Belonging, Being and Becoming: Interview with Enia Alberto

Belonging, Being and Becoming is a LinkedIn interview series which shares the stories of early childhood and oshc professionals currently working in the education industry.

The next interview of this series features Enia Alberto, Regional Manager at AEIOU Canberra. In today's interview, Enia will discuss her career journey, philosophy on education and care, and her experience working with AEIOU Foundation.

Pictured: Enia Alberto

When and why did you start a career in?early childhood education?

In high school I started working part time?as a teacher’s assistant in a childcare centre close to my house. I had no experience and didn’t really know what to expect. It was not a career plan at that time but I loved spending time with the children and see their little minds discovering the world around them.

Despite my love of working with children, after a few years in the industry I was seeking a change and enrolled in a Psychology course.?A couple of years into my degree, I did a practical placement in an inclusive school and fell back in love not only with early childhood education but more specifically with?special education.

What's your philosophy on education and care?

Working specifically with special education I strongly believe that all children can learn, we just need to know how to teach. If the child is not making progress it is our job as educators to assess why and change accordingly. I always have very high expectations for all the children that I work with and my goal is that every child will reach their potential.?

It may sound like a cliché but “it does take a village to raise a child”. A child’s village may include the parents, grandparents, educators,?therapists,?support workers and other professionals or family members that somehow support the child and the family.?Helping the child to reach their potential means not only working directly with the child but collaborating and sharing information with the “child’s village”.

?How would you describe your career journey?

I believe that I’m still in a middle of this journey as I’m learning every day. But looking back I’m very grateful for the opportunities that I have had to work with great educators and great clinicians that helped to feed my passion for special education. After finishing my bachelor’s degree I decided to start a masters in special education and at the around the same time I was hired to work in a school specialized in autism education in the USA. That was a period where I could work with experienced clinicians and educators and began to better understand how to support the children and their families. I became a board certified behaviour analyst and primarily worked with children with severe needs.?Today my hope is that I can spark?that passion in younger educators and clinicians.

What do you love most about working for AEIOU Foundation?

There are some many things that I love about it that’s difficult to pick one but working in an organization that genuinely cares?for the children and their families is really great.?I’m fortunate to have a team in the centre that have a similar passion and dedication to the children. We celebrate every achievement together and I personally love to see them growing and learning themselves.

What is your proudest career achievement?

I have so many that it would be impossible to choose one. Often the smaller moments feel like the greatest achievements. For instance, there was a child that used to isolate herself at our centre who recently began to join on social games with peers and staff. It's also always thrilling to hear from parents that they were able to enjoy an outside gathering with no incidents. I know this can sound so simple but that’s a major milestone for a lot of families. I learned to celebrate the journey and every little win in the way.

Pictured: Enia Alberto featured in Her Canberra's Article on AEIOU Canberra. To read the piece, following this link: https://hercanberra.com.au/city/family-city/state-of-the-art-centre-to-open-in-canberra-for-autism-support/

?What has most contributed to your career success?

I believe it was a combination of dedication and support from those around me. No one does anything alone and I was lucky to work with amazing people over the years that helped me learn and?grow as a clinician and an educator.??

What advice?would?you give someone looking to pursue a career in early childhood education?

Early childhood is a very rewarding career and in my view you need to be passionate about children but also passionate about learning. You will be teaching but will also need to look for learning opportunities so you can continue to grow as an educator. Stay updated with the current research and ensure to respect every child as an individual that should be an active participant in their learning journey.??

Do you have any projects or upcoming events coming up you would like to share?

I’m hoping that we will be able to return the community workshop series, which is an opportunity to share knowledge with other educators and talk about different topics like how to teach social, communication or play skills per example.?These workshops are usually open to educators and families in the community and a great opportunity to gain knowledge on how to better support children with special needs.?We will also be opening our third and forth rooms in the centre which I’m very happy about.

Thanks for reading this interview.

Want to be featured in the next Belonging Being & Becoming interview? Get in touch by emailing [email protected] or calling?02 6132 3886.