People with Purpose: Singing the praises of early education

Tell us a little bit about your career background.

It wasn't until I became a mother myself that I started my journey in early childhood education in 2007.

I believe that experiencing the challenges of first-time parenting while studying for my bachelor's in early childhood and primary education and working in the sector helped me develop a deeper understanding of the support families need during those early years and the vital importance of quality play based early education for children.

I taught in council-managed long day cares until I started at Dame Nellie in 2016. 

How did you become involved with the Dame Nellie Melba Kindergarten (DNMK) and how would you describe your current role?

I joined the DNMK team in 2016 as one of the four-year-old-kindergarten teachers. This led me to the educational leader role and in 2020 I was offered the position of director.

DNMK is a community-run kindergarten with a parent committee in the role of approved provider. My role is to manage the day to day of the kindergarten, support families on what is often their first experience in the education system and lead our team of brilliant educators.

Professional development and making sure we are at the forefront of quality early childhood education is deeply important to us all.

The kindergarten has been operating for 110 years and is named after iconic opera singer Dame Nellie Melba. Tell us a little bit about its history.

 We acknowledge that before the kinder and before the city of Melbourne came to be, Wurundjeri woi wurrung children were playing and learning on this land long before us.

We still have all the minutes from committee meetings dating back to the start of the kinder and the history is fascinating. It has survived the effects of two world wars, the Great Depression, and multiple changes in how governments of the day supported education and in particular early childhood education.

It seems there were many hard years when the kinder ran at a loss or barely broke even, but what seems to have been a constant is the desire to provide opportunities for the children and families in the area. 

On 23 July 1915, due to the inadequacy of the local crèche, a committee was formed to establish a free kindergarten at St Stephen’s Jubilee Hall. The founding committee resolved to ask Madame Melba to be patroness and applied for affiliation with the Free Kindergarten Union (FKU). The kindergarten then commenced operations.

During the war years Melba was a regular visitor to the kindergarten, and she presided over the annual meeting in 1918. In 1919, to mark the WWI peace celebrations, all the children received a commemorative medal.

In 1928, the church hall had become too small, and the Goodwood Street site was purchased. Construction began and the new building was opened by Lady Somers in 1930

As a community-run kinder with children having passed through its doors for more than a century, what makes Dame Nellie Melba Kindergarten special and how has it changed over the years?

In many ways I think the essence of DNMK hasn't changed too much.

There is a strong sense of community, and our beautiful old building and amazing outdoor spaces have stood the test of time and continue to offer a place that feels like home for all who come here.

I feel that DNMK has always been a leader in the sector when it comes to providing quality early childhood education through play-based learning and community support for families.

We have several educators who, like me, have been part of the team for more than 10 years. Our longest serving team member has been here for 20!

Prior to that we had other team members here for similar lengths of time and one director was here for 27 years. It feels as though we have a responsibility to carry on the legacy of all those years of dedication to the children and families in the area.

What's the most important lesson you have learned during your time working at Dame Nellie Melba?

I think the most important thing from my perspective is that we must protect these early years from academic push-down and the ever-growing need to "manage" children's day to day learning experiences.

The first five years of a human's life are the most important in terms of brain development and the best way to support that development is through a wide range of play experiences.

We need to let our children learn about risk taking, the natural world, how to be kind and how to care for country.

Our children need to connect with and learn about our First Nations culture and history as this is now a part of their culture and history. They need to be brave and confident, and they need to look up and see the possibilities in front of them.

All of this can begin in the early years and become the foundation for all the future years of learning and leadership if we create the opportunities.