Headstart Early Learning Centre Geelong

Our centre chef prepares and cooks healthy and nutritious meals daily, catering to the unique dietary requirements of every child. We believe that by encouraging active participation (such as growing their own fruit and vegetables, preparing, and finally cooking!) children learn to appreciate and understand the importance of healthy eating.

Our centre offers children nutrient-rich, unprocessed, and seasonal whole foods – created to delight the fussiest eaters.

Hi my name is Kristy and I am the current Centre Manager here at Headstart Geelong. I began my early childhood education and care career in 2003 and started working at Headstart Early Learning Centre Geelong in 2021.

I hold a Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care, and a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment. I have been working in the early childhood sector for 18 years now and still love it as much as I did when I first began my journey. I have worked across all age groups throughout the service. I started as an assistant educator, then moved into a lead educator role, became an assistant service manager, and then a service manager.

Between having our second and third child, I worked for four years in training and assessment, where I worked with students completing their Certificate III and Diploma in Early Childhood. I travelled around to services across Melbourne and Geelong, saw some amazing environments, and met some wonderful educators.

Being the oldest child and grandchild, I took on the babysitter role. It inspired me to go down this career path naturally and slowly developed into realizing this was the career I wanted to pursue. Watching children grow, being a part of supporting, developing and helping them grow fills my heart. Providing a safe and inclusive environment for children is another driver for me, and something close to my heart and even more so after becoming a mum.

Every child is different and unique – they are so inquisitive, genuine loving little people. I approach them all with respect and love. I believe play is learning and let them guide the way with what they need. I don’t stereotype. I don’t expect they are all doing the same thing at the same time or all are enjoying the same thing.

There’s nothing more rewarding than watching a child learn with passion and wonder. If we can provide opportunities for children to learn and encourage them to try, we are giving them the stepping stones for success.

There are many benefits to attending a dedicated early childhood education centre. While attending care, children become confident learners. They develop skills such as emotional regulation, turn-taking, physical development, the building of friendships, learning routine and self-care habits.

Our team works hard to create a home away from home for children and families. The centre really is an extension of the home environment. We work in partnership with families to ensure this is the case, understanding each child’s individual needs. The team are committed and positive about their role as educators. The whole team sees their role as incredibly important, helping children establish the building blocks for a successful lifetime of learning.

Communication is key to good relationships with our families. Allowing them to get to know me helps to understand my genuine passion for providing a service that is like a second home. They can drop off their precious bundle to people that genuinely care about them and will help them in those crucial first five years of their learning journey.

Being a mum myself, I believe I have a good understanding of what others are going through and can be there to listen, offer advice, show care and empathy and sometimes just be that lifeline that someone might need.