they have positive experiences when attending our centre.

When did you start working at Sonas, and what is it that you love most about working with your team?

I started with Sonas in July 2017 and opened Sonas Karrinyup in August 2017. I love working with dedicated and passionate educators who want the best outcomes for children. I love the family feel of the centre and the collaborative work that we all do.

What do you think are the best attributes that you bring to your role?

As a parent myself I feel I have an understanding of what is important to our families. I feel I am caring and compassionate and I have a genuine love for the work I do. My role is to support families when they are struggling and be their cheerleader when they achieve.

Name three words that you describe you.

I think the words that best fit me and who I am would be – Fun, Caring & Nurturing

What’s a typical day like for you?

Busy!! It starts with the usual family tasks getting my little boy up dressed fed and ready for school. This is in between trying to get him away from his toys and the dog who also wants all of my attention. Some days Im at work before he gets up and I leave him sleeping soundly knowing the first thing he will ask for when he wakes is me. I drive 40 minutes to get to work which is sometimes stressful but mostly peaceful!! Work is filled with laughter, joy, conversations, decision making and lots of relationship building. Then its home time which is another long but peaceful drive. Arriving home I’m met with excitement as both my little boy and dog run to greet me. My husband is usually in the kitchen making me a delicious dinner. We all then catch up on how our days have been, we do homework, have dinner, watch some TV and its bed time for us all. Oh and sometimes I might get to the housework, washing and food shopping!

What are you happiest doing, when you’re not working?

Spending family time with my husband and son. I don’t mind what we do as long as we are together.

Finish this sentence. On Sunday mornings, you can usually find me…

Watching my six year old play soccer.