Natalie Petersen
Head of Special Education Services at Nursery Road ECDP
My name is Natalie Petersen and I am currently the HOSES at Nursery Road Early Childhood Development Program (ECDP) situated in Holland Park in Brisbane. I have been in this role for seven years and previously was a teacher for ten years at Acacia Ridge ECDP. I have been teaching for over 30 years and taught in various special education settings in Townsville, Charters Towers, Toowoomba and Brisbane.
This year I have been a member of the QASEL Management Committee advocating on behalf of ECDP leaders and staff in a number of QASEL forums, assisting with the development of position papers and providing feedback to QASEL and the Department on a range of issues, most recently as a member of a working group reviewing the role of HOSES.
For the past two years I have been the secretary of QASEL’s ECDP Sub-committee. This active committee has provided regular feedback to the Department of Education on its review of the ECDP Guidelines due to be completed this year. Over the year, the committee has expanded and currently links ECDP HOSES from all parts of the state. The committee also distributes a regular newsletter to ECDP leaders and teachers throughout the state and seeks feedback on a number of current issues including staffing and workload, curriculum and the implementation of current policies and processes. As part of my role on the Management Committee, I am able to report on the ECDP Sub-committee’s activities and concerns, and share feedback from across the state.
I am passionate about early intervention and the work of ECDPs. In my role, I am able to make connections and work closely with other special education leaders in both primary schools and special schools to facilitate successful transitions for our children to their Prep setting. I am also engaged in mentoring and supporting aspiring special education leaders.
I would like to renominate for a position on the QASEL Management Committee for 2023/24. I believe I can continue to offer additional insights from an ECDP perspective particularly in the rollout of the new Kindergarten Funding Package, the RAR model and the continuing challenges with building staffing capacity and capability.
I thank the members of the Management Committee for their support over the last year and I hope I can be considered to be part of this committee again in the future.
