CACHE Level 3 Diploma in Childcare and Education
Jessica Whiteley was thrilled to be announced winner of the 2008 Heinemann and Nursery World Child Care Student of the Year Award, securing the title despite strong competition from three other excellent CACHE learners who also made it to the final.
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| Jessica is pictured third from the left with the other CACHE finalists at the Heinemann Nursery World Child Care Student of the Year Awards ceremony. They are joined by CACHE Regional Manager Kate Mollo (far left), and CACHE Chief Examiner Wendy Taylor (far right). |
18 year old Jessica was nominated for the award by her tutor Gill Leafe, after recently completing the CACHE Level 3 Diploma in Child Care and Education at Plume College in Maldon. Gill said, "Jessica is extremely talented in Childcare and has worked exceptionally well over the past two years to develop her skills." Jessica's mature and professional approach has also not gone unnoticed by her placement supervisors, who have complimented her on her ability to communicate with and relate to children of all ages whilst showing great initiative and practical skills.
Dedicated Jessica has also been involved in volunteer work, taking part in the three day pyramid training programme which was run by Barnados. The scheme saw Jessica working closely with a selected number of children with special needs, supporting them in forming relationships with their peers, whilst helping to build their confidence and enhance their social skills. Following the workshops, both parents and teachers noticed a dramatic improvement in how the children interacted with their fellow classmates, and Jessica describes the experience as 'extremely worthwhile'. She now works voluntarily for one evening a week in a local primary school as part of the scheme
The official awards ceremony took place on 1st July, at Heinemann's head office in Oxford, with Brian Tytherleigh, Director of National Programmes for the Children's Workforce Development Council (CWDC) presenting the certificates to winner Jessica and the three other CACHE finalists. Jessica was also delighted to receive one year's free subscription to Nursery World magazine, and a cheque for £300. On winning, Jessica exclaimed "I'm still in shock! The award will look amazing on my CV too." Jessica plans to save most of her £300 for university where she begins studying Social Psychology in September. However, she says she might put a little aside for shopping!
The Heinemann and Nursery World Childcare Student of the year Award recognises excellence in the care and education of children, rewarding high achieving students. Last year’s winner, Happiness Brown was one of three CACHE learners to reach the final of the competition. The 2006 winner Jamie-Lee Coldham, also a CACHE Diploma student, was among a shortlist made up entirely of CACHE candidates. The judging panel for this years’ awards commented that they faced a difficult task making their final decision. Well known author of Heinemann childcare books, Penny Tassoni was on the panel. She commented “ It was the hardest year to date as all candidates showed a good understanding of child development and amazing confidence in front of a judging panel. They are a great credit to their families and tutors.”
CACHE Level 3 Diploma in Childcare and Education
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