Our Educators
We pride ourselves on our highly qualified and caring educators and early childhood teachers at Apples & Honey Preschool Chatswood. They are a team of certified early childhood educators and teachers, dedicated to providing children with the best start in life through loving care and learning development.
Our educators take the time to get to know your child – their unique interests, personalities and developmental stages. We collaborate with you to help deepen their learning opportunities with experiences that relate back to their home environments. Your child will be supported in their development - we regularly communicate with families on how their child is progressing and on their day-to-day experiences at the centre both in person and through our specialised app, StoryPark.
To ensure our educators are always developing and keeping abreast of changes within the Early Childhood Education field, we provide them with extensive professional development opportunities. We encourage you to Book A Tour to visit Apples and Honey Preschool to meet our friendly and experienced educators. You cancontact us on (02) 9412-4839 to enquire about enrolling for 2024 or 2025 and find our about our enrolment offer.
What Makes Our Educators Special?
It takes a unique set of skills, passions and attributes to make a fantastic educator. Here’s what makes our educators so special:
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Highly trained early learning professionals who care deeply about each and every one of the children in their care
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Creating meaningful play-based experiences for children that will both challenge them and extend their learning.
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Our preschool has a high educator to child ratio, which means for individualised care.
Michelle Lee
Director
Early Childhood Educator
I’ve been an Early Childhood Teacher for 13 years and a Nominated Supervisor, Educational Leader and Preschool Room Leader over the past 8 years. I grew up in Hong Kong and speak English, Cantonese, Mandarin and Bahasa Indonesia.
As a Director, I bring an open mind, positive attitude, and high expectations to the service each day. I believe that I owe it to the children, as well as the community, to bring consistency, diligence, and warmth to inspire and encourage such traits in the children as well. Teaching is a process of learning from the children, colleagues, parents, and the community.
“I absolutely love children. I think they are the most precious thing in the world! Being a teacher is such a privilege because I get to be involved in children’s early years where they absorb new knowledge like sponges and they’re full of curiosity and wonder.”
Shelley Cusack
Assistant Director
Diploma Early Childhood Educator Working Towards ECT
I am a Diploma qualified educator, working towards my Early Childhood and Primary School Teacher Qualification. I have 10 years of teaching experience in the classroom with ages 0-6. I am passionate about providing quality education from an early age and instilling a love of learning and curiosity in the world. I have a strong interest in sharing my knowledge of caring for the land and respecting the traditional owners of the land.
My teaching philosophy is that all children have a right to learn and develop to their fullest potential. This is achieved through working at the child's pace and encouraging them to challenge themselves while building their confidence in all areas
“My aim is to build positive relationships with the children so that they feel supported and nurtured. I bring a positive attitude to my classroom each day with lots of songs, energy and my listening ears always switched on in order to bring the best possible care and education to the children.”
Kim Holloway
Room Leader
Diploma Early Childhood Educator
I am a Diploma trained Early Childhood Educator and this year marks my 22nd year of working with children. I believe that every child is a unique individual who deserves a secure, caring and stimulating atmosphere in which to mature physically, emotionally, intellectually and socially. As an educator it is important to be able to feed their curiosity and set challenges to increase their hunger to learn.
Creating a safe environment where children can explore, confidently express themselves and be supported in their learning is my objective. It is important for children to accept themselves for who they are, as well embrace the differences of others.
“My belief is that children learn best through play and that my role as an educator is to provide an exciting educationally based program and environment that will best facilitate learning based on their individual interests.”
Dorota Stefanowski
Educational Leader
Early Childhood Teacher
I am an Early Childhood Teacher with over 30 years of experience working with children from 3-5 years old. My teaching journey started out by acquiring a Masters in Pedagogy in 1988. From that time onwards I have followed my passions and dedicated myself to the education of young children.
I put a key emphasis to explore and follow children’s interests and help them to develop problem solving skills. I aim in providing a loving and secure environment for children to feel safe and reach their full potential. A key component of my role in Apples and Honey is to promote diversity and bring the wider community celebrations into the centre.
“My drive comes from the joy in working with families and interacting with children. I see every child as a unique individual with their own passions, beliefs and diverse background that should be celebrated and embraced.”
Angela Moore
Room Leader
Diploma Early Childhood Educator
I believe children are independent, imaginative thinkers that learn important social, physical and emotional skills through play. Each child deserves the opportunity to experience learning in a fun and secure environment that fosters their interests and expands their knowledge.
I bring with me my knowledge of nature and the love of sharing this with the children. I believe children should be encouraged to explore and develop an appreciation of the natural environment. I believe that children learn best through play, having the freedom of choice and exploration in an environment that is inviting, engaging and allows children to follow and extend their interests.
“As an educator, I believe it is my role to support children as they grow into socially capable thinkers and encourage them to build on their interests and pursue their dreams.”
Chaikat Dumo
Room Leader
Diploma Early Childhood Educator
I am a Diploma trained Early Childhood Educator. I have worked in a long day care centre and have experience working with children - birth to five years old. I grew up in the Philippines and can speak English and Tagalog/ Filipino.
I find it extremely rewarding working with children. As an educator, I see them as active and involved learners that enable them to interact and construct ideas. I also believe that children should have a warm, supportive and encouraging environment, where they feel comfortable to try new experiences while further developing their understanding.
“Every day I am excited to lead child-appropriate activities filled with fun, and be creative in offering diverse learning opportunities to enhance children's holistic development. Children are truly amazing, and it is a joy to see them grow, play, and achieve their milestones.”
Tanya Demlakian
Educator
Diploma Early Childhood Educator
Working Towards ECT
I am a Diploma qualified Educator working towards my Early Childhood Teacher Qualification. I have 6 years of experience teaching in early childhood education settings. I am very passionate about supporting children's learning in a holistic manner and providing opportunities for them to learn through their play. I enjoy incorporating elements of STEAM along with the 8 ways of learning that support children's interests and allows them to connect with their surrounding world.
My Teaching philosophy involves providing opportunities for children to explore and connect with their world in a safe and secure environment to further their learning. I believe children learn best in play-based settings as it supports their social and emotional wellbeing while gaining knowledge.
"My aim is to advocate for child-led learning experiences that support a passion for learning. Every child is a unique individual who engages in ongoing learning in many ways through their life”.
I am the office administrator and a Diploma trained educator, with over 25 years of experience in administration and 3 years’ experience in childcare (if you don’t count the 24 years of experience I have raising my own three children).
I’m passionate about supporting children on their life journey, ensuring all children feel welcome and at home at Apples and Honey, and supporting parents and families as they navigate the early years of their children.
“I view children as unique and very capable individuals, and I seek opportunities to engage each child in child-centred, play-based experiences that extend on their specific interests and abilities.”