Martina Fynn

Teacher

Special needs

Category: Teaching Staff

What is your favourite activity with the children in your class?
I enjoy activities that involve communication through the five senses, early mathematics and sensory input. These activities are engaging and help build a strong foundation for the children’s learning.

What motivates you in your role as an ECD teacher?
The emotional responses of my learners during activities motivate me. They guide me in planning and scaffolding learning experiences that cater to their developmental needs.

Why is feedback from parents important to you?
Feedback is crucial because it provides me with insights and strategies to better support the development of each child.

Jada Smith

Teacher

Babies and toddlers

Category: Teaching Staff

What is your favourite activity with the children in your class?
I love music and movement circles because they combine my passion for dance and music with the children' s natural energy and enthusiasm.
Not only do we have fun together, but these activities also provide valuable learning experiences, making them both rewarding and engaging for all of us.

What motivates you in your role as an ECD teacher?
Knowing that I am shaping the next generation and instilling a lifelong love of learning motivates me every day. Seeing the children' s progress and growth brings me immense satisfaction and joy.

Why is feedback from parents important to you?
Feedback helps build a strong partnership with parents. Effective communication is the foundation that allows us to work together in support of each child' s unique needs and growth.

Gadija Gamiet

Teacher

Grade RR and Grade R

Category: Teaching Staff

What is your favourite activity with the children in your class?
I love numeracy and literacy activities because children at this age enjoy learning new concepts and discovering new things.

What motivates you in your role as an ECD teacher?
Having a positive impact on young minds and helping them achieve their milestones motivates me.
I also cherish the amazing relationships I build with each of the children in my class.

Why is feedback from parents important to you?
It provides important insight into a parent’s concerns about their child’s needs and their expectations of me as their teacher.

Tamara Fraser

Teacher

Pre school

Category: Teaching Staff

What is your favourite activity with the children in your class?
It’s hard to pick just one because I enjoy in all the activities we do together. Each one offers a unique opportunity to engage with the children and see their excitement as they learn new things.

What motivates you in your role as an ECD teacher?
There is a unique joy that comes from teaching children. It’s incredibly rewarding to see how much they’ve learned each term. This motivates me, and seeing the smiles on their faces as they achieve a milestone is priceless.

Why is feedback from parents important to you?
It fosters a more positive experience by encouraging open communication and collaboration. Parents also appreciate hearing about the outcomes their children are achieving in the classroom.

Odette Leach

Principal

Principal

Category: Administration

Principal and Owner

Odette has been leading Kay-Dee Educare Centre since 1989, ensuring its smooth day-to-day operations, staff management and training.
She oversees the implementation of the curriculum, maintains strong relationships with parents and ensures the ongoing financial stability of the centre.

Under her leadership, Kay-Dee has become a well-known and respected Early Childhood Development Centre in Mowbray and its surrounding areas, reflecting her extensive experience and successful track record. In addition to her principal duties, Odette serves as the designated Health & Safety Manager, responsible for overseeing fire drills and the centre's evacuation process.

Cynthia Banda

General Assistant

Category: Administration

What do you enjoy most about working at an ECD?
I enjoy sensory play, music and movement activities. I take pride in making a difference by ensuring the facilities are always clean and by giving the children unconditional love and affection.

What motivates you in your role as an ECD General Assistant?
Receiving hugs and smiles from the children and watching their development progress motivates me.

Why is feedback from your colleagues important to you?
Feedback is crucial to me because it provides insights into how I can improve. Positive feedback boosts my confidence and motivation, encouraging me to continue growing in my role.

Renee Gordon

Admin clerk

Category: Administration

What do you enjoy most about working at an ECD Centre?
I enjoy working in an ECD Centre because working with children ensures each day will be a unique adventure, as kids are exciting and unpredictable. Nothing matches the energy of a child’s enthusiasm for life and their eagerness to learn.

What motivates you in the work you do?
I feel inspired and possess a desire and willingness to satisfy the individual needs of others and to achieve objectives for myself and them.

Why is feedback from your colleagues important to you?
Even though feedback may be unsettling or daunting it is necessary if you want to motivate someone to perform better. It can also give you an opportunity to look at yourself in a different light and see how others perceive you and the impact that your behaviour and ways of working have on others.

Charles Mitchell

Handyman

Category: Administration

What do you enjoy most about working at an ECD Centre?
I enjoy driving and listening to the children's excited chatter about their day at school while I drive them.

What motivates you in the work you do?
Knowing that I am responsible for the safety of the children while driving the bus motivates me. I also take pride in seeing them enjoy playing on equipment that I’ve repaired.

Why is feedback from your colleagues important to you?
Receiving feedback from my colleagues after fixing something that required maintenance gives me a sense of achievement.

Bongi Mhlawuli

Kitchen Assistant

Category: Administration

What do you enjoy most about working at an ECD Centre?
I love cooking, and it makes me happy when the children enjoy the food I prepare.

What motivates you in the work you do?
When the bowls come back empty, I know the children enjoyed the food, and that motivates me. If the children are happy, I know the parents will be happy too.

Why is feedback from your colleagues important to you?
I value feedback from my colleagues because hearing their opinions helps me learn and grow.

Zipho Zatu

General worker

Category: Administration

What do you enjoy most about working at an ECD Centre?
I like making sure the place is safe by fixing things quickly.

What motivates you in the work you do?
I feel good when my work helps others enjoy the facilities and keeps the environment safe.

Why is feedback from your colleagues important to you?
It’s important to know if what I did was done right. It also helps us work well together and support each other.

Adri Van Der Merwe

Accounts Clerk

Category: Administration

What do you enjoy most about working at an ECD Centre?
I enjoy listening to the children’s voices on the playground, or to see them coming from their classes for lunch time.

What motivates you in the work you do?
Being able to offer assistance and support to any of my colleagues, the children or parents.

Why is feedback from your colleagues important to you?
If a colleague mentions in a caring manner an aspect of my behaviour they appreciate, it makes me feel supported.
If it is negative feedback, I will reflect on it and try my best to learn from the feedback in order to improve my relationship with my colleagues.