Introducing Little Love Care, Tieri’s Newest FDC

Tieri News spoke to Amy to find out more about her background as an Educator, her new FDC service, and what the families of Tieri can expect…

Amy, welcome to Tieri! Tell us a bit about yourself…
Thank you! It’s wonderful to be here and to finally call Tieri my home. I grew up on the Sunshine Coast with my family. My partner and I met in 2024; he works underground at Oaky Creek Coal on a 7/7 roster and we started a long-distance relationship. We took turns visiting each other every two weeks: I would go to Emerald to see him and his family, and he would come to visit me and my family on the coast. I feel fortunate to be familiar with this beautiful little town since my partner’s brother and his partner also live here, so I’ve had the chance to visit a few times and be shown around.

What attracted you to the FDC Educator opportunity in Tieri?
I’ve always been drawn to working with children. My Mum was a Teacher’s Aide at my primary school. I’d spend the majority of my breaks helping her. Then, when I went to high school, I would go and help Mum out on my days off. When I reached Year 11, l began a school-based traineeship. Every Wednesday, I would go to the childcare centre where I did my practical placement. I quickly fell in love with childcare and knew that, one day, I wanted to have my own Family Day Care service.

Fast forward to 2025, and, growing tired of a long-distance relationship, my partner and I were continually on the lookout for opportunities for one of us to move. When we saw the advertisement on Tieri.com.au for an Early Childhood Educator, I couldn’t believe my luck: it was an opportunity to move with my partner and fulfill a lifelong dream!

What’s your background?
When I graduated Year 12, I was fully qualified in Cert III Early Childhood Education & Care. The centre I had been working at during my studies offered me a full time role. I stayed there for two more years until an opportunity arose for me to be a Nanny in West Virginia, USA, for three months.

When I came back home, I wanted to experience a different type of childcare centre as my previous one had been a very outdoor nature-based centre. I secured a role at Smartland Boutique Early Learning and began my Diploma in Early Childhood Education & Care.

At SmartLand, I soon became Lead Educator in the 3-year old room. There were 22 pre-kindy children so it was pretty hectic, but such a joy to be able to care for all 22 of them. After a while, I moved into the Nursery room, where I cared for babies from six-weeks old, to 18-months. All up, I was with SmartLand for about a year and a half before the opportunity in Tieri came about. It was hard to say goodbye to all the wonderful families I had made beautiful connections with, but I was also excited for the new opportunity ahead.

What can you tell us about the Family Day Care model of care, and how it differs from mainstream Early Childhood centres?
Both models must function under the National Quality Framework (NQF). Both are eligible for the Child Care Subsidy. Furthermore, both care types are evaluated and rated according to the National Quality Standard (NQS). And all registered Early Childhood services must adhere to the same educational frameworks (i.e. the Early Years Learning Framework).

However, Family Day Care, or FDC, offers a much more individualised approach to the care and education of the children thanks to the smaller numbers.

Early Childhood centres, which typically cater for a large number of children, have varying Educator:Child ratios depending on each age group. In accordance with government standards, Nursery rooms (typically for ages six-weeks to two-year-olds) have a 1:4 ratio; Toddler rooms (ages two- to three-years) have a 1:5 ratio; and Preschool rooms (for children aged three to Kindy) have a ratio of one Educator per 11 children!
By contrast, FDC services maintain a 1:4 ratio for all children under school age, which means one Educator for four children. This smaller group setting allows for more personalised care and attention that caters more closely to the individual child’s needs.

The maximum number of children an FDC Educator can have in total is seven children, including school age children under 13 the FDC service also offers before school, after school, and vacation care.

What’s more, FDC services are in a home-based setting, typically set up in the Educator’s family home, creating a more home-away-from-home environment for the children.

Are FDCs just a glorified babysitting service?
Absolutely not! FDC services operate under the National Quality Framework (NQF) and focus on providing individualised childhood education, care and development all within a home-based setting.

Family Day Care Educators are qualified professionals who provide a nurturing, homely and flexible learning environment. Importantly, FDC Educators and the services they provide are subject to the same stringent compliance checks and quality assessments as mainstream Early Childhood centres to ensure they meet the required standards for providing care to children.

What will your FDC service be called?
“Little Love Care” – it took me a while to come up with the name, but once I thought of it, the more it stood out for its warmth and nurturing qualities. It speaks to the environment and care that I will be providing the families and children of Tieri.

Where will your FDC service be located?
19 Banksia Street, Tieri.

You mentioned previously that FDC services are often run from the Educator’s family home; will this be the case for you?
No, this set up is slightly different because we won’t be living there. Rather, the four-bedroom house – complete with laundry, bathroom, kitchen, yard, etc. – is going to be a shared space with two Educators running their FDC services from the house at different times. The services will operate on an alternating roster of 7/7, to mirror the mine roster. The aim of this is to give the families of Tieri increased accessibility to childcare services.

When will Little Love Care be open for business?
[At the time of writing…] We’re in the process of furnishing the house, with the aim of welcoming the first children in September/October.

What will your opening hours be?
Little Love Care will operate on a Wednesday to Tuesday roster (the same as the mine), from 7:30am – 4:30pm, including weekends.
My counterpart will operate on the alternating Wednesday to Tuesday.

How many children will you be able to look after?

In line with government regulations, I can care for a maximum of four children under school age at any given time. In addition to this, I can look after up to three school-age children, providing parents with access to before and after school care, and vacation care.

How can parents/carers find out more information and secure a spot for their child?
I invite any parents or carers to come and visit 19 Banksia Street to check out the space for yourself and to have a chat. You can also email me at Littlelovecare.fdc@icloud.com, call or message me on 0459 636 206, or reach out via the Little.Love.Care Facebook or Instagram pages.

What can families and children expect from you and your FDC?
A space where the children and their families can feel safe, comfortable, loved and at ease. I want parents to feel confident that their kids are having a fun time in a stable learning environment. For the children, I want Little Love Care to feel like a home away from home.
In terms of what an average day will look like, we consider your child’s home routine and strive to follow it as closely as possible. The daily schedule will evolve and adjust according to the children and the natural flow of the day, ensuring it best meets your children’s needs. Little Love Care provides a mix of planned activities, experiences and child-led play, emphasising learning and social engagement.

Important aspects of the day include morning greetings, play-based learning, progressive mealtimes, nap times that align with your child’s routine, excursions, and both indoor and outdoor play.

Our routines are crafted to be consistent, fostering a sense of security and well-being that caters to the children, for example:
• Morning greetings
• Child-led play
• School drop off (if applicable)
• Arrive back
• Morning group time
• Wash hands
• Progressive morning tea
• Planned activities and experiences indoor or outdoor
• Clean up, wash hands
• Progressive lunch
• Rest/quiet time
• Get ready for walk
• School pick up (if applicable)
• Arrive back, progressive afternoon tea
• Afternoon child-led play

How would you describe your approach to Early Childhood Education?
I’m a nurturing, fun-loving Educator, who is there to make the early years of education as playful, enjoyable and relatable as possible. I aim to cater to the child’s needs and individualise their care and educational program to suit them and their family.

I’m heavily focused on play-based learning incorporating both indoor and outdoor environments. I aim to engage children in play activities that foster exploration, imagination, and social interaction. It’s a great way for children to actively construct their own understanding of the world around them by interacting with people, objects, and the environment. I like to see what each child is interested in and extend their learning from there, so they have fun and are engaged, whilst still learning the fundamentals and reaching the milestones outlined in the national Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF).

What do you hope your FDC service will offer the families and children of Tieri?
I hope it provides a safe, warm, loving and nurturing space that children happily come to. A space where parents can feel relaxed and confident leaving their child, knowing they will be well taken care of.

What are you most excited about?
The whole experience: seeing my dream come true; setting up the space; the Open Day; meeting local families; getting to know the children and watching them grow. I’m so thrilled to be part of the Tieri community.