By Belinda Nolan
EVERY morning Narrelle Cahill goes to work with a smile on her face.
Despite 21 years in childcare, no day is ever the same.
Ms Cahill has been the director of Sunshine North’s Phoenix Street Children’s Centre for the past 18 months.
Since arriving at the kindergarten, the passionate director and mother-of-three has made many positive changes.
“When I first started at the centre it was just about ready to close down,” Ms Cahill said.
“It was very run down and we didn’t have many children, our numbers were really low.
“Now, we have a huge waiting list for the first time in ages.”
A passionate environmentalist, Ms Cahill spearheaded a new initiative, dubbed “Little Green Handprints” in a bid to encourage children to recycle and save water. Her efforts have not gone unnoticed.
Ms Cahill was last month nominated as Children’s Service Director of the Year in the annual Australian Family Child Care Awards.
“It was a bit of a shock but at the same time a great honour,” Ms Cahill said.
“A lot of people don’t realise how much after hours work goes into this job, so it’s really nice to feel appreciated.”
State awards will be announced on 20 April with the national awardees to follow on 29 April.
