Meet the educators …

These are the stories of some of the early childhood educators and teachers who have come from all over the world to live and work in childcare centres in Moranbah in the Isaac Region in QLD. The Childcare Leadership Alliance has made this possible with an innovative and unique recruitment campaign that offers a pathway to permanent residency through visa-sponsored employment.

Meet Maricel Ronquillo, Educational Leader

Title: Maricel’s Journey Takes a Turn with a Reunion Dream

Maricel Ronquillo’s journey from her home in the Philippines to Moranbah, a mining town in Queensland, took some twists and turns, and at times some struggles and triumphs, before she reached her final destination.

Maricel’s first Australian home was in Sydney, where she arrived in 2018 and stayed for several years. With her Certificate III in early childhood education, Maricel began working in a childcare centre as an educator. While in Sydney, Maricel obtained her Diploma in Early Education, which opened up new working prospects, and she was promoted to a leadership position and became a lead educator.

By this time, however, Maricel needed to reconsider her situation due to her visa status and began searching for a role that offered visa sponsorship so she could reunite her family. Maricel and her husband had, in fact, moved to Australia without their nine-year-old daughter, leaving her back in the Philippines in the care of her grandmother. It was difficult for them all, but a sacrifice they made to build their dream of a better life in Australia.

Maricel took a job offering sponsorship in Katherine in the Northern Territory, and while she loved the childcare centre where she worked, she had trouble settling into the community there. She eventually gave up the sponsorship opportunity and returned to Sydney.

Not long after being back in Sydney, Maricel saw an ad on social media recruiting for visa-sponsored educator roles at Simply Sunshine Early Education in Moranbah. After working through the lengthy recruitment and sponsorship process, Maricel arrived in Moranbah in November 2023, excited and a little apprehensive about her new life and the reunion ahead of them.

Maricel is very grateful to Amanda, the Simply Sunshine Director, for the opportunity to be a complete family again after almost six years. They are all adjusting well to their new home in Moranbah with the support of their colleagues at work and everyone in the community around them.

Especially proud of her 15-year-old daughter’s adjustment to life in Australia, Maricel says, “She’s settling okay as she is getting new friends now and embracing the culture.”

Maricel is filled with gratitude and a quiet determination to embrace the opportunities that lie ahead. “I am here now, and my daughter is here with me. And my husband. It’s like a dream come true to be together as a family again. That’s the greatest gift from God, and I am truly thankful for it.”

The Childcare Leadership Alliance is proud to have been supporting Maricel on her journey.