mmg.com.au

Helping local preschool children reach their potential has been Heather Darbyshire’s passion for the past 14 years.

But on Thursday, the preschool field officer at St Luke’s Echuca called it a day and is looking forward to retirement.

Her replacement, Nicole Murphy, has been learning the ropes for the past few weeks and is ready to take over.

As a preschool officer, Mrs Darbyshire built close relationships with kindergarten staff and families to support children with additional needs.

The engagement of St Luke’s support is triggered by a referral system, where parents, teaching staff or another professionals working with the child and family can highlight the need for extra care.

Mrs Darbyshire said the children she worked with found it difficult to be part of mainstream kindergarten or felt uncomfortable in the preschool environment.

St Luke’s works with teachers and families to identify a child’s strengths and to find out what support they need.

‘‘My role has been very demanding, but when it all works out for the best, and you see positive changes in a child, it’s very rewarding,’’ Mrs Darbyshire said.

She said the rate of preschool referrals was reducing, which was directly attributed to the stable group of teachers she has been working with.

‘‘‘The numbers are dropping, and that’s because our collaborative approach at St Luke’s has really benefited teachers, they’ve developed additional skills to manage and cope, so they are not needing as much support,’’ she said.

‘‘The early childhood teachers in Campaspe Shire are an amazing group of highly-skilled educators.’’

Now, though, Mrs Darbyshire is focusing on new challenges in her retirement; her garden, an interest in creative welding and travelling.