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ABOUT USWe Understand Your Childcare Needs

Providing the Best Environment for Your Child

We are privileged to be trusted by hundreds of families throughout regional Victoria. We are here to help ensure children have the very best opportunities in life.

Contact Us

Bringing the Highest Quality in Early Learning

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Specially
Designed

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A Home Away
from Home

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Inspired Learning
Spaces

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Supportive and
Nurturing Educators

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Spacious Indoor &
Outdoor Environments

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Community Spirit

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ACECQA
Accredited

The right way of learning

Jenny’s Early Learning Centre’s philosophy is simple. Learning is a part of the fun! We want each of our children to develop and learn in an environment that encourages them to have fun and explore their interests.

THE PILLARSLearning is part of the fun

Our Educators

Our educators assist our children to develop their skills and understanding, helping them to learn about their responsibilities to others and to the community – valuing teamwork and collaboration. We are committed to equity and believe in each child’s capacity to succeed.

Our Community

We ensure that each child experiences sharing and learning with others in a range of environments to develop a positive sense of identity, and experience respectful, responsive relationships that strengthens their interests and skills as they learn to be active contributors to their world.

Our Children

We believe that as children grow, they develop personal interests and construct their own identities and understandings of the world. It is important for each child to undertake this process at their own pace, discovering new interests and skills through undertaking diverse and stimulating activities.

Our Families

We build respectful collaborative relationships, placing importance on each family’s expertise, culture and beliefs. We welcome families to be active participants in their child’s learning and well-being and pride ourselves on our ability to communicate freely and openly with our families.

MEET OUR TEAMInspiring and passionate

Our passionate team of educators bring enthusiasm and excitement to the Early Childhood sector. Our Educators work collaboratively to challenge and learn from each other, using their strengths to develop and support high quality learning programs for each child.

Meet the leaders of our team!

Jaylea Stone

Epsom Centre Director

Bree McCarroll

Maiden Gully Centre Director

Mikaela Johnson

Strathfieldsaye Centre Director

Kiera Reilly

Bendigo Hospital Centre Director

Chloe Unitt

Lara Centre Director

Lesley Aspland

The Arch Centre Director

Megan Siemek

Waurn Ponds Centre Director

Become a part of Jenny’s Early Learning Centre

At Jenny’s Early Learning Centre, we are committed to providing an engaging environment for not only our children, but for our educators as well. We believe that the right people, no matter their qualifications can grow, learn and make a difference in people’s lives.

If you are an experienced Early Childhood professional, or someone who is looking for a rewarding and dynamic career with us, apply to join the team today. We are biased but we think Jenny’s Early Learning Centre educators are the best!

Join us

Our Centres

Jenny’s Early Learning Centre has 7 locations, hosting state of the art facilities that meet the unique developmental needs of every child.

Jenny’s Early Learning Centre - The Arch
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Jenny’s Early Learning Centre - Bendigo
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Jenny’s Early Learning Centre - Epsom
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Jenny’s Early Learning Centre - WAURN PONDS
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Jenny’s Early Learning Centre - Maiden Gully
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Jenny’s Early Learning Centre - STRATHFIELDSAYE
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Jenny’s Early Learning Centre - Lara
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We care about you

Happy families, happy children and happy educators make Jenny’s Early Learning Centre the best place to be.
Enquire

Jaylea Stone

P: (03) 5448 4520
E: epsom@jennyselc.com.au

Jaylea is the Director at Jenny’s ELC Epsom and has been with Jenny’s ELC since 2011. Her initial role was as Director at Maiden Gully before taking up the role of Director at the Bendigo Hospital centre in 2014. In 2018 she moved to the Epsom Centre where she has continued to support the community and the passionate and caring team at JELC Epsom.

Raised and educated in the Bendigo area, Jaylea is a true local who deeply understands the Bendigo community. She completed her teaching degree at Bendigo College of Advanced Education before moving interstate with her family.

Her interest in early childhood education developed when working as a primary school teacher in North West NSW. At this time Jaylea realised the importance of early childhood development when she observed that children from remote stations were not emotionally or socially prepared for the school setting. She became driven to develop a preschool service in the village of Rowena, working closely with the local community to achieve the best outcomes for the children, the school and the community.

On returning to Bendigo after eight years away, Jaylea continued to develop her passion for Early Childhood completing a Graduate Certificate in Early Childhood Education at RMIT while working as a kindergarten teacher at Helen Jessen and Annie Galvin Children’s Centres, a position she held for 16 years.

Passionate about the environment and sustainability, Jaylea has particularly enjoyed supporting children and her team of educators to learn about and further their skills and interest in these areas. Her skills as a mentor have continued to develop and she is motivated to continuously learn and take on many new skills that will support children, families and educators within the Jenny’s ELC community.

Jaylea is looking forward to welcoming you to our Jenny’s Epsom Family soon! Contact Jaylea to learn more about the amazing programs and environment at Jenny’s ELC Epsom.

Bree McCarroll

P: (03) 5449 7555
E: maidengully@jennyselc.com.au

Bree is the Director at Jenny’s ELC Maiden Gully and has been with Jenny’s ELC since 2017. She started with JELC as a Cert III Trainee at our Strathfieldsaye Centre where she then fell in love with educating children and building strong and lasting relationships with the children and their families. Bree then went onto completing her Diploma and went on to room lead over several years before realising she wanted more from her career in Early Childhood which then progressed into becoming the Assistant Director of Strathfieldsaye which made it more evident that this is the path she wanted to take.
Born and raised in the Bendigo area, Bree was educated by her family on the importance of being strong in the community with a family who have been involved in many community fundraisers which has created a strong urgency to continue the legacy of her family in becoming more passionate about doing more for the community around her.
Her interest in early childhood education began when her two oldest nephews were born and Bree took on an important role in their lives at a young age and knew that she wanted to give more children the love, education and support that is required to ensure there is a strong impact on their lives and lifelong memories are made through her care and support of not only herself but the staff at JELC. Bree is looking forward to welcoming you to our Jenny’s Maiden Gully Family soon! Contact Bree to learn more about the amazing programs and environment at Jenny’s ELC Maiden Gully.

Mikaela Johnson

P: (03) 5439 4774
E: strathfieldsaye@jennyselc.com.au

Mikaela joined Jenny’s ELC in 2013 as the Assistant Director at Jenny’s ELC Epsom. She spent two years in this role before moving to our Maiden Gully service in mid 2015 where she was the Centre Director for the next eight years. In May 2023 Mikaela moved to our Strathfieldsaye centre to continue on in the Centre Director role alongside the team there.

Mikaela is a true Bendigo local, born and bred here, never leaving for more than a holiday!  She began a Bachelor of Teaching at La Trobe University (Bendigo) in 2004 and in 2006, deferred her studies to begin working at a local childcare centre, where she quickly progressed from Assistant, to Room Leader, to Educational Leader.

Mikaela fell in love with the Early Childhood sector, and despite her original plans to return to Primary Teaching, she quickly realised the early years were her true passion. Completing a Certificate III and then Diploma of Children’s Services, Mikaela is a highly qualified and experienced educator who is passionate about creating genuine and lasting relationships with children, their families and the wider community – which is strongly reflected within our Strathfieldsaye centres family and community partnerships. Mikaela loves working with the local schools, sporting clubs and shopping facilities to develop strong bonds that provide our children and families every opportunity to be fully immersed in their local community.

Mikaela is also very passionate about dressing up – with Book Week and Christmas Month (known to most people as ‘December’) being her favourite times of the year. During December you can find Mikaela draped in tinsel, bells and even fairy lights, telling her favourite Christmas jokes to anyone who will listen (and often those who wont).

Alongside the Strathfieldsaye team, Mikaela is excited to meet your family and welcome you to our beautiful centre.

Kiera Reilly

P: (03) 5444 3991
E: bendigohospital@jennyselc.com.au

I started my Jenny’s career working as a room leader at our Strathfieldsaye centre nearly 9 years ago before then moving to our Bendigo Hospital site as the Assistant Director in 2019 before then taking on the Director role in 2022.

I was born in Bendigo but moved to New South Wales in my early 20’s and it was there that I found my passion for Early Childhood while completing my Cert 3. I then moved around Australia for the next few years and while doing this I also then completed my Diploma and Advanced Diploma in Early Childhood.

I am passionate about providing a safe and caring environment where all children are able to develop and learn, giving them the best possible start in life and while doing this I have created some really meaningful and genuine relationships with not only the children but the families that have come through the centre.

We look forward to welcoming you to our Jenny’s Bendigo Hospital family!

Megan Siemek

P: (03) 5244 2949
E: waurnponds@jennyselc.com.au

My name is Megan Siemek and I’m really excited to be joining Jenny’s family. I have over 16 years experience in childcare with 10 years working in the Centre Director role. My mission is to ensure each and every child in our care enjoys the most positive, happy experience of growth through learning and playing each and every day they share with us. I’m passionate about educating and nurturing the children and educators knowledge by promoting and expanding their individual abilities, extending their talents and interests.

Lesley Aspland

P:  03 5303 9090 
E: thearch@jennyselc.com.au

Lesley is the Director at Jenny’s ELC The Arch and a mother of 5 beautiful children. She is a born and bred local Ballarat girl. After many years of living in the CBD Lesley moved to a rural suburb for a quieter lifestyle on 20 acres. She worked in aged care for 7 years before coming into the early childhood profession in 2018. Starting out Lesley had a mad passion for children living with Autism as one of her own children lives with Autism. Lesley wanted to make a difference in their lives like she had her own child. Lesley is passionate about being a voice for every child who felt they don’t have one. She wants children to feel included regardless of their ability level. After being in the profession for around six months Lesley knew that this is where she should have been many years before. Lesley feels internally rewarded when she sees the children’s faces light up when they feel their success, reaching milestones and kicking goals. Working with families has always been important to Lesley and because and she loves to have a chat with everyone as she builds amazing relationships built on trust not only with children but also families.

Lesley and the team at The Arch are excited to meet you and welcome you to their centre.

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Chloe Unitt

P: (03) 4224 3022
E: lara1@jennyselc.com.au

My name is Chloe, and I am the Director at Jenny’s ELC in Lara. With nearly 10 years of experience in the Early Childhood Education and Care sector, and 7 years within the local Lara community, I have a strong sense and knowledge about what is important to our local area. I hold a Diploma in Early Childhood Education and Care, a Diploma in School Age Education and Care, and a Certificate III in Makeup Artistry – I love to learn!

My career in Early Childhood Education just happened to randomly begin at McDonald’s, where I served as a Children’s Party Manager. This role ignited my passion for working with children and has since driven my commitment to fostering a nurturing and inclusive learning environment that is consistently based on fun!

Living locally with my family, I am actively involved in the community. My children participate in various local sports, keeping our weekends and evenings busy with activities. In my free time, I enjoy gardening and watching RuPaul’s Drag Race.

At Jenny’s ELC Lara, we prioritise cultural diversity and inclusiveness, we recognise the importance of teaching children about different values and voices from the earliest stages of life. Our goal is to ensure that every individual feels welcomed, valued, and respected. We also love to focus on the importance of nature and the outdoors as powerful tools for education, integrating our local community into our teaching practices. My team and I are excited about the programs we offer and look forward to welcoming you to the Jenny’s ELC Lara family.