Rebecca Hutchison

Finance Manager | Advisor Certified

Created and implemented financial models to increase accuracy and efficiency of childcare business accounting and reporting. Working with Xero, Futrli and Modano.

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.

 

 

Ash-lee Kingsberry

Operations Manager - Victoria

Supporting educators in accordance with their learning styles, promoting a deeper learning and improved practice.

Ash-lee has extensive experience and knowledge planning and preparing full fits out of new childcare centres. In the process of setting up new centres, Ash-lee prepared parent tours, collaboratively created marketing plans, and coordinated with Area Managers and Centre Managers to hire Educators to support the centres.

• Successfully onboard all new Centre Managers by taking them through induction and ensuring they have copies of relevant policies and procedures, combined with adequate initial training on our core systems and follow up where required.
• Provide on-floor coaching and additional training for Centre Managers and teams during the first initial weeks of operation.
• Encourages the social integration of Educators in a service to ensure well-rounded, fulfilling experiences.
• Provide new Centre Managers with an Action Plan, build leadership and management skills, ensuring they are operating at the required G8 standard and are effectively completing all required duties.

 

• G8 Education Integration Manager
• G8 Education Centre Manager
• Diploma In Early Childhood Education
• Certificate III In Children’s Services

 

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

30 years of experience in the childcare sector

Success cannot be achieved without sufficient planning, inspiring leadership & strong management. John brings his 30 years of 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 raising & initial public offerings (IPO).

Leonie Shears

Operations Manager

Multi Service Management | Goodstart Early Learning Business Manager

Through Leoni’s extensive career, Leoni continually strives to be the best version of herself, manager of multiple successful businesses, a leader and positive role model to all the people she works with. Is passionate about the first five years of children’s development, and providing the best care and education to every child in the country.

As a manager, Leonie possesses exceptional communication abilities, stakeholder engagement, positive influencing and management skills. She is well versed in both verbal and written language and communication. I have an in depth working knowledge of compliance requirements within the National Quality Framework, and the regulations/law. Leonie is commercially savvy and has a high success delivering outstanding operational, pedagogy and financial performance. Leonie continually meets and exceeds all the budgets and targets set in her KPI, and has continually provided strength, direction, coaching and support to too many teams to achieve exceeding results in all areas of operations.

• Advanced Diploma of Children’s Services (CHC60208)
• Diploma of Children’s Services (CHC50908)
• Certificate III in Children’s Services (CHC30708)
• Community Coach Training Program (60000)
• First Aid Certificate & CPR
• Working with Children’s Check
• Police Check

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.

Niki Sullivan

Operations Manager Consultant - New South Wales

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 & engages teams & implements 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 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

Kelly Dixon

Operations | Learning Resource 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

Michelle Rogers

Business Development & Training Manager

Targeted National Quality Standard Training | Quality Improvement Plan Support | Assessment & Rating Support

My name is Michelle, but I have been called many other names over the years, like Miss Michelle, Shell, Shelly, Teacher, Mum, and a personal favourite from a wonderful little toddler…’Mahole’.

​Throughout my 23 plus years working with children and Educators I am still amazed daily by young children and those who choose to learn alongside them.  I believe we cannot expect children to learn unless we continue the learning journey ourselves.

My career began in a long day care setting as a Group Leader in a Toddler room. It was here I realised just how unique every child was and how much more I would need to learn, as well as my Diploma!  I continued the Journey as Group Leader for many years and spent time with all age groups, which was fulfilling and rewarding.  Before long, I wanted to manage a centre and use all I had learned to encourage other Educators and families.  As Director of a long day centre for many years, I then assisted in building and managing a new service, which was a wonderful experience.  Again, I felt the need to help more people, so I entered the corporate world and was a Regional Manager, which saw me looking after 10 childcare services.  This still didn’t seem enough, so before long I made the move to Melbourne and took on the role of Quality & Curriculum Manager, and was lucky enough to assist and support over 30 services and their teams.  When I moved back to sunny Queensland, I felt it was time to broaden my horizons further.  This new change in direction led me to Project Management and Business Analyst roles, eventually leading to Consulting, where I finally found where I’m meant to be.

As I have a thirst for knowledge and am constantly curious, I have been very fortunate in my career to travel to Boulder, Colorado where some immediate friendships were developed with the team at Boulder Journey School.  I have attended conferences in New Zealand, Malaysia, and in 2013, finally went to Reggio Emilia, Italy, which was a profoundly moving experience.  My latest studies have included a Diploma of Positive Psychology and coaching.

Cliff Battley

Registered Clinical Psychologist

With over 25 years of experience in both mental and physical health, Cliff is a clinical psychologist, television presenter, author, adjunct university lecturer and accomplished key-note speaker.

Cliff Battley – Positive Change

BCom, PG Dip PA, PG Dip Psych, MPsych (Clinical)

With over 25 years of experience in both mental and physical health, Cliff is a clinical psychologist, television presenter, author, adjunct university lecturer and accomplished key-note speaker. Having helped thousands achieve long-term positive change, he works with both individuals and groups in private therapy and organisational settings.

Cliff’s work centres on the two relationships we all share: relationships with others (focusing on the management and development of successful personal and professional partnerships); and the most important relationship of all, the one we share with ourselves (with a dedicated and practical approach to building self-esteem, emotional intelligence and secure mental health).

Most recently, Cliff combined his clinical qualifications and organisational experience to create the Positive Change Workplace Mental Health and Wellness Training Series. A comprehensive suite of highly engaging, practical training modules targeting the commonly accepted predictors of mental health injuries and the personal skill sets essential to the management and mastery of those predictors. Effectively, the series guarantees managers and their staff the ability to satisfy the standards and enjoy the benefits of the Australian Work Health and Safety Act.

This year Cliff joined childcare sector leaders, Early Learning Management, who identified the upsurge in physical and mental demands on childcare Educators, to devise a sector specific program. Specifically, Early Learning Management sought to work directly with employers to provide ready-to-deploy resources and programs, to help childcare businesses raise standards, positively influence policy changes, and improve the quality of life of childcare educators.

In his spare time, Cliff enjoys hosting the ABC iView reality television series, The Ex-Files. He is the author of Bully Proof Your Child – A Handbook for Raising a Child with Superhero Self-Esteem. He has travelled over 60 countries and prides himself on his All-Blacks hero awareness. Cliff is a happily married father of two and counts his family as his greatest achievement.

You can contact Cliff on 07 5576 5832 or [email protected]