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Bush kinder teacher award

An inspiring teacher working with Save the Children Australia has been named Early Childhood Teacher of the Year at this week's Victorian Early Years Awards.
25 October 2017
Ms Webb won the award for creating culturally inclusive programs for children in the Gippsland region of Victoria, particularly those experiencing economic disadvantage.

The outstanding teacher has been at Nowa Nowa Kindergarten for 15 months and has been working to improve learning outcomes for children from all backgrounds.

Ms Webb's work has focused on creating an open and supportive environment that encourages community participation to help children flourish.

"If an entire family feels welcome, then the child will feel welcome – it's all about focusing on the whole picture," Ms Webb said.

"It's amazing to see how children just blossom in an inclusive environment like the one we've created at Nowa Nowa.

"I just really hope that from this award I can encourage other people to make change and incorporate cultural inclusion, so that a broader range of children are getting better educational outcomes."

Ms Webb has created a program headed by local Aboriginal leaders, and included music classes, story time and "bush kinder".

Before working at Nowa Nowa Kindergarten Ms Webb worked improving education for children with disabilities.

The winners of the Victorian Government's Victorian Early Years Awards were announced on Monday evening at the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne, where they received between $10,000 and $15,000 each to go toward improving their work.

Minister for Early Childhood Education Jenny Mikakos said the awards recognised the crucial work Victoria's dedicated early childhood professionals were doing across the state.

"I congratulate all of this year's winners – their work in the early childhood sector lays the foundations to give our kids the best start in life to ensure they're ready for kinder, ready for school and ready for life," Ms Mikakos said.

Call Alex Sampson on 0429 943 027 for interviews.

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