Best of Melbourne 2019: city’s top 10 childcare educators revealed
It was no child’s play coming up with this list, but here it is — Melbourne’s top 10 childcare educators, as voted by you. Did your centre and favourite carer make the grade? SEE THE FULL LIST OF WINNERS
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When we asked you to nominate Melbourne’s best childcare educators, we weren’t kidding around.
You schooled us in your favourites, sending in scores of nominations and thousands of votes for our latest Best of Melbourne poll.
It’s clear these special people, who help shape your little ones’ minds and prepare them to take their place in the world, are held dear in your hearts.
They’re so much more than babysitters.
You described their “care and passion” and spoke of how they “love and adore the kids like their own”.
So, no more keeping mum (or dad) — here they are, Melbourne’s best childcare educators, as chosen by you.
Are you looking for a great hairdresser or personal trainer? The best spot to grab fish and chips or a coffee? Check out Melbourne’s top picks, as chosen by Leader and Herald Sun readers as part of our Best of Melbourne series.
>>Is your childcare centre meeting or exceeding national standards? See our interactive table and find out.
MORE: THE BEST CHILDCARE CENTRES AND PRESCHOOLS IN CASEY
GEELONG’S TOP 10 CHILDCARE WORKERS
10. LEKHA TANDAVOORI, VIRGINIA PARK CHILD CARE ASSOCIATION INC, BENTLEIGH EAST
232 East Boundary Rd
Growing up in India, Lekha Tandavoori remembers always looking after children.
Mrs Tandavoori, 52, lived in an ancestral house built by her father and his brother, and the family shared their land and properties with tenants.
“I remember my grandma always telling me that I used to take all the children from the colony, I’d take them and play with them and put them to sleep. She’d say ‘don’t do so much with all these children, because when you have your own you’ll be fed up’ — but it never happened.
“I think I just forget myself with them.”
Mrs Tandavoori did a Bachelor of Education in India and has worked in the industry since she was 22, running family day care for 12 years in Dubai before she and husband Mohan relocated to Melbourne for their two daughters’ education.
She says she was sad to discover her qualifications weren’t recognised in Australia — but was quickly assessed for her Certificate 3, before going on to complete her Diploma and Advanced Diploma.
She has worked at several centres in Melbourne’s bayside suburbs, and has been at Virginia Park — where she works in the toddler room — for seven years.
Mrs Tandavoori says she has endured many struggles over the years, including losing her parents at 15 and nursing her husband through a prostate cancer scare.
Through it all, she remains positive, crediting her second love, yoga, for keeping her grounded.
“I want to make a difference in somebody’s life because nobody was there for me,” she says.
“Children have always been my passion. No way would I go into anything else. I can close my eyes and never think I’m tired.”
She says her work is not about the paycheck: “My money is when a parent comes and says, ‘Lekha, the strategies you gave us worked’.”
Georgina Neeson says: “Lekha is so caring with the children and their families, going above and beyond to ensure they’re comfortable and happy.”
More: virginiaparkchildcare.com.au
9. STEPHANIE MURPHY, POOH BEAR’S HOUSE, CROYDON NORTH
323 Maroondah Highway
Stephanie Murphy’s workplace has helped get her through the fight of her life.
Ms Murphy, 24, has just been declared cancer-free after a two-year battle with breast cancer — a diagnosis she received a decade after her mum died of the same disease.
Ironically, Ms Murphy had triple negative breast cancer rather than the hereditary version — she was “just bloody unlucky”, says her manager, Pooh Bear’s House owner Kim Russell.
Ms Russell says her amazing young worker had “barely any time off” despite her incredible fight. After the shock diagnosis, Ms Russell launched a GoFundMe campaign and organised a fun run at Lillydale Lake, raising nearly $25,000 towards Ms Murphy’s mounting medical bills.
Ms Murphy, who became a childcare educator after high school, says the centre — where she works in the baby room — was a welcome distraction.
In two years she has been through chemotherapy, six major surgeries and four smaller ones, including a double mastectomy — but nothing would keep her away from her kids.
“Every week I would go in and see the children — I didn’t want them to forget me,” she says.
“And I went back after chemo, but I worked through the majority of my surgeries.
“It was tough but at the same time it helped me a lot. My boss helped me out so much and the centre and the children helped me get on with it.
“When I was not feeling very good they helped me feel a bit better.
“I have lots of little children who are very excited and run up and cuddle me and that’s very rewarding each day.”
Ms Murphy will marry fiance David at the Portsea Hotel in February and says she is still “just taking each day as it comes”.
Parents from the centre have nothing but praise for the “passionate, caring and attentive” worker.
Amy De Ross says Ms Murphy is”honestly like a second mum to my babies” and lives by the mantra: “We get what we get and we don’t get upset.”
Ashleigh Leslie says she “always brings happiness to the room”.
“Loves and adores the kids like they are her own,” she says.
And Sophie Russell says: “Steph is a loving childcare worker who has fought breast cancer, but still visited the children throughout her battle.”
More: www.poohbearshouse.com.au
Instagram: pooh_bears_house
8. KATELYN VANDENHURK, GOODSTART EARLY LEARNING, RIDDELLS CREEK
701 Kilmore Rd
A stint as a volunteer teaching young kids on a remote Vanuatuan island cemented Katelyn Vandenhurk’s determination to become a childcare educator.
When she finished high school Mrs Vandenhurk, 25, travelled to isolated Ambae Island with Latitude Global Volunteers, spending four months in a tiny village with no running water or electricity, living off boiled rice and VT$20 a week.
“I had my own grade three class over there on the island — you don’t need any qualifications to teach,” she says.
“Ever since I was a kid I was the one who was always playing teachers, and I was the teacher.
“When I came back I decided instead of going to uni and doing teaching, I thought I’d go through childcare. I started childcare and fell in love.”
Mrs Vandenhurk has a newfound appreciation for the struggles parents go through leaving their children at a childcare centre, after she and husband Ryan welcomed their first child, Bodhi, last month.
The bub arrived on AFL Grand Final day — catching Mr Vandenhurk off-guard and thwarting his plans to attend the match.
“He (Bodhi) got to watch the last quarter with dad,” Mrs Vandenhurk laughs.
“It’s such a daunting process leaving your child, your little one, with someone you don’t overly know. It’s about making the parents comfortable as well.”
Mrs Vandenhurk is on maternity leave, but usually “floats” across the Riddells Creek centre, helping where it’s needed. She says “kids are my calling”.
“I just love that I’m able to help mould these beautiful young humans,” she says.
“I don’t think people sometimes realise how important the first five years are. A lot of the time people think we’re just babysitters, but we’re not.
“We nurture them, we’re caring for them and educating them at the same time.”
Zoe Tobin says she loves Mrs Vandenhurk’s “care and passion to their work and towards the children in (her) care”.
More: www.goodstart.org.au/centres/riddells-creek
7. AMANDA ZIEBELL, JIGSAW CHILDCARE, SUNSHINE NORTH
185 Phoenix St
Amanda Ziebell doesn’t think of herself only as a childcare educator — she’s a friend as well.
Ms Ziebell, 37, says she is naturally drawn to children, and loves building a connection with them.
“No matter where I am, I always go where the children are,” she says.
“If I’m at a family do or whatever, I tend to be with my nieces and nephews.
“I think it’s because I sit down with them at their level and interact with them and play with them.”
Ms Ziebell has been in childcare for 11 years and says she never saw herself doing anything else.
“One of my friends was actually doing volunteer work at a previous centre and they were doing a Christmas concert and he asked me to come and see and from that point on I knew I wanted to be in childcare,” she says.
“I wasn’t really interested in anything else but childcare, and I’m so glad that I did choose childcare because I interact with the children, I can become their friend, help them to develop into young adults, and knowing that you made a difference in their lives.
“Because at the end of the day these children are our future so to know that you made a difference is amazing.”
Ms Ziebell works in the kinder room and believes parents appreciate the fact she’s “down to earth and I really care about the children”.
“Because I have that bond and connection and really play with them, I’m gentle with them, I seem to understand them — they see a friend in me,” she says.
Louise Rasic says: “Amanda is a quiet achiever she always goes above and beyond to help anyone and everyone. The children love her.”
She says Ms Ziebell’s best advice is “A smile is contagious — when you’re happy and bubbly so are the children; it can make anyone’s day week year.”
More: www.jigsawcare.com.au
6. RYAN SULLIVAN, GOODSTART EARLY LEARNING, PAKENHAM
5 Portobello Rd
Ryan Sullivan is proud to be part of “seeing the change”.
As one of two full-time men at Goodstart Early Learning Pakenham, Mr Sullivan says he is happy to be leading the charge towards more men working in the traditionally female-dominated industry.
It’s the first centre he’s worked with another man, and believes many men are put off the industry because they’re worried about what parents might think.
“I’m happy to be part of seeing the change, and I think the more we see in early childhood, the more we’ll see more change,” Mr Sullivan says.
“I think if centres aren’t having men then we’re only going to see more of not having men.
“It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy.”
The 26-year-old became a childcare educator nearly four years ago, after teaching piano.
“I felt that the younger ages really connected with me, and everything took over from there,” he says.
“I really got so much out of those connections, so it inspired me to take it further.”
Mr Sullivan completed his Certificate 3 and Diploma in Early Childhood Education and Care at the Selmar Institute of Education and started at the Pakenham YMCA Early Learning Centre in the grounds of John Henry Primary School.
He moved to Goodstart last January and works in the nursery room, joking it’s “constant entertainment”.
“How I sum it up is every day it’s the little moments — sometimes it’s chatting with a toddler or it’s just being there to calm them when they’re upset. It’s those moments I’m really grateful for and they remind me this is where I’m meant to be,” he says.
Mr Sullivan has a passion for languages, and completed the Auslan Skills Level 1 course after meeting a mum with a hearing impairment and witnessing her communicating with her son.
He now shares Auslan with his young charges — and still uses music to connect, often pulling out his much-loved ukulele.
Jacqui Kelly says: “Ryan teaches the kids Auslan and also educates them through music — the kids love it.”
More: www.goodstart.org.au/centres/pakenham
5. JADE NICHOLSON, MAPLE STREET EARLY LEARNING, BLACKBURN
6/195 Whitehorse Rd
Jade Nicholson was working in hospitality and nursing her mum, Donna, as she battled liver cancer, when she got a wake-up call to follow her childcare dreams.
“After my mum passed away I thought I’m just going to do it, so I went to full-time study and I did my Certificate 3,” Ms Nicholson says.
“It was a bit of a wake-up call, I guess, that life is pretty short and I needed to do something that I wanted to do.”
That was two years ago. Ms Nicholson, now 35, started working at Maple Street and is in the midst of doing her diploma.
She is also preparing for another exciting new chapter — she and partner Tristan are expecting their first baby in a few months, and she will take a six-month break.
She says she loves the innocence of children.
“I love that we can work with them and teach them and watch them grow, and help prepare them for school,” she says.
“This is a really important time in their lives — everything that we’re teaching them now and doing with them will help them later on in life.”
Ms Nicholson, who is the pre-kinder room leader, believes parents can see how good she is with their kids and they trust her.
“I’m pretty honest with them and I just make sure I do the best for each child.
“I do a lot of research out of hours — if a child has a sensory thing or an issue going on I’ll google them to make sure I’m doing the right things for the child.”
Kate Creek says: “Jade plans everyday with inclusive activities for all the kids in her room, and goes above and beyond.”
More: maplestreet.com.au
4. HOLLIE WILSON, BEGINNINGS EARLY LEARNERS, SUNBURY
1 Riddell Rd
Coming from a big family, it was only natural that Hollie Wilson would be drawn towards working with children.
The 22-year-old, who’s been in the industry for six years, did the hands-on Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning as part of her Year 11 studies and chose childcare.
“I come from a big family and I just love kids, love being around them, they’re just super happy, they’re fun to be around,” Ms Wilson says.
She started at Goonawarra Neighbourhood House Occasional Care, then spent a year at Complete Kids on Barkly St before moving to Beginnings Early Learners when it opened in March.
Ms Wilson, who works in the two-year-old room, Wattle, says there’s “just so much” she loves about her job.
“I love the friendships that you make with the children, how happy you can make them just by the smallest thing, and they just love you for it,” she says.
“The connection you have with them, the connection you have with families, and the staff members. I love bringing in new ideas and activities.”
Ms Wilson’s room leader, May Hutchinson, nominated her colleague and says: “Hollie goes above and beyond to build meaningful relationships with all children she has educated and cared for.”
More: beginningsearlylearners.com.au/sunbury
3. LARA CAPPONI, KOOL KIDZ CHILDCARE, MILL PARK
49 Oleander Drive
Lara Capponi adores being around children and watching their “own little personalities” develop.
It’s the reason Ms Capponi, 31, gave up on pursuing a career in psychology — despite completing her undergraduate degree — and instead turned to teaching.
She did her graduate diploma in education, majoring in early childhood education, at RMIT in Bundoora, and has worked at Kool Kidz Childcare since 2017.
She says she loves “being with the children every day, having fun, creating a curriculum for them based on their interests, creating fun experiences they can enjoy, watching them grow and develop into their own little personalities”.
Ms Capponi, who works in the pre-kinder Caterpillars room, says she was “very surprised and touched” by her nomination.
“I was taken a little by surprise because I just do my best,” she says.
“I do my best every day for the children and the parents.”
Erin Chippindall says Ms Capponi is “always smiling, loving and encouraging all the kids in her care.”
Tania Ellesmere says her son Conor “just loves her and is so happy as soon as he hears her voice”.
“Lara greets everyone by name, she’s across the needs of everyone and she loves the kids,” Ms Ellesmere says.
More: www.koolkidzchildcare.com.au/millpark
2. NADIA CARBONARI, ARDLIE STREET EARLY LEARNING AND KINDER, WESTMEADOWS
24-26 Ardlie St
Nadia Carbonari is a teacher — but often, she’s the one doing the learning.
“Not only do I teach them, they teach me,” she says of her young charges.
“People think that we’re the teachers, but really, sometimes they teach the teacher.”
Ms Carbonari, 24, teaches three-year-old kinder and says she’s had a passion for children since she was a girl.
“I chose childcare because it’s the beginning of a child’s life, and I wanted to advocate and be able to give children the opportunity to really explore those years, and to learn and develop within those important five years,” she says.
Ms Carbonari started at Ardlie Street while a student six years ago, which led to full-time employment. She is studying a Bachelor of Early Childhood at Victoria University, and will become a qualified kinder teacher when she graduates next year.
She says she loves the “reward” of watching children grow, citing a little boy, Hamilton (pictured, above), now three, who she has cared for and seen “blossom” since he was eight months old.
“Every day I get home and I just have a funny or a positive story,” she says.
“Being able to teach these young children is really important and really special to me.
“We give them the opportunity to be children and to explore freely, letting children be children.
I think people can definitely tell my passion and my care.”
Carlie McGan says: “Nadia shows compassion and joy in her work. She handles difficult situations with tact and puts families at ease.”
More: earlylearningandkinder.com.au/centre/ardlie-street
1. EMMA MURPHY, ELC MERNDA
5 Bent St
When Emma Murphy was a kid, she reckons her mum had an inkling she was destined to work with little ones.
“I grew up being really nurturing, apparently mum said I was always playing with dolls and looking after kids when I was little,” Ms Murphy laughs.
Her dedication to youngsters has paid off, with Ms Murphy being named the best childcare educator in Melbourne.
The 30-year-old started working at ELC Mernda four-and-a-half years ago after being urged to apply by her best friend Lauren Westgarth, who was the centre’s kinder teacher at the time.
“I feel like I wouldn’t be half the educator I am without her,” she says.
Ms Murphy, who is the pre-kinder room leader, previously worked at Happy Faces Childcare Centre in Mill Park after completing her studies at NMIT in Preston in 2011.
She says her love for the job is “endless” and she particularly enjoys seeing the kids’ development over a year.
“It’s very rewarding seeing them develop throughout a year,” she says.
“The recognition from parents, the relationships you build. You see the change from the start of the year to the end of the year and you’re like, wow.
“When parents come in and they say they have been coming home and saying they learnt this from you — I love that.
“When you think it hasn’t sunk in, it has — it’s amazing.”
The humble Ms Murphy, who is embarrassed talking about herself, says her nomination “makes all the hard days worth it”.
“I give it my all. I never have days off, I go the extra mile as much as I can. I think that’s obviously been recognised by a lot of people,” she says.
“It’s a tough gig. It’s really hard but when you see the rewards it’s so worth it.”
Natalie McKeown has high praise for Ms Murphy, saying “she is AMAZING and if she and two others weren’t our son’s carers we would (have) moved centres!”
More: www.elcmernda.com.au