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Written by Amie Andrews, Nominated Supervisor | Castle Hill
Celebrating International Nurses Day at Dashing Ducks Castle Hill
International Nurses Day Castle Hill was celebrated in style at Dashing Ducks this year. On 12 May, International Nurses Day is observed around the world to honour the nursing profession — and at our Castle Hill centre, we were lucky enough to welcome Olivia, a nurse from Westmead NICU, through our doors.
Olivia shared her story with our preschool children, explaining what it means to care for tiny babies and their families. The visit sparked rich conversation, a burst of creative energy, and a heartfelt reminder of the role nurses play in our community.
A visit from Westmead NICU
Olivia, a nurse from the Westmead NICU, visited our Castle Hill centre to spend time with our children, families, and educators. Her visit meant a great deal to many people in the room that day — some of our families know that unit personally, and so do some of our educators.
Welcoming Olivia gave us a chance to say thank you in person, with children and parents present. That matters. It was also a reminder of what we believe about child care in Castle Hill: a good early childhood centre is not separate from the community around it. It is part of it.
What our children made
Our children responded the way they always do — they made something. Together, they painted a large rainbow to send back to Westmead Hospital as a gift from our preschool to the nursing team. The message they sent with it read: “Count your rainbows, not your thunderstorms.”
It is a simple phrase, but a good one. NICU nurses spend their days holding space for families in some of the most vulnerable moments of their lives. A handmade rainbow from a room full of preschoolers, with that message attached, carries a kind of warmth that is hard to manufacture. Our children understood they were making it for people doing important work. You could see it in how carefully they went about it.
Why community matters in early childhood
At Dashing Ducks, community connection is woven through our program throughout the year. The Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) recognises that children develop a strong sense of identity and belonging when they feel genuinely connected to the world around them, not just to the people in their immediate room.
Events like International Nurses Day give that connection a concrete shape. When a preschooler makes something for a nurse they have never met, they are learning empathy in a way that is real rather than abstract. They are discovering that their effort matters to someone out there. That early experience of contributing to something beyond themselves builds the social habits that carry children through school and beyond.
A thank you to nurses everywhere
To Olivia for giving her time to visit, and to every nurse working in NICUs, wards, emergency departments, aged care facilities, and community health services across Australia — thank you. What you do for the most vulnerable patients is valued far more than one day a year can express.
We hope the rainbow found a good wall somewhere at Westmead.
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