Alex Ricks

Centre Manager - Community Kids Clinton Park

"Every child is one caring adult away from being a success story" – Josh Shipp

I started working in early learning in 2010 and have been at Community Kids Clinton Park since 2014. I hold a Diploma of Children’s Services (Early childhood education and care). Throughout my time in child care, I have worked as an assistant and as a lead educator throughout all age groups from nursery to kindergarten. More recently I stepped into the Assistant Centre Manager and was then appointed as the Centre Manager.

I have worked in locations from Rockhampton to Brisbane. I particularly love the feeling of supporting a team of educators to be the best they can be and provide the best possible care for the children in our centre. I would describe my approach to children’s learning along the lines of this quote by Josh Shipp: "every child is one caring adult away from being a success story".  A dedicated early childhood education and child care centre is a perfect environment for children to develop their spatial awareness and gross motor skills. Due to the nature and size of rooms, we are also able to provide opportunities to build upon their identity and resilience as they navigate peers their own age. We are also able to expose children to a wider variety of cultures and practices.

Here at Community Kids Clinton Park Child Care and Early Education Centre, we are committed to safety and wellbeing of all children and young people. This will be the primary focus of our care and decision-making. There is zero tolerance for child abuse. We are committed to providing a child safe environment where children feel safe, and their voices are heard about decisions that affect their lives. Particular attention will also be paid to the cultural safety of Aboriginal children and children from culturally and/or linguistically diverse backgrounds, as well as the safety of children with a disability.

We have long-serving, multicultural team members who reflect our local community. Many have been with the centre for over 5 years. They are all incredibly committed and positive about their role as educators. My aim is to continually support my team as a leader to ensure they can continue to further their own skills and that we can always provide the best possible care for our children and families.

It can be overwhelming when you’re looking to find the right place for your child and family. I highly recommend coming into the centre and having a tour. During the tour process we will show you around the centre, introduce you to the educators and walk you through the CCS and the enrolment process. If families have any further questions or require assistance they are always encouraged to contact the centre via phone, e-mail or in person.

We encourage open communication with our families. Through the use of Xplor platform we are able to share photos, learning updates and any necessary information with the families. On top of this we always remind families they are welcome to phone the centre whenever they like to get a verbal update about their child’s wellbeing, especially when their child is still settling in.

Our centre has chickens as part of our sustainability project and the children within the service has named one of them after myself, Mr. Alex the chicken.

I look forward to welcoming your family to Community Kids Clinton Park Child Care and Early Education Centre.