Children are a constant source of fascination for Marie Althaus, who won a regional award this week after 20 years as a family day carer.
“I find it stimulating, the way children think and approach the world – they’re great lateral thinkers,” the Jan Juc grandmother said.
Marie, 70, worked as an illustrator at an advertising agency for decades before she began providing day care from home.
“The biggest reason was to make a difference,” she said.
“It goes beyond your work hours – I lend toys to children and if they’re sick, I’ll drop off toys to their home just to keep them happy for a day or two.”
She was “surprised” to win Family Day Care Australia’s award for top educator in Geelong and along the Great Ocean Road.
“It’s a wonderful acknowledgement of the work that everybody does down here,” she said.
“I was very lucky to come out with the award amongst a lot of local professionals.”
Family Day Care provides a “highly-regulated” but “flexible” alternative to childcare centres and during school holidays for children between eight weeks and 12 years old, according to Marie.
“It fills a niche for a lot of parents,” she said.
Apart from not being able to visit local playgrounds with the kids during the lockdowns, COVID-19 restrictions had not made “a huge difference”, Marie said.
“The hand-sanitising wasn’t that big an extension – we were already doing a lot of handwashing.”
Marie is registered with Surf Coast Shire Family Day Care, which she described as a “professional” and “very supportive” organisation.
