“Life’s too short”
That was what Debbie Miller’s father said to her before he sadly passed away, and it’s the reason why, 15 years later, she works in childcare.
Until that point, Debbie had had different jobs, including shop work, but pursuing childcare as a career had always been at the back of her mind.
It was only when her dad became poorly that this came into much sharper focus for her.
She explains: “When my dad retired, he planned to do plenty of things, but he then became ill, and I remember him saying to me just before he died that life was too short and that I should give childcare a go.
“I did what he said, and I know he would be proud of what I achieved since then.”
With no formal childcare qualifications, Debbie had to start from the beginning and undertake work-based learning which culminated in her achieving her Leve 3 in childcare.
During her career she has been a room leader and manager of a nursery but when that setting unfortunately had to close, she came to work in Little Ladybirds in April 2023.
Working in our rising-3s room, her experience is already proving invaluable.
“I was manager at a much smaller nursery, so I was still very much hands-on, so adapting to my new role has been easy for me,” Debbie explains.
“I love the concept of the rising-3s as it was not something we had at any of my previous settings, but it is so important as some children need a little bit time before they are ready to move up into pre-school.
“It’s such a rewarding job and I am enjoying being at Little Ladybirds and looking forward to playing my own part in the children’s development.”
Outside of work, mum-of-two Debbie likes spending time with her family and going to the gym.
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