Our Educators
The Eltham Woods Childcare Cooperative team is made up of a dedicated group of professionals who work together to create a high quality educational environment for all children attending the centre.
Each day we have up to 18 educators working across the centre. All three of our rooms are staffed above the required educator:child ratio and we often support local tertiary students in their educational placements.
Our educators bring a wealth of experience to the centre. We have many educators who have been working at the service for many years, including our current director who has worked at the centre since 2007. In recent years we have added some fresh faces to the team, this mix of educators creates the ideal balance of experience and passion amongst our tight knit team.
A low staff turnover throughout our service ensures children and families are provided with consistent care and education throughout their time at Eltham Woods. Educators are positioned in permanent rooms each calendar year which allows educators and families to build strong relationships together. As children transition to new rooms across the service, whenever possible, a consistent educator will transition with them. We believe this creates an environment where children and families feel comfortable, safe and secure and the service becomes an extension of their home and an integral part of their community.
Eltham Woods Childcare Cooperative educators are highly qualified educators who undertake regular professional development across a wide range of areas including, among others, children’s development, supporting children’s emotional development and self-regulation skills, embedding Indigenous perspectives in our program, building cultural competence and understanding, active supervision, safe sleeping practices, allergy management, outdoor education, e-safety practices, leadership and management, supporting children with additional needs, program planning training including working with the National Early Years Learning Framework and training surrounding the Victorian Child Safe Standards and keeping children safe. All educators have access to Beyond Blue’s ‘Be You’ program to support their mental health and provide them with resources to support children’s mental health and wellbeing.
Our educators hold the following qualifications: Bachelor of Early Childhood Education, Bachelor of Early Childhood Teaching, Graduate Diploma of Early Childhood Teaching, Advanced Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care, Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care, Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care. In addition to their qualifications all educators hold a current Victorian Working With Children Check, Childcare First Aid certificate, CPR, Anaphylaxis and Asthma training. All educators undertake mandatory reporting and food handling training annually.
As part of our strategic plan, we have a commitment to ensuring our educators remain highly qualified and aware of best quality practices throughout the profession. Our educators are active members in local professional networks, they consistently collaborate with other professionals and bring knowledge back to our service which is then shared and implemented. This makes our educators leaders in the profession and ensures we provide the highest level of care to families utlising our service.
