The scholarship will allow Ashleigh to study a Bachelor of Early Childhood (Birth to Five Years) at Charles Sturt University, and boost her qualifications as someone working in child care.

Ashleigh found herself working in child care after studying it at TAFE during her final years of high school, and said the job always felt natural to her.

“I’ve always loved kids… and the people I work with here at Pied Piper, we all get along so well,” Ashleigh said.

With the scholarship, Ashleigh will study her degree via distance while continuing to work.

“Doing this degree will give me the opportunity to work as a director one day, have more responsibility in my role and even work more with the Department of Family and Community Services.”

Trudy Magus, the preschool’s director, said Ashleigh has always stood out as someone who puts the extra mile in for her job and the children she teaches.

“Her assessments from studying at TAFE have actually been kept on file as examples of exemplary work,” Ms Magus said.

“She really sets a benchmark.”

Member for Bathurst Paul Toole visited Pied Piper on Wednesday to congratulate Ashleigh, and said the scholarship is a way to improve early childhood education in rural and regional NSW.

“We want our local educators to have the best qualifications,” Mr Toole said.

People working in Early Childhood Teaching can apply for the Rural and Remote Early Childhood Teaching Scholarships, with 30 of them due to be handed out from now until 2019.

For more information on the scholarships, head to http://bit.ly/1QuV0vG to see how you can apply.