Our Childcare Management

Rebecca Hutchison

Finance Manager | Advisor Certified

Created and implemented financial models to increase accuracy and efficiency of childcare business accounting and reporting.

Rebecca Hutchison is Finance Manager at Early Learning Management with 12+ years experience in bookkeeping & accounting in the childcare sector. Plus 20 years working in childcare centres from Assistant to Director. Rebecca was instrumental in reducing budgets through strategic plan development & implementation for an ASX listed company. As a Childcare Finance Specialist, Rebecca is in control of budgets, financial reporting & expenditures.

Rebecca holds a Certificate IV in both Accounting & Bookkeeping from the Australian Institute of Financial Services & Accounting. Rebecca is also a registered BAS Agent & Xero Advisor Certified. Her technical knowledge of childcare and accounting matters is complemented by a proactive approach to implementing systems and strategies for the benefit of childcare clients.

Communication is key to Rebecca’s approach with childcare clients. She enjoys providing solutions, whether in a financial capacity or business advisory, & being able to help clients solve any challenges they may be facing. Her favourite aspect of Early Learning Management is the people – working in a great team environment as well as building strong relationships with our childcare clients.

Naomi Freney

Office Manager | Project Administrator

Administrative support to head office & developing & implementing short & long-term marketing strategies & advertising campaigns in order to create & increase brand awareness.

Naomi functions effectively in a variety of roles within a dynamic environment. Naomi has a strong understanding of the childcare sector & is active in supporting a small office & client base across Australia. Naomi works closely with project team members, managers & leads to help deliver organisational projects efficiently. Naomi manages the administrative tasks, such as document & information distribution, managing resources, negotiating contracts, maintaining records, coordinating staff, recommending corrective actions, & hiring contractors. Naomi has a hands-on approach to her position which assists analysing business operations & identifying customer needs in order to bring the two closer together. 

Naomi acts as a bridge between employees, clients, suppliers, & the marketing team. Naomi helps planning, implementing, & monitoring marketing, branding, & advertising activities in order to improve the clients brand’s image & increase customer satisfaction. 

Naomi enjoys learning about clients & their background stories before starting a project & works closely with them to determine their situation, so clear, workable solutions can be created. 

Jenna Dawes

Senior Bookkeeper | Financial Analyst

Jenna demonstrates analytical thinking, attention to details, financial expertise, communication, and computer proficiency.

Jenna has extensive knowledge in the fields of accounting & experience implementing new accounting packages/processes into growing businesses. Jenna has over 9 years’ experience in financial-based roles & 5.5 years’ experience in an office managerial role which has included all of the aspects which you require for the role. Jenna has a Certificate 4 in Financial Services as well as a Certificate 3 in Business Administration. Jenna is also Xero Advisor Certified. Jenna performs an in-depth analysis of each childcare business requirement, with a focus on delivering childcare business goals based on solutions to elevate productivity, efficiency, & financial performance.

Jenna is known as the Xero Guru & is constantly training clients & implementing new accounting packages/processes into growing businesses. One of her biggest passions for what she does is allowing businesses to be in a position to reach their full potential. Jenna is well-versed in exercising independent judgement & solving problems independently but also a team player.

Jenna brings a positive & proactive attitude throughout the roles & she is very approachable. Jenna believes that information & people are the key to a successful childcare business. Jenna has a strong understanding of information systems & the information needs of business owners & their staff.

Sandi Fern

Senior Operations Manager | Project Development

Over 22 years of experience working & delivering positive commercial outcomes across the Early Childhood Industry.

Over 25 years of experience working & delivering positive commercial outcomes across the Early Childhood sector. Sandi joined the Early Learning Management team in August 2010 bringing vast experience to the Operations Team. Sandi has overseen service operations in Queensland, New South Wales, Western Australia, Northern Territory & the Australian Capital Territory.

Aligning her knowledge from the private & corporate sectors, Sandi has implemented strategies to enhance overall business structures in various services to ensure quality practices are maintained & the business is commercially successful. Sandi has extensive experience in multi-site management & possesses a strong business acumen. Sandi provides effective leadership & management guidance, support to staff & the key stakeholders. Sandi has experience in the successful delivery of compliance & safety programs., assisting services to comply with technical & safety legislative requirements.

Sandi has a deep understanding of the National Construction Code (NCC) & heads up Childcare Project Development across Australia. This role requires interaction with a range of internal & external childcare stakeholders, most often managing several moving project parts simultaneously. Sandi also covers direct & administrative support duties related to the full scope of the childcare development process, such as coordinate &/or assist with marketing and communications, & other related projects as assigned. Sandi has far-reaching experience with Pre-planning, Construction to Fit Out & Lockup to Service Approval & has worked with Approved Providers, developers & investors.

• Diploma of Children’s Services
• Advanced Diploma of Children’s Services
• Certificate 4 Workplace Trainer and Assessor
• Justice of the Peace Qld 
• Driver’s license class C
• First Aid Certificate and CPR
• Working with Children’s Check
• Police Check

John Hutchison

Operations | Innovation Strategist

28 years of experience in the childcare sector

Success cannot be achieved without sufficient planning, inspiring leadership & strong management. John brings his 28 years experience, childcare management exposure, marketing & strategy skills, & digital knowledge to his Early Learning Management role. John’s expertise spans the broader childcare sector & brings a balanced approach with a robust strategic capability & thought leadership to the team. John has specialised experience in childcare restructures, governance & compliance, mergers & acquisitions, strategic planning, equity raisings & initial public offerings (IPO).

Leanne Matthews

Senior Finance Officer | Payroll Manager

Over 12 years of experience in bookkeeping & 26 years experience in payroll.

Leanne Matthews is Finance Officer / Payroll for Early Learning Management with 11+ years of bookkeeping & 25+ years of payroll experience. Leanne manages financial reporting, accounts payable & receivables including reconciliation of bank accounts, client payrolls & BAS / IAS preparation. In addition to holding a Certificate IV in Financial Services from the Australian Institute of Financial Services & Accounting. Leanne is also a registered BAS Agent & Xero Advisor Certified. Leanne drives continuous improvements, identifying opportunities to consolidate, automate & gain process efficiencies for the team & key stakeholders & possess strong accounting & analytical skills.

Leanne demonstrates in-depth knowledge of financial policies, procedures, and systems. In addition to being an excellent communicator, Leanne also has outstanding analytical & time management abilities.  Leanne is tasked with developing childcare centre budgets, monitoring transactions, & preparing financial reports. Leanne loves the diversity of her job & childcare tailored services we provide for clients across Australia. While Leanne undertakes a range of work, she most enjoys creating month-end management accounts.

Kelly Dixon

Operations Manager

Over 15 years of experience working in Early Childhood Education and Care service with a focus in the more recent years on quality, compliance and child protection

Kelly has been a Compliance Officer for a Vulnerable Children’s Program in Out Of Home Care. She has extensive experience in risk management, risk assessments, investigation of allegations of harm & abuse, documenting incidents & reporting on trends. Kelly has many years in compliance roles & strong background in policy development, review & implementation in the Children’s, Community & Disability sectors. Kelly has extensive experience as a Child Protection trainer, her skills & experience are closely aligned with the childcare industry.

During Kelly’s many years managing childcare centres including LDC & OSHC, Kelly consistently met all KPI’s including occupancy, revenue & staffing targets, quality audits & regulatory compliance. As a centre manager with Guardian Early Learning, Kelly was the only person to achieve 100% of her targets in the first year & went on in her position to continually exceed strategic & operational objectives.

As a leader & mentor to childcare educators, Kelly values open communication & supporting staff to achieve their professional goals.

• Diploma of Community Services (Children’s Services)  
• Farran Street Education – Hiring, Firing & Everything in Between
• Farran Street Education – Leadership Essentials 
• Beyond Blue – Managing Mental Health Risks at Work – Training for Managers and Employees
• Beyond Blue – Approaching an employee you’re concerned about
• White Ribbon – Understanding Men’s Violence Against Women 
• Currently undertaking RPL to attain current Cert IV TAE 
• Currently undertaking Diploma of Lead Auditing 
• First Aid Certificate & CPR
• Working with Children’s Check
• Police Check

Niki Sullivan

Operations Manager

Leadership skills, enthusiasm & motivation for creating vibrant, accepting, & energetic learning environments for all stakeholders.

Niki has over 6 years of leadership experience, as a management professional, in the management of Early Childhood Education & Care Services. Recently Niki has been working with Deloitte’s & was responsible for preparing information regarding childcare industry trends, researching benchmarks, auditing, analysing internal data, organising risk management events, meetings & training. Niki’s professional history includes Senior Management roles with the responsibility of large teams. Niki has worked towards the establishment & implementation of strong strategic growth plans & establishing new childcare businesses. 

As a passionate people leader, Niki possesses the ability to lead & develop frontline teams to enhance their performance by setting clear, accountable performance measures. 

Through a hands-on approach, Niki empowers & engage teams & implement personal development plans, coaching & development opportunities, whilst also creating a culture of achieving shared goals & striving for continuous improvement. Niki’s personal values of facilitating team collaboration, always operating with emotional intelligence, consistent reliability & continuous self-development allows her to remain valuable to employers & ensure that she operates with respect to best practice.

• Training and Assessment TAE40116 | Currently studying
• Justice of the Peace | 2019
• Emerging Minds – Trauma and the child | 2019
• Office of the Children’s Guardian – Child Safe Training | 2018
• Bachelor of Early Childhood Education | Charles Sturt University | 2018
• Diploma of Early Childhood Education TAFE NSW | 2012
• Certificate III in Early Childhood Education TAFE NSW | 2010
• First Aid Certificate & CPR
• Working with Children’s Check
• Police Check