Our Staff
George – Centre Manager
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Education - PhD in Biomedical Science (UK), Masters Degree in Sports Nutrition (UK), Masters Degree in Sports Medicine (UK), Diploma of Early Childhood Education (AU).
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Experience – George is an experienced nutritionist and parenting education professional, also designs the children’s balanced and nutritious meals, and researches develops and delivers parent and carer educational information seminars and workshops. He has over 10 years extensive experience in nutrition and meal planning for elite sports personals, and coaching children. George is a board member of Victoria Association of Parent Effectiveness Training and a qualified Parent Effectiveness Training facilitator.
"I come from a family that has been involved in assisting children expand their horizons through learning for over 30 years. My academic achievements were a result of a guiding curiosity that persists to this day, with learning and reaching insights still leaving me in wonder and giving me goose bumps to this day. It is the same wonder that the children express when learning something new and meaningful, and this guides me and motivates me in creating the environment that will provide the children with as many opportunities as possible to reach these feelings of wonder and achievement."
Charlotte - Montessori Directress/Qualified Early Childhood Teacher/Education Leader
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Education - Graduate Diploma of Early Childhood Education)
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Experience - Charlotte’s experience in the Early Childhood sector started in 2002 in the role of the Montessori Directress, and in 2005 more skills were added to her arsenal and she became the Early Childhood Teacher. For the past 8 years, Charlotte’s experience extended into management, which she managed to such a level, that the Dept of Education rated the centre Charlotte was managing as Exceeding the standards set by the National Quality Framework.
"I have been involved in the education of young children since 2004. I have worked in a range of Montessori environments together with families in a playgroup for children under 2 and also set up and run a transition group and a Cycle 1 Montessori classroom for children 3-6 years old. I have worked in both a kindergarten setting and a long day care setting.
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I have 2 grown up daughters who were my inspiration for becoming involved in early childhood many years ago.
I love gardening and have a strong interest in sustainability and the natural environment. I believe that the role of the adult is to offer opportunities to the young child; to initially observe and then to entice the child into exploration leading to concentrated effort. This is the key to learning. The Montessori philosophy offers this.
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Early childhood education is about sharing knowledge, both theirs and ours, not just about imparting facts. For the educator, it is also about constant self-reflection and challenging old belief systems. It is more about discovering what the child wants to learn, than what I want to teach."
Jenny – Montessori Directress
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Education - Masters of Early Childhood Education (AU), Bachelor of Early Childhood Teaching (UK), Diploma in Montessori Education
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Experience – Jenny has nearly a decade’s experience as Montessori Directress, is a Bachelor trained Early Childhood Teacher, and her arsenal of skills include years of managerial experience.
"Apa Khabar? My name is Jenny and I am a teacher from Malaysia who is passionate about my job. My biggest motivation as a teacher is to help children learn to overcome challenges and grow in confidence. Their smiles of satisfaction make all the hard work worthwhile. I started as a Montessori Directress in 2011. After completing my Montessori Diploma, I obtained a Bachelor in Early Childhood Education in the UK. My work experience in both Malaysia and the UK has helped me connect with children and parents from different cultures and social upbringing. I strongly believe that children should be given choices, responsibilities, and opportunities to initiate their own learning and cultivate independence. These learnings can be achieved through the prepared environment that allows areas to be revisited and explored at children’s own pace. Through the prepared environment, we should seek to nurture children’s different skills such as social, communication, physical and intellectual skills. Let us embark on this journey together to learn and grow with the children!"
Minuri – Qualified Early Childhood Teacher
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Education - Master of Teaching in Early Childhood and Primary Education (AU), Certificate in Montessori
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Experience – Recently joined Alto, Minuri is a new graduate full of passion in Early Childhood Education.
My name is Minuri and I am a Green Room educator here at Alto Early Learning. I have always had a passion for working with children which led me to pursue a Masters of Teaching (in Early Years and Primary Education) from Monash University. Being a Sri Lankan and growing up in the UAE, along with my time here in Melbourne, has exposed me to a wide variety of cultures and teaching strategies that I strive to integrate into our day-to-day interactions. My interests lie in creating a learning environment that aims to ignite the minds, senses and bodies of our young learners and I enjoy creating hands-on learning experiences by communicating with the child, their guardians and my colleagues to ensure the child’s Montessori journey is both fun and educational! I strongly believe that each child as a unique path ahead of them and it is our job as early childhood educators to encourage their curiosity and I hope to achieve this during my time here!
Jade – Montessori Directress
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Education - Montessori qualified educator, Certificate III in Early Childhood Education, studying towards Diploma in Early Childhood Education
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Experience – 7 years Montessori Directress with pre-school age children
"I'm from Gladstone Queensland. I spent 6 years teaching children in Hanoi, Vietnam and have travelled a lot throughout Asia. I'm passionate about inspiring curiosity about the world and its people and places in children under my care. I also love the Montessori method and the way that careful guidance and respectful encouragement can make children feel capable, valuable and satisfied."
Vana – Early Childhood Educator
Education - Diploma of Early Childhood Education, undertaking Montessori formal training
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Experience – 5 years experience in Montessori methods with all age groups.
"My name is Vana and I have been working as an Early Childhood Educator in a Montessori pre-school for the last 5 years.
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I am the proud mother of teenage twins who have always been the driving force in everything that I do. I have a Greek background and have lived in 4 different countries around the world. I am a lifelong learner and travelling has presented me with unlimited opportunities to learn and grow. It has also taught me the flexibility and has given me the ability to accept and appreciate the differences that make up our world.
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I am very passionate about my work and find that because of this, I have a steady source of motivation that drives me. I thrive on challenges and constantly set goals for myself so I always have something to strive toward. When I was first introduced to Montessori, I was immediately captivated by how it takes such a well-rounded approach to Early childhood education. My favourite thing about it is the freedom of choice within the classroom. I believe that children can be as independent as we encourage them to be.
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A child's early years are the foundation of his/her development and I feel very passionately about helping to ensure that they are equipped with the necessary building blocks for their future. Seeing visible progress in their development over the course of the year(s) is very rewarding and I am so excited to be a part of this learning journey."
Taylah – Early Childhood Educator (Trainee)
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Education - Certificate III in Early Childhood Education (studying towards)
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Experience – Youthful yet passionate trainee with Alto
Hello! My name is Taylah, I’m 18 and I’m currently studying my certificate 3 in Early Childhood Education through a traineeship here at Alto. I’ve always had the passion to work with young children, I have a great understanding of those on the spectrum through personal experiences with my younger cousin who inspired me greatly to chase my dreams of working with children.
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After all the necessary education is complete, it is my goal to further study the Montessori way and eventually become a Montessori educator as I strongly believe in the concept of guiding a child through the process of self-development through hands-on learning in a planned, prepared environment like we do here at Alto.