Pioneer of Early Childhood Education for Communities from Different Ethnic Backgrounds   

Celebrating the Ruby Anniversary of CASS Family Day Care Together!

A grand party was held on the morning of Sunday, 23 October 2022 to celebrate the remarkable milestones achieved by CASS Family Day Care in the previous 40 years. We are delighted to have the presence of a hundred of honourable guests, educators and families gathered at CASS Activity Hall to make the day a special one.

We were honoured to have a number of distinguished guests, including The Honourable Tony Burke MP, Leader of the House of Representatives, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations & Minister for the Arts; The Honourable Mark Coure MP, Minister for Multiculturalism and Minister for Seniors; Ms Sophie Cotsis MP, State Member for Canterbury; Mr Jason Li MP, State Member for Strathfield; Mr. Andrew Paterson, Chief Executive Officer of Family Day Care Australia and Clr. Rachelle Harika of the City of Canterbury-Bankstown.

 Dr Bo Zhou, CASS Chairperson; Mr Henry Pan OAM, CASS Foundation Chairperson and Honorary Executive Director; Dr Leng Tan, CASS Emeritus Chairperson; and other CASS Board members, including Ms Tica Lee, Mrs Teresa Chu, Mrs Winnie Fung, Mr Francis Lee and former Board member Mr. Ching Tan were present to celebrate this special occasion.

Multiculturalism is the theme of the event. The audience was deeply impressed by the children in colourful multicultural costumes singing the Australian national anthem to kick-start the celebration.

In his welcoming speech, Dr Bo Zhou said, “Family Day Care was the first service CASS started 40 years ago. It was our foundation and origin, was also a ground-breaking initiative in Australia at that time. It is thrilling to witness the vigorous development and remarkable achievement of our Family Day Care service in the past four decades. We are excited to make our concerted effort to create a brilliant future.”

Afterwards, a short video showing the development journey of CASS Family Day Care Service in the past 40 years was displayed, recounting several precious moments starting from the establishment of the first Board of Directors including Mr Henry Pan OAM, Dr Leng Tan and Mr. Ching Tan, to the significant landmark of being shortlisted as Top 4 finalists of “Excellence in Family Day Care Awards 2021”, as well as the touching sharing of our educators.

The Hon. Tony Burke MP, shared that he had witnessed the hardships and challenges CASS had gone through during the 20 years of friendship with CASS. He expressed: “I am here, on behalf of the Federal Government, to thank CASS and recognize her contributions. Early childhood education supports our kids in building a solid and broad foundation for lifelong learning and well‑being, which is critical for improving the living quality of our next generation.”

The Hon. Mark Coure MP, spoke highly of Mr Henry Pan OAM for his vision and commitment to establishing Family Day Care Services.  He said, “CASS Day Care Service has brought tremendous support and impact to many families and children as early childhood education gives children the best start in life.”

Ms Sophie Cotsis MP stated that CASS Family Day Care has successfully integrated multiculturalism into early childhood education, which greatly helps children to recognize and engage with the community with cultural diversity, to better understand the importance of inclusiveness and mutual respect.

Mr Jason Li MP mentioned in his speech that it was incredible to start the Family Day Care Services for Chinese background families 40 years ago as Asians were still the minority.   He acknowledged the significant contributions CASS has made and he will continue to support this meaningful service.

Mr Andrew Paterson, Chief Executive Officer of Family Day Care Australia stated, “ There are about 430 approved family day care service providers in Australia, managing over hundreds and thousands of early childhood educators.  I am very proud of CASS for being the Top 4 Service National Finalists of “Excellence in Family Day Care Award 2021”. CASS is a role model of community organization demonstrating the passion and commitment of serving the community”.

Outstanding educators is the cornerstone of family day care service. Ms. Kathy Leung and Ms. Anna Min, two amazing educators of CASS Family Day Care services, were invited to share their career journeys. They shared their stories and experiences of setting up a Family Day Care, thanked CASS Family Day Care and the team for the training and continuous support, and accompanying them through all the ups and downs. They have established their careers and gained a sense of belonging here.  

 More than ten family day care educators received the “Long Service Award” presented by Ms. Sophie Cotsis MP and Mr. Jason Li MP, recognising their commitment and contributions in early childhood education.   

The celebration was filled with wonderful singing and musical performances showcasing the wonderful collaborations between educators and parents; and a fashion show led by children and educators. The event was wrapped up by the cake cutting ceremony with CASS Board of Directors and Family Day Care team members together. All the guests and the host enjoyed the celebration and had a great time.