Child Care Educator

Early Childhood Educator – Wattle & Wonder Early Learning | Winthrop

Join the Wattle & Wonder journey.

Wattle & Wonder Early Learning is looking for a warm, enthusiastic and dependable Early Childhood Educator to join our team at our Winthrop centre.

We’re not looking for someone who simply wants to come to work, complete a shift and go home. We’re looking for someone who genuinely enjoys working with children, wants to contribute ideas, build relationships and become part of the ongoing journey of Wattle & Wonder.

Our Winthrop centre is a small, community-focused early learning service where educators have the opportunity to genuinely know the children and families in their care. We believe some of the most important learning happens in the little moments – a funny conversation at the lunch table, helping a child solve a problem with a friend, getting messy outside, following a child's sudden fascination with bugs, or sitting together and turning a simple question into an opportunity to explore.

At Wattle & Wonder, every interaction matters.

About the role

As an educator at Wattle & Wonder Winthrop, you will work alongside our team to create a safe, welcoming and engaging environment where children feel comfortable being themselves.

We want our educators to teach, not simply supervise.

That doesn't mean every moment needs to be a structured lesson. It means recognising opportunities for learning throughout the day, being curious alongside children, asking great questions, encouraging independence and adapting experiences to the interests, personalities and developmental needs of the children in front of you.

You will help plan and deliver meaningful learning experiences, contribute to the daily operation of the centre, communicate with families and work collaboratively with your fellow educators.

Most importantly, we want you to bring your own strengths, interests and personality to the team.

Who we're looking for

We are looking for someone who is:

Fluent and confident in spoken and written English, with the ability to communicate clearly and warmly with children, families and colleagues.

Passionate about early childhood education and genuinely interested in helping children learn and develop.

Warm, patient, approachable and comfortable building relationships with children and families.

Reliable and willing to contribute to the wider team.

Confident taking initiative rather than always waiting to be told what needs to be done.

Interested in creating engaging experiences based on children's interests and ideas.

Comfortable getting involved – whether that's reading stories, creating art, building something, exploring outside, singing, investigating, getting messy or simply having a great conversation with a child.

Able to work collaboratively and communicate openly with other educators.

Willing to learn, reflect and continue developing professionally.

Someone who takes children's safety, wellbeing and dignity seriously.

Interested in becoming part of the Wattle & Wonder journey as our service continues to grow and develop.

Our philosophy

Our approach is built around a simple belief: childhood matters.

Children aren't all interested in the same things, they don't all learn in the same way, and they certainly don't all develop according to the same timetable.

Our role is to understand the child in front of us.

We want to discover what makes them curious, what makes them laugh, what challenges them, what gives them confidence and what captures their imagination. From there, our educators can create experiences and interactions that help each child reach their potential.

We value play, exploration, creativity, conversation and genuine relationships.

We also embrace the diversity of the families who make up our community and want Wattle & Wonder to be a place where children, families and educators feel welcomed, respected and included.

Our educators are a huge part of making that happen.

A small centre where you can make an impact

One of the advantages of working at Wattle & Wonder Winthrop is the opportunity to work within a smaller early learning environment.

You're not simply another staff member in a huge service.

Your ideas can be heard. Your relationships with children matter. Your contribution to the environment matters. And when you discover something that works brilliantly with a child or group, we want you to share it.

We want educators who can look around the centre and think:

"What could we do with the children today?"

"How could we make this experience better?"

"What are these children interested in right now?"

"What can I teach them through this?"

That curiosity is exactly what we want Wattle & Wonder to be about.

What you'll bring

Applicants should hold, or be actively working towards, a relevant Early Childhood Education and Care qualification appropriate to the position.

You will also need to meet the applicable requirements for working in an approved early childhood education and care service, including relevant screening, checks and training.

Experience in early childhood education is certainly valued, but attitude matters enormously to us.

We would rather have someone who is enthusiastic, caring, dependable and eager to improve than someone who has simply been doing the same thing for years.

What you can expect from us

We want Wattle & Wonder to be a workplace where good educators can enjoy coming to work and feel that what they do matters.

You'll join a team working towards a shared vision for the centre, with opportunities to contribute ideas and help shape the experiences we provide for our children.

We value educators who communicate, support one another and understand that a great early learning centre is created by the whole team.

There will be busy days. There will be messy days. There will probably be days where a carefully planned activity lasts five minutes because the children suddenly become fascinated by something completely different.

That's early childhood education.

And sometimes those unexpected moments become the best learning experiences of the entire day.

Come and be part of Wattle & Wonder

We're building something we're proud of at Wattle & Wonder Winthrop, and we want educators who would like to be part of that journey.

If you're passionate about children, excited about teaching and learning, confident communicating with families, and looking for a workplace where you can genuinely contribute, we'd love to hear from you.

Tell us a little about yourself, your experience and – most importantly – why you enjoy working with children and why you'd like to become part of Wattle & Wonder Early Learning.