Background
My background is working in childcare followed by a number of years working for Hertfordshire County Council supporting childcare such as pre-schools, day nurseries, breakfast clubs and childminders. This is how I first heard about PBs when I visited an after school club where the staff had recently done the 2 day foundation course and they told me what a difference it had made in their setting where they worked with children age 3-11, many of whom had challenging and difficult things to deal with in their lives. I signed up for the 2 day Foundation Level course and here I am now 15 years later, an endorsed trainer using PBs every day in my personal and work life and seeing the difference it can make.
I spent 12 years managing Children’s Centres in Stevenage and developed a 6 week programme for parents and carers, using the Foundation Level 2 day course as a base but splitting it into 6 x 2 hour workshops with lots of discussion and practical activities to support learning. This proved really successful, with parents telling their friends about it and recommending it to others. Some parents returned several years later to tell me how they were still using PBs and the positive effect it had on their family.
My own journey with PBs has been a winding one, with me stopping every now and again to re-assess and reflect on different situations, asking questions and troubling away at particular parts of the process. I believe that this is how we really embed something into ourselves and I always come back to the same conclusion – PBs is magic and I just want to spread the word!
