Childcare Centre & Preschool in St Ives

Rushda

St Ives Director

I am the Centre Director of Handprints ELC, St Ives. I have a Master of Teaching qualification in Early Childhood Education, and I have been in the teaching industry for the past 7 years. Teaching has always been my passion; I started my career as a Dietitian (Master of Nutrition and Dietetics) providing Medical Nutrition Therapy and consultations to patients and their families. Stepping into teaching children came with self-actualisation and a deep sense of purpose. My teaching career began with Primary Education in Dubai, UAE before moving to NSW to pursue Early Childhood and I have never looked back.

As a mum of three (to the embodiment of Alvin, Simon and Theodore), I understand the importance of offering children a safe space to explore and challenge their own knowledge and self-identities, a place to be, become and belong. I believe each child is unique and should be celebrated for who they are. As a teacher, my aim is to advocate for children’s right to experience wonderment, curiosity, confidence, enthusiasm, and to explore their imagination.

I love working with children and educators and being part of their wondrous learning journeys, discussing big questions with them, such as how? why? and more importantly why not? in the process, challenging not just theirs, but also my own thoughts and reasonings to make way for new and more reflective learning.

Magda Gerber said it best - “Childhood is not a race to see how quickly a child can read, write and count. It is a small window of time to learn and develop at the pace that is right for each individual child”

 When not Teaching or Directing, my free time is spent on trying out croissants from different cafes and ranking them with my daughter, cooking, writing poetry when inspired, and the never-ending cycle of managing a busy house with 3 children and 3 pets!