How do you teach a toddler to read? Meet Susanna and Rob Bateman, the couple achieving award-winning success by making it fun.
Discovering their eldest son suffered from learning difficulties 35 years ago, set Susanna and Rob on the journey to get help. The reality was that all four of their children had some form of dyslexia and Susanna had lived with the condition, undiagnosed, her entire life. Fast-forward to 2004 and this family issue resulted in a family-owned and run solution!
Susanna and Rob launched Little Miracles Early Learning Centres and now all four siblings are also involved, focusing on giving toddlers a flying start to school.
In this Game Changers interview with Game Changers host Sarah Harris, the couple, clearly passionate about their philosophy, explain the Little Miracles’ early learning techniques which are fun, effective and full of positive experience. It’s all about boosting the children’s abilities before entering kindergarten, Rob says “It gives them great confidence when they go to school”. “It can totally empower them;” adds Susanna.
The comfortable, loving ‘home’ environment the children experience provides the ultimate atmosphere for the highly successful Loving Literacy programme taught by educators at the nine centres. Having been challenged herself, Susanna reflects “Reading is so important, it’s such an important part of life”.
The nurturing experience doesn’t stop with the children either. Little Miracles staff and educators are helped to reach their full potential too through the Centre’s ‘Culture of Honour’. “We empower our staff to understand their own value and their own significance and the value and significance of those they’re working with” Susanna explains. Promoting respect and positive treatment impacts on how staff interact with each of the children, but also in their own home lives.
The Little Miracles philosophy reaches beyond Australian borders too. One of the charities they support is The Bali Life Foundation. “We’re taking our reading programme over there, we’re training the teachers. We’re helping and empowering the children to be able to get into school and University and we do have some in University already and doing really, really well” Susanna proudly reports.
Little Miracles has won the title of National Winner of the Australian Achievers Award for Excellence in Customer Service Childcare in 2015, 2016 and 2017 – three years running. Susanna and Rob Bateman are leading the way with this Game Changing organisation.
