Ep 7: Interview with Narelle Avis

Narelle Avis has been the Director of the Cooma North Preschool for 14 years and has worked in the Early Childhood Sector for over 20 years.  Narelle is a passionate Early Childhood Teacher with a strong interest in inclusive practice and advocacy for children. Narelle is an active member of the local Early Childhood network group.  She is the Educational Leader of the service and enjoys mentoring and supporting the other teachers and educators.  Narelle believes that relationships with families and children are central to children’s learning and development. In this episode we will discuss: Cooma North Preschool’s historical background Narelle’s career and her time with Coome North Preschool Embedding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives and how Narelle kick-started the process in her centre Unlearning to re-learn ‘Innovative and be resourceful’ – Narelle’s tips for professional development in regional or remote areas. Cooma North Preschool’s transformation around including Aboriginal Perspective’s and how they got started. Challenge Narelle and her team have overcome in a short period of time. How to navigate conflicting advice Narelle’s artist in residency program and the challenges that surfaced How to build trust and relationships with your local community How to include your team and the importance of Leaders being onboard and having the right conversations. Resources for educators looking to get started. Why it’s really important and the conversation you need to be having   Links mentioned in this episode: Cooma North Preschool Association Incorporated: https://www.facebook.com/coomanorthpreschool/ https://www.coomanorthpreschool.com.au/ Koori Curriculum: https://kooricurriculum.com/