Our Team

I consider myself so fortunate to have found a career in early childhood that has continued to give me so much joy for the past 30 years.  I am an advocate for children, and their ‘rights’ are at the Core of all decisions in our business.  Advocacy for children has taken me to Uganda working with Child Soldiers – who never had the opportunity to be children.  I am also an active researcher of children and have presented research internationally.  My research focus is on improving well-being of children through teaching gratitude, empathy and kindness.

I have been in working within the children’s education industry for 21 years and completed my Diploma of Children’s Services in 2015, prior to working within long day care services; I owned and operated my own Family Day Care business. I have over 10 years’ experience working within retail management before I had the opportunity to move within the childcare sector. So thankful that I did..

I am passionate about ensuring that everyone is heard, I wear my heart on my sleeve, and a big advocate for mental wellness and as Robert Ingersoll states, “We rise by lifting others.”

As Mount Peter Early Learning Centre Manager, I do tend to lead by example, with the belief that there is a difference between having a grateful heart, and sharing a grateful heart with others.

I am very blessed to have 6 children of my own, 3 grandson’s (with one attending Mount Peter ELC) with another grandson arriving soon!

In my spare time, I love to explore our country, camping.. playing music, crafting and spending time with my family and friends.

Hi, my name is Therese (Trez) Doherty, I’m originally from County Armagh in the North of Ireland.  I moved to Australia in 2006 and have lived in Cairns since then.  I am a mother to three beautiful children.

I enjoy camping and reading in my spare time.

I began my early childhood career back in 2011 and I have since then completed my certificate 3 in Children Services and a Diploma in Early Education and Care.

My beliefs in childcare strongly align with the theories of Piaget and Vygotsky,  that every child is unique and has his or her own temperament and learning style. The child brings this uniqueness into each new experience and takes an active role in the process of learning through their engagement in these experiences, and we all have a lot of fun doing so.

I will respect, acknowledge and have an understanding of each family’s cultures and beliefs.

My career in Early Childhood has spanned over 25 years working across a variety of Early Childhood settings as an Early Childhood Teacher and Forest School Leader, a director of a childcare service and an Educator.   I have a passion for Early Childhood Education and the implementation of nature play instilling a love of learning, curiosity and wonder, developing all children’s desire to become life-long learners.

I am passionate about challenging the way people think and approach educating children. I am driven by the ever-evolving sense of wonder, awe, and discovery of children, facilitating learning and igniting moments of critical thinking within the minds of children as they imagine, discover, problem solve and reflect upon moments of their learning.

I am a firm believer in “the environment as the third teacher” meaning that our learning environment is constructed and driven by the children where educators become co-constructors of learning and children’s journeys are scaffolded as their interests continue to deepen.