Tara Sweeney named Stanthorpe’s best childcare worker of 2022

A lifelong passion and commitment to giving children the best possible start to their schooling journey has earned this standout educator the title of Stanthorpe’s best. Meet the winner as voted by you here:

Close to a decade of working to give Stanthorpe children the best possible start to their education has earned a beloved childcare worker the title of the town’s best, with the nod coming as she prepares to leap into the next phase of her career.

Milestones Early Learning educator Tara Sweeney has been voted by Border Post readers as Stanthorpe’s best childcare worker, which she described as “a bit of a shock” among so many top-notch nominations.

Kickstarting her career at the Stanthorpe OSHC centre before joining the Milestones team, Ms Sweeney said childcare had always been her dream vocation.

“I’ve always liked working with children, so I decided to follow my passion with that,” she said.

Milestones Early Learning Stanthorpe educator Tara Sweeney (right) has been voted by readers as the town's best childcare worker of 2022. Picture: contributed

“I’m in the kindergarten room at the moment, so in an average day for us we work on a lot of play-based learning and building emotional resilience.

“We do a lot of small group work to get the children ready for school, so working on fine motor skills, asking questions, and getting the children’s cognitive awareness and social skills up.”

With nearly 10 years of industry experience now under her belt, Ms Sweeney said she was only two months away from graduating with a Bachelor of Education specialising in early childhood, bringing her a step closer to her goal of working in a primary school classroom.

Milestones Early Learning Stanthorpe educator Tara Sweeney has been voted by readers as the town's best childcare worker of 2022. Picture: contributed

“I’ve always been interested in being a teacher, and I finally got the push a couple of years ago to start studying and I haven’t looked back,” she said.

“I’ve been really lucky that I’ve seen quite a few children start in the babies’ room and move into kindergarten and then primary school, so I’ve got those lifelong connections with families now.

“Probably the most rewarding thing is seeing children grow and become confident, capable learners.

“I really like being able to make a difference in the children’s lives and keep building those relationships with children and their families.”

Originally published as Tara Sweeney named Stanthorpe’s best childcare worker of 2022