Connect 26

Kia ora e te whānau,

We’ve officially entered the busiest term of the year! While it’s still a bit early to say, “Merry Christmas,” we’re looking forward to all the fun end-of-year celebrations that take place throughout the term.

In this Centre update, we’re excited to share our newly refined Centre values, developed collaboratively by our staff and beautifully brought to life by one of our talented past parents.

We’re also shining a spotlight on Marie, one of our amazing Early Intervention Teachers. Through these staff spotlights, we aim to highlight the incredible people behind our work and offer insight into what our services look like in practice. 

Happy reading!

What's new?

We are very excited to share our new Centre values that were beautifully designed by a past parent.

Staff Spotlight: Marie, Early Intervention Teacher

At the Champion Centre, we’re proud to have a team of passionate professionals who bring heart, expertise, and dedication to their work every day. As part of our ongoing series celebrating the incredible individuals who make our Centre so special, we sat down with Marie, one of our Early Intervention Teachers, to learn more about her role and the impact she’s making in the lives of children and families. 

Working in Education Marie’s path to specialist teaching was shaped by decades of experience in education, spanning early childhood and primary school. After 20 years in early childhood education, she transitioned to part-time roles in early childhood centers and primary schools, including work as an Ongoing Resourcing Scheme (ORS) specialist teacher.

Her connection to the Champion Centre deepened after working with a child who attended the Centre. “She had Cerebral Palsy and cognitive delay, and was physically impaired, but she had this incredible presence. She’d light up when she saw you, and she just lit up my day.”

 Marie supported her through her transition to school and continued to visit her classroom after she started. Tragically, the child passed away not long after. “That was one of the hardest funerals I’ve ever attended. It’s probably the hardest part of this job, and I think many people here would say the same.”  

Marie’s Journey at the Champion Centre Now, Marie has been part of the Champion Centre team for nearly seven years, holding a variety of roles including Play Therapist, Early Childhood Centre Liaison, Developmental Learning Specialist, and Technology Accessed Learning Specialist. For the past few years, she has focused on her role as an Early Intervention Teacher.

 “I’m an early intervention teacher working alongside a multidisciplinary team,” Marie explains. “My focus includes cognitive and fine motor skills, but we approach everything holistically. If a child is struggling with eating or using utensils, we might use activities like messy play or spoon-feeding games to support real-life skills at home.”

 Supporting families through the transition to school a process is another part of Marie’s role. The transition process can begin up to 18months before a child’s first day but looks different for each family.  

“Every family is different, with unique needs, so each transition looks quite different,” she says. “It’s all about tailoring the support to fit the child and whānau.”

Overall, her goal is to empower parents to lead the transition, helping them build strong relationships with schools and support services.

Sharing Knowledge, Creating Impact As part of her post graduate study Marie has worked on four portfolios, each with a specific focus. These included: transition to school, reflective growth cycles/practice, strengthening external relationships, and professional development.  

For her professional development portfolio, she gathered feedback from whānau, educators, and support workers. Her goal was to find out what kind of professional development would best support educators’ knowledge and improve outcomes for the children and families they work with.

 “I was really humbled by how open and honest they were,” she says. “Families shared that their children often felt lost in early childhood services, and communication with staff was lacking. Whānau also reported that they received mostly negative feedback about their child in their education setting.” 

This feedback sparked a wider conversation at the Champion Centre, leading to the formation of a think tank to explore how the Centre could better support educators and the community through Professional Learning and Development (PLD). 

Developing Future Workshops Marie and her colleague Juliana developed a two-hour PLD workshop based on the feedback, focusing on neurodiversity, practical strategies, connecting with whānau, and communication techniques. The response was overwhelmingly positive, with educators expressing interest in further training.

“The Champion Centre is in the process of putting together several PLD packages that will be launched soon on our website,” Marie shares.

Looking Ahead Marie’s passion for professional development began years ago when she ran evening workshops for early childhood teachers. “They were really well received, with great attendance and many returning participants,” she says. “When I returned to in-programme work, I had to stop those sessions, but I always wanted to continue.”

She’s driven by a desire to share the Champion Centre’s knowledge more widely. “People want simple, practical strategies and we have so much expertise here. Ultimately, it improves outcomes for whānau, tamariki, and the community. It’s about creating ripples of impact.”

 Marie’s hope is that families leave the Champion Centre feeling just as supported as when they arrived. “That transition is key, it’s what they take with them when they walk out the door.”

CAN YOU HELP SUPPORT OUR VITAL WORK?

For over 45 years we have provided essential support to infants and young children with disabilities and developmental delays. Our ongoing challenge is to reduce the funding shortfall of approximately $700,000 between government contracts and our total operating expenses. With the help of our generous community, we are able to continue providing the early intervention our families have come to expect from the Champion Centre.

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