Extensive experience and highly qualified ...
Childcare by Design is owned and operated by Dr Brenda Abbey who has extensive experience in early childhood settings including over 15 years in the childcare industry.
Brenda's experience includes:
- Director of private and community centres
- Validator with the QIAS
- Resource Officer (licensing, monitoring) with the Queensland Department of Communities
- Writer of modules for Diploma of Children's Services and editorials for newspapers
- Lecturer at University and TAFE
- Conference Presenter
Her qualifications include:
- Doctor of Philosophy (Education)
- Master of Education (Educational Administration)
- Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood)
- Diploma of Teaching (Early Childhood)
- Justice of the Peace (Qualified)
Brenda was the foundation director of a privately owned childcare centre licensed for 74 children and a foundation director of a centre licensed for 150 children attached to a large independent school.
She was a validator of the Quality Improvement and Accreditation System with the National Childcare Accreditation Council. In this capacity, she travelled interstate and to the far north of Queensland. In addition, she was employed by the Queensland Department of Communities as a Community Support Officer where she licensed and relicensed children’s services and monitored their compliance, and consulted with investors and prospective licensees in the development of new services.
Brenda has also held teaching positions with Education Queensland and lectured in early childhood and children’s services at University and TAFE. She has written, and content reviewed, curriculum for certificate and diploma courses for students enrolled in children’s services at the Queensland Open Learning Institute of TAFE. She has contributed to a variety of early childhood professional journals and authored a regular column in a regional newspaper.
Brenda has a passion for the childcare industry, and is a committed advocate for the Early Learning Years. She specialises in supporting owners/operators in designing and developing high quality services as well as in project management, licensing, and centre operational management.
She has been involved in the setup and management of child care centres in South-East Queensland including the Sunshine Coast Grammar School 150 place precinct opened in 2006.
