Discover the joy of kindergarten:

2012 vacancies available

ECMS kindergartens embrace all children and families and provide learning environments that nurture, inspire, educate and offer a sense of belonging.

Don’t miss the opportunity to discover the joy of kindergarten at one of our highly regarded centres. The following ECMS centres still have vacancies for 2012:

Kindergarten	Vacanies	Enrolments

Bacchus Marsh
Lerderderg Preschool	4 Year Old	Ph: 5367 7081
Young Street Preschool	4 Year Old	Ph: 5367 7081

Brimbank
Copperfields Preschool	4 Year Old	Ph: 9249 4490
Kealba Kindergarten	4 Year Old	Ph: 9249 4490
Keilor Downs Kindergarten	4 Year Old	Ph: 9249 4490
Keilor Gatehouse Preschool	3 Year Old	Ph: 8481 1117
Keilor Park Preschool	4 Year Old	Ph: 9249 4490
Keilor Village Preschool	4 Year Old	Ph: 9249 4490
Kings Park Kindergarten	4 Year Old	Ph: 9249 4490
St Albans North Preschool	4 Year Old	Ph: 9249 4490
St Albans West Preschool	4 Year Old	Ph: 9249 4490

Hobsons Bay
Eastona Park Kindergarten	4 Year Old	Ph: 9932 1162
Francis Sullivan Preschool	4 Year Old	Ph: 9932 1162

Melton Shire
Brookside Preschool	4 Year Old	Ph: 9747 7200
Melton Central Kindergarten	4 Year Old	Ph: 9747 7200

Northern Region
Derby Meadows Preschool	4 Year Old	Ph: 9217 2242
Epping Preschool	4 Year Old	Ph: 9217 2242
Interlarken Kindergarten	4 Year Old	Ph: 9457 9974
MacLeod Preschool	4 Year Old
McLeans Rd Kindergarten	4 Year Old	Ph: 9217 2242
St Helena Preschool	4 Year Old	Ph: 9457 9954
St Mary's Kindergarten	4 Year Old	email: stmaryseo@gmail.com
St Linus' Anglican Kindergarten	4 Year Old	Ph: 9240 2271
Yallambie Park Preschool	4 Year Old	Ph: 9457 9954

Southern Region
Caulfiled Primary Early Childhood Centre	4 Year Old	Ph: 9524 3459
Glover Street Preschool	3 Year Old	Ph: 8481 1100
	4 Year Old	Ph: 9524 3459
McKinnon Kindergarten	4 Year Old	Ph: 9524 3459
Ward Avenue Kindergarten	4 Year Old	Ph: 9518 3444

Romp & Stomp 2011 –
thousands join the fun!

On Wednesday 26th October 2011 2569 excited children and families filled the Melbourne Museum for the 9th annual Romp & Stomp Fun Day for Children. The event was once again a great success and offered a range of fun activities and live performances for children. Hands-on activities included; making headbands, masks and shields, dress ups, still life drawing, active play, sand play and much, much more. Children were thrilled to view the live bug display and to interact and hug the event’s friendly characters - TingleToodle, Weedy the Seadragon and PG Bear. Also very popular on the day were live performances by Nikki Ashby, Hip Hop Indig Animals, Voc Bandicoots, One Africa and Big Bug Puppets, these engaged and entertained all who attended.

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ECMS Celebrates inspirational early childhood educators at Altona West Kindergarten.

An inspirational, passionate and progressive past educator at Altona West Kindergarten, Jeanette Taylor, and winners of the Jeanette Taylor Memorial Scholarship were honoured at an afternoon tea to mark the conclusion of the scholarship and the unveiling of a commemorative plaque at Altona West Kindergarten on Thursday 6 October.

Jeanette, who passed away suddenly in 2000, was fiercely passionate about early childhood education, and protecting and advancing children’s needs and facilities in the greater Altona community. The eponymous scholarship was founded by the Taylor family in partnership with Early Childhood Management Services (ECMS) in 2002 to support early childhood professionals across Melbourne to complete further study and qualifications.

"It is an exciting time in the early childhood education and care sector. The reforms that are currently taking shape in our sector, herald a new level of quality and professionalism that will drive improved outcomes for children and families. The Jeannette Taylor Scholarship enabled us to support our staff to further their training and education so they are now well prepared to embrace these reforms. It is time to celebrate the scholarship and the legacy that Jeanette has left as we move forward with new forms of recognition for our educators, such as our annual Leadership Awards." Said ECMS CEO Bernie Nott.

‘Since this goal has been won, Mum would also be the first to say we need a new goal. Let’s set new standards, making sure that what we've achieved will never be lost’ said Jeanette’s son, Greg Taylor.

The Taylor family, ECMS staff, scholarship recipients and members of the Altona West Kindergarten community convened at the kindergarten on October 6 for the unveiling of the Jeanette Taylor Commemorative Plaque which will honours Jeanette and scholarship recipients. The bronze plaque has been placed on a hexagonal bench seat around a tree in the yard of the kindergarten, so that future children, staff and families have a place for reflection.

Leadership in early childhood the focus at Beyond Tomorrow – the 2011 ECMS Conference

More than 500 ECMS staff and industry peers and partners convened at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre on August 16 for an incredible day of sharing, celebration and learning at Beyond Tomorrow – the 2011 ECMS Conference.

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2011 Parent Surveys Results

Thank you to all the families that took the time to complete their parent surveys, and congratulations to all staff on a fantastic result for 2011.

In 2010, the Board of ECMS developed a new vision and strategic direction for our organisation, including the results that we would seek to achieve for children, families and communities. Our parent surveys have been developed with this in mind and we are pleased to report that the survey results indicate we are achieving the following:

For Children:

91% of parents feel their child is happy to attend Kindergarten/Childcare/Family Day Care.
91.6% of parents believe the educators at their service provide learning through play.
88% of parents indicated that their child has made friends at Kindergarten/Childcare/Family Day Care.

For Families:

88.2% of parents indicated that their educators listen and respond to their needs and issues.
88.2% of parents feel they have a good relationship with staff.
87% of parents believe our educators respect their child rearing values and beliefs.

For Communities:

83% of parents feel that their Kindergarten/ Childcare/ Family Day Care is connected to the local community.
83% of parents feel that their service is environmentally aware.

The above results demonstrate that our educators and the experience we offer for children and families continue to score highly in our annual survey. The ECMS team is delighted that 93% of parents are satisfied and very satisfied with our services.

ECMS recognises leaders with
peer-nominated Leadership Awards

Four ECMS early childhood professionals who have excelled in living out ECMS’ organisational values and demonstrating leadership in their community were recognised on Tuesday August 16 at Beyond Tomorrow – the 2011 ECMS Conference.

Beyond Tomorrow’s Keynote Speaker comedian Anh Do presented the newly developed peer-nominated ECMS Leadership Awards which were awarded for the categories of; Inclusiveness, Empowering Families, Building Relationships and Strengthening Teams.

‘The outstanding work that early childhood professionals carry out does not always get the recognition it deserves. For this reason, we have introduced the peer-nominated ECMS Leadership Awards to allow our team members to acknowledge those people who are working collaboratively, embracing change and opportunities, innovating and initiating, and demonstrating our values in the work that they do.’ Said ECMS CEO Bernie Nott.

Magda Koutsivos from St Albans West Kindergarten received the Inclusiveness award for her outstanding work with culturally diverse communities. Magda values the importance of home language and culture in the service and actively engages the children as leaders in their learning and development.

Kathryn Rawlings, the ECMS Specialist Support Officer, was acknowledged for her important work in empowering families. Kathryn has had an incredible impact on the lives of families and children with additional needs, and has helped ECMS to better understand the complexities of working with these children.

Tracey Norris from Seaholme Kindergarten was recognised for her exceptional ability to build relationships. Tracey is has been a constant support for the families and local community members and her compassion, exuberance, dedication and her willingness to go above and beyond expectations is admirable.

Mira Jankulovski from Keilor Gatehouse Preschool was awarded for her clear competence in strengthening teams. Mira demonstrates leadership in a very inclusive way, sharing her knowledge and training, making her team feel valued and helping the children and families feel a sense of pride in their kindergarten community.

The peer-nominated ECMS Leadership Awards were sponsored by McArthur and Educational Experience who donated training vouchers for recipients to further strengthen their skills in their area of achievement.

Nominations for the 2012 peer-nominated ECMS Leadership Awards open in March. For further information please call ECMS on 8481 1100 or email ecms@ecms.org.au

Environmental Education in Early Childhood Resource Centre is now open at ECMS

Early Childhood Management Services (ECMS) is thrilled to provide a space for Environmental Education in Early Childhood (EEEC) to showcase their resources and natural play materials to early childhood educators.

EEEC has arranged a beautiful selection of locally made, sustainable play materials and books for young children and their educators is on display in the ECMS foyer at 192 High St, Northcote (opposite the Northcote Town Hall). The ECMS and EEEC partnership is based on shared values, with both organisations recognising the importance of encouraging young children to connect with and care for their environment.

EEEC Resource Manager, Stephanie Ralton, will be available at the ECMS office on Fridays only from 11am to 4pm, unless otherwise arranged.

The resource centre is open from 9am – 5pm Monday to Friday. Visitors are encouraged to review the resources on display, take order forms and direct all enquiries to Stephanie Ralton via info@eeec.org.au or 84811121. More information is available at www.eeec.org.au

ECMS submits feedback on the new National Quality Framework

ECMS is excited and encouraged by the latest reform sweeping through the early childhood sector - the National Quality Framework and Regulations that will be introduced to all preschools in 2012. The initial draft paper has been published, and as the largest kindergarten cluster manager in Victoria, ECMS is well positioned to provide insightful feedback to support the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations as they develop the framework. The submission can be viewed here. Further details of the NQF can be found on the DEEWA website here: http://www.deewr.gov.au/Earlychildhood/Policy_Agenda/Quality/Pages/home.aspx#overview