My name is Lauren, I am over the moon to have recently joined the team at Kindred Kids. I hold a Bachelor of Early Childhood Education and 11 years of experience working with children and families.
During my studies and early career, I became very passionate about Kindergarten teaching and established myself teaching in early learning centres. I loved this work and to this day remain passionate about the age group, a highlight being establishing and running Bush Kindergarten programs. Through this work I gained invaluable experience with neurodivergent children from a range of culturally, socially and economically diverse backgrounds. This led me to work more specifically in the early intervention space where I worked in a multi-disciplinary team to support children and families to access Early Intervention funding.
As the mother to two young boys I have gained a deep empathy and insight into the experiences and challenges families face. My children are full of life and energy, but boy are they hard work! My eldest child has a diagnosis of Autism and ADHD and has faced many challenges in his transition into school. While a lot to process, his diagnosis has been amazing in helping us to understand his brain and appreciate all his wonderful strengths. Without the support of educators, therapists, teachers, family and friends we would not be where we are today as a family - it truly takes a village to raise a child. I am looking forward to becoming a part of the village for families so they can live life to the fullest.
The Kindred Kids mission, "To create Early Learning Centres where comprehensive programs are run parallel with mainstream early learning programs" is something that really drew me to this role. It is vital that neurodiverse children have access to responsive, holistic, comprehensive wrap around supports. All children deserve to feel a sense of belonging and achievement, and most importantly to be embraced and included. There are so many complexities and barriers for children in accessing mainstream services, but certainly many benefits. I feel confident in working together with families to break down barriers one at a time, and to build their child's skills and confidence to engage in mainstream settings and the wider community.
Outside of work I love being outdoors, listening to music and podcasts, cooking and going for walks at the beach with my family. I am lucky to have grown up on the coast, so have family locally who we see regularly.
Thank you all for the warm welcome, the Kindred Kids team has fantastic energy and I can't wait to build relationships with everybody.
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