At Jenny’s ELC, child safety isn’t a policy – it’s a promise lived through everyday actions, decisions, and relationships. Across every centre, educators work together to ensure every child feels safe, respected, and free to explore the world around them with confidence.

From the moment families walk through the doors, safety is visible – in the way our educators communicate, in the design of our environments, and in the relationships that build trust and belonging.

Families are being encouraged to ask questions about how early learning services ensure safety, from staff checks to supervision, to how children’s voices are heard.

At Jenny’s ELC, we welcome those questions. Because every benchmark of quality care and safety – the very things families should be asking about – are embedded in who we are and how we operate.

Ownership, Accountability and Investment in Quality

Jenny’s ELC is owned and operated by an Australian family business. We are a community focussed organisation that proactively invests directly into team, learning environments and community partnerships — not ASX listed companies or private equity groups. Jenny’s ELC is regional Victoria, these are the communities we know best and know how to best support these areas.

“We’re proud to work within an organisation that invests in its people and its practices,” says Sarah Cassell, Director at Jenny’s ELC Delacombe. “Our focus is on quality and care, not cutting corners. Every decision, from staffing to training, comes back to what’s best for the children.”

Working With Children Checks — Verified Monthly

While the Department of Education requires Working With Children Checks (WWCCs) to be valid and sighted on employment and checked on a ‘regular’ basis, Jenny’s ELC goes far beyond this standard.

Every WWCC across all centres is reviewed and re-verified monthly, with full documentation maintained by our central team, ensuring compliance and also helping to ensure that the Director can focus on the daily operations.

“All educators, visitors and students must have a verified Working With Children Check before entering our service,” says Lesley Aspland, Director at Jenny’s ELC The Arch. “We sight every card, keep digital records, and check them every month — far more often than the minimum standard. It’s about absolute certainty.”

Visitor management systems, ID checks and sign-in registers ensure that only approved and supervised individuals are ever present in learning spaces.

Knowing Every Child and Every Space within our Centres

For Kiera Reilly, Director at Jenny’s ELC Bendigo Hospital and a team member for 10 years, child safety starts with relationships and presence.

“Getting to know each individual child makes it easy to notice when something is different,” she explains. “It builds a relationship where children feel comfortable, safe and supported to talk to us.”

Her team’s focus on visibility and communication aligns with one of the ABC’s key recommendations — ensuring children are always supervised and every space is accounted for.

“Strong communication is key,” Kiera continues. “Our team works together across the shared yard to maintain clear sightlines and awareness at all times. The large windows throughout our centre help us keep every space visible and every child in view.”

Consistent Teams, Familiar Faces

A stable team means safer, more trusting environments. Jenny’s ELC maintains exceptionally low turnover by prioritising wellbeing, development and career progression.

“When educators feel supported and respected, they stay,” says Sally Hicks, Director of Operations and Culture. “That stability helps children feel secure and allows families to build genuine, ongoing relationships with their educators.”

Long-term staff are complemented by structured mentoring and leadership pathways, ensuring that experience and enthusiasm are passed forward to every new team member. Where new services have joined the Jenny’s ELC team, we ensure that the team have the ability and capacity to meet our high standards.  This may mean at times an existing centre or team see a period of change over as we upskill those team members or bring in higher quality team members to increase the centre’s overall educational service. 

Supervision and Engagement

Every Jenny’s ELC service meets, and often exceeds, the educator-to-child ratios required under national regulations.

It’s not uncommon for Jenny’s ELC to proactively employ additional educators for children requiring further support while we wait/apply for Federal funding – we don’t believe children should miss out because funding approval can take a long time to come through.

“Supervision is something we practise, not just plan,” explains Christine Bristow, Director at Jenny’s ELC Armstrong Creek. “Our shared yards and open design allow us to maintain visibility across every space, and our educators communicate constantly to make sure every child is seen, supported and safe.”

At Jenny’s ELC Waurn Ponds, Director Megan Siemek echoes that precision:

“We use opening checklists and regular and consistent head counts. Every visitor is signed in, checked and accounted for. The whole team keeps one another accountable.”

Daily environment checks and strong communication between rooms ensure that safety is maintained seamlessly across indoor and outdoor areas.

Continuously Trained Professionals

In recent years, many employers have found that universities and training providers aren’t consistently graduating educators with the practical skills and confidence the profession requires.

At Jenny’s ELC, we’ve taken this responsibility into our own hands — supporting people to gain on-the-job, real-world experience while completing their Certificate III, Diploma or Bachelor Degree in Early Childhood Education.

Through the employment and development of highly qualified educators or through formal structured traineeships, mentoring and hands-on learning, our team members develop the practical understanding and confidence that can only come from experience in real early learning environments. This approach helps us build longer, more meaningful careers for our people and produces higher-quality educators who are truly ready for the responsibilities of the profession.

Many of our most talented educators began their journey through our traineeship program and have since progressed to leadership and management roles.

Alongside their formal studies, every educator — whether in training or qualified — participates in ongoing internal development covering:

• Mandatory Reporting – understanding the legal responsibility to identify and report any concerns about a child’s safety or wellbeing.
• Safe Handling of Food – hygiene standards and allergy management to ensure every child’s health is protected.
• Emergency Management Procedures – customised to each centre, detailing exact responses to a wide range of potential scenarios.
• Supervision and Child Safety Training – real-world coaching and modelling on visibility, communication, and risk prevention.

“Our orientation process sets the tone,” says Bridie Lyal, Director at Jenny’s ELC Strathfieldsaye. “New educators are introduced to our policies, guided by mentors, and supported to understand their responsibilities from day one.”

Regular training refreshers and hands-on drills ensure that knowledge remains sharp and confidence stays high — so every educator is prepared to respond swiftly and appropriately in any situation.

All Centres Equipped With CCTV

Every Jenny’s ELC centre is equipped with CCTV, providing an additional layer of protection and transparency. This CCTV is intermittently audited by a qualified technology team to ensure that it is well maintained and operational. CCTV locations and improvements are consistently reflected upon and improved where possible.

This technology reinforces an ‘always on’ awareness for our team, supports reflective practice, and helps maintain safe environments for children, educators, and families alike. CCTV footage is securely stored and managed in accordance with privacy regulations.

Strong Policies and Transparent Practices

Jenny’s ELC operates under a robust Child Safety and Protection Policy, Code of Conduct and incident-reporting procedures.

These documents are reviewed at least annually and visible to all families and staff.

“We revisit supervision and safety practices regularly in our meetings,” says Nikki Davis, Director at Jenny’s ELC Soldiers Hill. “We make our expectations clear, and every educator knows their responsibility to act if they see something that doesn’t feel right.”

Policies are brought to life through consistent routines, reflective practice, and age-appropriate learning experiences that help children understand their right to feel safe.

Empowering Children’s Voices

Child safety education is embedded across the Jenny’s ELC curriculum.

“We help children name their feelings and build vocabulary to express themselves with confidence,” says Samantha Sherwell, Director at Jenny’s ELC Norlane. “Strong, trusting relationships allow children to speak up and know they’ll be heard.”

Educators model respect and empathy, ensuring that children’s voices are listened to and valued at every age and stage.

Open Leadership and Speaking Up

Directors and senior educators foster a culture of openness where every team member feels empowered to raise concerns.

We remind everyone that they all have a voice,” says Kiera Reilly. “If something doesn’t sit right, it’s their obligation to speak up. We hold ourselves to a high standard and always listen to the children’s voices.”

Megan Siemek adds, “You give educators space to share without fear or judgement. Acting quickly and communicating openly shows that we take every concern seriously.”

Our Everyday Commitment

Across every Jenny’s ELC centre, safety is more than a standard — it’s a shared value, reinforced through vigilance, communication, and compassion.

“Our educators are caring, passionate, and nurturing professionals who are all here to give children the best possible start in life,” says Jenna Baker, Director at Jenny’s ELC Maiden Gully.

“We lead by example,” continues Jenna. “Child safety isn’t just part of our role — it’s who we are.”

Each director, each educator, and each small daily act contributes to the same purpose: to ensure every child is protected, empowered, and free to grow with confidence.

Because at Jenny’s ELC, keeping children safe isn’t a moment — it’s every moment.