20 year milestones celebrated at Yenda Preschool

Vivien Bergamin and Cathy Stockton celebrated the occasion with youngsters, parents and fellow teachers on May 2.

Both say a passion for their work has had a lot to do with their longevity, commencing in the early 2000s when their own children were attending.

"There's always been a wonderful energy here that has made it a pleasure to work at," Ms Stockton said.

"It's been thoroughly rewarding.

"I always wanted to go into this field and I finally decided to do it after my second child was born," she said.

"I started out in a casual role before I was offered a traineeship and completed my Certificate III in children's services. From there I worked part-time and then full-time."

Seeing the youngsters learning and growing in a safe and happy environment has been the fuel for what they do.

"Learning is such an important thing at that age; the children are like sponges - they take everything in," she said.

"It's an incredible thing to nurture and aid their understanding."

Since the late 60s the preschool has been a vital institution in the Yenda community and both say they are privileged to be a part.

"I've been here for the school's 40th and 50th celebrations; with some luck I'll be here for the 60th as well," Ms Bergamin said.

She began working at the school in 2003 as a parent helper and soon realised it was her calling.

"My eldest son attended in 2003 and I wanted to help build the skills of the students and their learning process," she said.

"I then went on to do my certificate III as a trainee and completed a diploma of children's services for remote and rural students.

"There've been plenty of fun times over the years; kids say and do the funniest things.

"It's a pivotal time in their development and I think early childhood education is more important than ever," Ms Bergamin said.

"Some youngsters have learning difficulties and one of the differences we can make is implementing strategies that meet their needs and sets them up for primary school.

"Cathy and I have supported each other over the years and we owe a lot to our mentors, both past and present. We're a very tight-knit bunch," she said.

"I think the wider community are taking notice because in the last five years we've seen parents utilise the service, coming from as far as Rankins Springs, Barellan, Whitton, and Leeton."

The educators were awarded special plaques commemorating their longevity during a celebratory gathering on Thursday.