Prospect Community Early Education and Care

Meet Hazel – Casual Educator across the service

Hazel is a valued member of our casual educator team, bringing both experience and familiarity to the service. After previously working within our centre community, Hazel took a short hiatus before returning to our casual pool, continuing to support children, families, and educators across the service.

As a casual educator, Hazel plays an important role in maintaining continuity, responsive care, and stable learning environments across rooms. This aligns with NQS Quality Area 4 – Staffing Arrangements, supporting consistent relationships and quality practice throughout the service.

Hazel’s work reflects our Philosophy of Education, particularly our commitment to belonging, connection, and respectful relationships. Through flexible support across teams and age groups, Hazel contributes to environments where children feel safe, supported, and valued, aligning with NQS Quality Area 5 – Relationships with Children.

The return of familiar educators strengthens continuity for children, families, and the wider team, reinforcing the importance of long-term community connections within early childhood education and care.

We are grateful to have Hazel back as part of our centre community and casual educator team.

Thank you, Hazel

🌱 Community Garden Journey – Part 2: Looking Back to Move Forward

Before the first shovel entered the ground, before the pathways, plantings, aviary, deck, gathering spaces and edible gardens, there was an existing space with its own story.

This week, we are sharing the beginning of the journey – what was originally there and the vision that inspired the transformation.

Like many projects, the redevelopment of our front garden did not begin with construction. It began with conversations. Families, educators, children and community members shared ideas about what the space could become and how it could better reflect our values, philosophy and connection to community.

The vision was to create more than a garden. We wanted a welcoming meeting place that encouraged connection, belonging and participation. A space that celebrated sustainability, biodiversity, learning, culture, food, nature and community. A place where children, families and visitors could gather, contribute, learn and share together.

As we look back at where the journey started, it is incredible to see how much has changed and how many people have helped shape the space along the way.

Join us as we revisit the original garden and explore the vision that laid the foundation for what has become our Community Garden and Meeting Place.

💚 Every great project starts with a dream, a conversation and a community willing to work together to bring it to life.

Meet Christine – Educator in Hepburn

Christine has been part of our centre community since 2016, commencing as a student through AITT before quickly progressing into a casual educator role. Since joining the service, Christine has gained experience across all rooms and age groups, building strong knowledge and adaptable practice across the centre.

With qualifications including a Certificate III and Diploma in Early Childhood Education and Care, Christine is currently continuing her professional growth through studies toward a Bachelor of Early Childhood Education, working toward becoming an Early Childhood Teacher.

Christine’s practice reflects our Philosophy of Education, with a focus on building responsive relationships, supporting children’s wellbeing, and creating safe, inclusive learning environments. This aligns with NQS Quality Area 5 – Relationships with Children and Quality Area 1 – Educational Program and Practice.

Professional learning across child safety, risky play, relationship-based practice, inclusion, Kaurna weaving, and first aid reflects Christine’s commitment to continuous improvement and quality practice. This also supports NQS Quality Area 2 – Children’s Health and Safety and Quality Area 4 – Staffing Arrangements.

Christine’s ongoing commitment to learning and professional development continues to strengthen practice within Hepburn and across the service.

Thank you, Christine

📊 Sharing Our Journey of Reflection and Improvement

Thank you to all the families, educators and community members who contributed to our recent survey and feedback opportunities.

The overall report is now complete and brings together family feedback, educator reflections, service data, observations and quality improvement planning. The report represents many hours of listening, reflecting, analysing and planning, ensuring the voices of our community help shape the future direction of our service.

Rather than simply sharing the final outcomes, we want to take families on the journey with us.

Over the coming weeks, we will be sharing a different section of the report each week. These updates will highlight key findings, celebrate strengths, explore opportunities for growth and provide insight into the continuous improvement processes that occur behind the scenes.

At Prospect Community Early Education and Care, we believe that meaningful partnerships are built through openness, collaboration and shared decision-making. By sharing the report in stages, we hope families gain a deeper understanding of how feedback is gathered, considered and transformed into action.

Thank you for helping us learn, grow and continue striving to provide the best possible environment for children, families, educators and our wider community.

We are incredibly honoured to share that Prospect Community Early Education and Care has been named South Australia's Most Popular Childcare Service in the 2026 KindiCare Excellence Awards.
What makes this recognition so special is that it reflects the voices of the people who matter most – our families and community.
As a community-owned, not-for-profit service, everything we do is shaped by the children, families, educators, Management Committee and wider community who contribute to making Prospect such a special place. This recognises every family who has trusted us with their children, every educator who has shared their passion and dedication, every committee member who has volunteered their time, and every child who fills our service with curiosity, laughter and learning.
Knowing that our community feels connected to, valued by and proud of our service is the greatest recognition we could receive. Thank you for believing in what community-based early childhood education can be. Thank you for walking alongside us, contributing your ideas, sharing your feedback, celebrating our successes and helping us grow.

Prospect Community Early Education and Care We are a community-based early education and care service, proudly self-managed and dedicated to serving our local families. Licensed to accommodate up to 85 children each day, our centre features...

Today in the centre - All welcome

Meet Christel – Diploma Educator & valued Vaughn team member

Christel has been part of our centre community since 1995, bringing three decades of experience in early childhood education and care. Beginning as an unqualified educator prior to legislative qualification requirements, Christel later formalised her practice through completion of her Certificate III and Diploma in Early Childhood Education and Care.

Across her time with the service, Christel has worked across all rooms, predominantly supporting our youngest children in Vaughn, and previously held a Co-Lead Educator role. After trialling retirement, Christel returned to the service, continuing to share her extensive knowledge, calm presence, and strong relationships with children, families, and educators.

Christel’s practice reflects our Philosophy of Education, particularly our commitment to belonging, responsive relationships, and recognising the uniqueness of every child. Through child-focused routines, intentional teaching, and relationship-based practice, Christel supports children’s wellbeing and development, aligning with NQS Quality Areas 1, 2 and 5.

Extensive professional learning across behaviour guidance, attachment theory, inclusion, sensory development, Marte Meo communication, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives, and reflective practice demonstrates Christel’s ongoing commitment to quality improvement and professional growth. This also supports NQS Quality Area 4 – Staffing Arrangements and Quality Area 7 – Governance and Leadership.

As a member of the Reconciliation Action Plan subcommittee, Christel contributes to strengthening inclusive and culturally responsive practice across the service.

We are grateful for the experience, continuity, and dedication Christel continues to bring to our centre community.

Thank you, Christel

Thank You to Dave
Every great project has people behind the scenes whose contribution goes far beyond what can be seen. For our Community Garden and Meeting Place, that person is Dave.
To call Dave a landscaper would be an understatement. Throughout this journey, Dave has been a builder, problem solver, designer, advisor, perfectionist, sounding board and, at times, what can only be described as a magician.
This project began as a collection of ideas, sketches, dreams, wish lists and "what if" conversations. Time and time again, Dave listened to those visions, understood what we were trying to achieve and somehow found a way to bring them to life. Not only did he make them happen, but he consistently delivered outcomes that exceeded our expectations.
The countless hours, physical labour, problem solving, flexibility, patience and determination invested into this project cannot be overstated. There were challenges, changes, frustrations, unexpected obstacles and moments where the easier option would have been to compromise. Yet every task was approached with care, professionalism and an unwavering commitment to quality.
What stands out most is that this never felt like just another job. Every detail mattered. Every suggestion was considered. Every challenge became an opportunity to find a better solution. The level of pride taken in the work matched the pride felt by those of us managing the project. The care and attention poured into every path, structure, garden bed and feature is evident throughout the space.
The Community Garden is what it is today because of genuine collaboration, open communication, shared problem solving and a commitment to achieving something truly special. There are many tradespeople who could have completed the work, but very few who would have embraced the vision, cared about the outcome and invested themselves in the journey the way Dave did.
On behalf of the children, families, educators and wider community who will benefit from this space for years to come, thank you. Your blood, sweat, determination, skill, knowledge, flexibility and attention to detail have left a lasting legacy within our community. More than a garden was created. A vision became reality. We are incredibly grateful.
Throughout the project, he demonstrated exceptional skill, craftsmanship, flexibility and attention to detail, but perhaps more importantly, he genuinely cared about the outcome. He listened to ideas, understood the purpose behind them and worked alongside us to find solutions that remained true to the vision.
The Community Garden is filled with features that exist because Dave was willing to think creatively, adapt, problem solve and invest himself in the journey. Challenges were met with determination, ideas were met with enthusiasm and every task was completed with pride and professionalism.
What was created together is more than the sum of its individual parts. It reflects a shared commitment to quality, community and creating something meaningful for future generations.
The finished space stands as a testament not only to Dave's skills as a tradesperson, but to the care, passion and dedication he brought to every stage of the project and the careful sourcing of materials - every detail needed to be perfect.