Who We Are | Valla Community Preschool — Valla Community Preschool

Our vision:

A preschool that nurtures and values us all as a community of learners, and builds our connection with family, community, culture and place. We cherish that we learn from each other.

About our preschool

Proudly operating in Valla Beach since 1983

We are a not-for-profit preschool, proudly and respectfully teaching on beautiful Gumbaynggirr Country, surrounded by nature. We are passionate about creating a nurturing and welcoming environment, where children aged 3 to 6 years old, can feel safe, secure and supported to learn, take risks and explore.

By building strong relationships with our team, families, and the community, our children develop a sense of safety, belonging and mattering. They are active leaders in their learning – asking questions, initiating play and making decisions.

At Valla Community Preschool, nature is not only something our children can learn from, but something they can learn to protect. This is deeply embedded in our day as we explore the natural environment by being out on Country; getting our hands dirty digging in the garden; learning about sustainability, composting; and tending to the chickens, worm farms, bush tucker and veggie gardens.

Part of the community

Built for the community, by the community

As a not-for-profit preschool, we are managed by a voluntary Management Committee made up of family and community members. This means the decisions we make reflect the ever-evolving needs and nature of the local area and our children.

We are proud of our committed team of educators who create an environment of wonder, joy and learning for the children here at Valla. They all live locally and many grew up on Gumbaynggirr Country, which means they understand and appreciate the importance of caring for this area and the people who live here.

Our children are active members of the community and we often explore the areas beyond our fence line together. This helps children get to know local places and faces, and empowers them with a sense of connection, ownership, and belonging.

We also partner with local schools, Elders, experts and ‘everyday’ people to share their skills and broaden our children’s understanding of the world. Everyone has something to offer and the more people involved, the more ideas we share, and the better we reflect our community.

SEE HOW WE TEACH

Our values

Get involved

As a community-led, not-for-profit preschool, we welcome, appreciate and depend on families being involved in their children’s journey. This not only helps you understand your child’s experience, but helps them feel a sense of belonging, wellbeing and security. You can follow your child’s learning by logging in to our Family Area to see newsletters, our program, and your child’s individual portfolio.

We also invite you to:

Come to our orientation visits to get to know the class and community.
Become a class coordinator to help organise social events.
Volunteer your special skills, such as sewing, gardening, cooking or maintenance.
Help us on our Reconciliation Journey as part of our Reconciliation Working Group.
Join our Working Bee once a term to lend a hand and meet other families.
If you have experience or interest in business, finance, human resources or marketing, and are passionate about our values, you are welcome to join our Management Committee.

If you’d like to get involved in Valla Community Preschool, please get in touch.

Meet our passionate team

Phillipa has been teaching in early childhood for over 30 years now and there isn’t much she doesn’t do at Valla! As our Director, she spends her days listening, watching, planning, learning, co-creating, mentoring, nurturing, leading and laughing!
Her favourite part of her job is contributing to a community that recognises children as active participants and connects them to the world around them and inside them. She treasures the dedicated team of staff and Committee at Valla, who are passionate about cultivating a strong and positive sense of a community.

Having worked in early childhood education for around 15 years, Amy is passionate about joining children on their learning journey. She is always focused on listening to what the children are telling her – with their words, bodies, actions, silence and creations.
Amy believes educators are co-learners and co-researchers on a child’s learning journey and she loves that at Valla Preschool, staff are continually reflecting and growing as educators, as community members, and as people connected to nature.

Kimberley is all about making sure children have the best day possible! Having been in the early education sector for 15 years, she treasures the chance to make a difference in the lives of young children, and passionately supports their social and emotional wellbeing.
Her favourite thing about Valla Community Preschool is the emphasis on sharing the local culture and community in daily learning, and she jumps at the chance to get out and explore with the children.

As a calm and attentive educator, Alex’s focus is on teaching, caring for and supporting the children around her. She embraces the endless teaching moments, both spontaneous and planned, that appear throughout the flow of each day. Alex recognises that educators are often the first person outside of the family unit to spend significant amounts of time with a child and she sees this as an enormous privilege.
She loves Valla’s strong, cohesive philosophy that shines through in every aspect of how the Preschool is run – from the beautiful and considered environments, to the meaningful experiences on offer, and the interactions with families and the wider community.
Her favourite part of each week is the children's delight and laughter during group experiences, such as our daily Girrwaawa. These bring us together and give us a sense of belonging and connectedness that enriches the preschool experience.

With over 30 years in early childhood education under her belt, Jackie still adores the conversations she has with the children and thinks this is her favourite part of each day.
She sees educators as researchers, whose job it is to build strong relationships with children and families, so that they feel safe to grow.
She loves Valla Preschool’s beautiful location – in a thriving community and natural environment with loads to offer for exploring the world we live in.
Jackie is taking a well earned break this year to enjoy some Long Service Leave. We look forward to seeing Jackie return in 2025

Shavonne is the newest member of our team. She will be completing her Certificate in Education and Care as part of her traineeship.
Shavone is a proud Wiradjuri and Gamilaroi woman and the second eldest of six children. She is passionate about culture and sharing her knowledge with others.
Shavonne believes it is important and beneficial to embed Indigenous culture in everyday learning and activities, as well as encouraging a collective appreciation for other cultures. Having grown up in the local area and gone to school here, she feels very connected to our local community.

Justina started at Valla as a trainee and fell in love with early childhood education. She enjoys getting to know each child and family and believes these trusting relationships are at the heart of everything we do. She loves seeing children become comfortable and confident and developing their sense of agency and belonging.
Justina thinks Valla’s outdoor play spaces are pretty special – from the native plants and bush tucker, to the chickens and the worm farms – and she treasures being able to share them with the children.

With six years at Valla Community Preschool under her belt, Nat is passionate about supporting children and families to feel a sense of connection and belonging to our preschool community.
Her favourite part of each week is taking the children beyond the fenceline of the preschool, to walk to the local cafe and do gaagal guul (beach preschool). She loves our outdoor spaces – spending time in the garden, caring for the chickens, and exploring the bushland.

Terese joins our team this year in the Yamaarr (Fish) class. She is excited to start forming relationships with children and families in our community.
Terese grew up in this valley herself, and has always found it a special place to learn and grow. She has many connections with the wonderful natural wonderland we call Valla.
Terese believes the environment plays a major role in the success of an early childhood program. She really enjoys the wonders of the world and loves that we have such a focus on an ‘Outdoor Classroom’ to promote learning through nature, play and exploration.
Terese has worked with children since she was 19 starting as a swimming instructor, then finding her belonging within early learning. She loves helping children to form links and connection with place and people. One of the ways she does this is through sharing her knowledge and passion for sustainability, helping children to become conscious humans in the world we live in.

Bronwyn has been an early childhood educator for 14 years - with a broad range of experience working with children of all ages from birth to school age. Bronny has joined the Valla team in 2022 and loves it.
Bronny treasures being part of children’s learning and development and has a strong passion for promoting children’s connection to nature and the unique learning opportunities that this creates.
Bronny believes that it is important for children to be respected as important members of our community and she values their ideas and contributions. Providing opportunities to learn about the land upon which we live and learning about Gumbaynggirr culture and language is embedded in her practice.

Sarah joined us in 2022 in our Preschool Administrator Role. She has a career background in Banking and Finance, studying a degree in Business (Finance). After having children, Sarah went on to complete a Teaching Degree. She joined us after spending some time on our Management Committee and sending her own children to the Preschool.
Sarah works Part Time in our office, and enjoys working with our families and staff, and believes in the value of high-quality Early Childhood Education that Phillipa and the team strive to provide to our families.

Chloe has been working in early childhood education and support for close to 20 years. After starting her career at Valla, she decided to alter her direction and studied speech pathology. With the goal to combine the two, Chloe has returned to Valla part time.
Chloe loves the sense of community at Valla and values the importance of children as part of the wider community.
Chloe has always been honoured to be a part of Valla Preschool and assist in supporting and nurturing so many children during their early years. She loves seeing children explore and create in the beautiful outdoor space.

Yvonne has been an early childhood educator for over 20 years. She feels very lucky and excited this year to join the Valla team and share in their strong community values and rich connection with culture, place and people.
Yvonne has a passion for supporting children to learn within nature - so that they develop a strong connection to the natural world.
She is also passionate about Gumbaynggirr culture and language - learning, embracing and embedding this into every day life.

Mel is a mum to two boys and has worked in the Early Childhood sector for 17 years in Sydney, Melbourne, and now, the Nambucca Valley.
Since making the sea-change, she has embraced the beauty and nature of our beautiful valley and all it has to offer, to guide her teaching practices and foster children's curiosity and learning.
Mel believes it is important to see the world from a child's perspective, to help guide them through it and support them in their agency.
Mel is committed to creating a stimulating and supportive atmosphere for children to thrive in while establishing meaningful relationships with all children, families and community.
We welcome Mel to our team this year!

Iona joins our team on Wednesdays in 2024!
Iona enjoys joining children in their curiosity about life and the world around them. She delights in the little ‘I did it’ moments of each child’s learning and development journey. Iona is passionate about health, nature, and art, and she loves the nurturing environment at Valla Preschool.
Iona embraces each child as the beautiful, unique person they are. She likes to encourage the interests and strengths of each child, celebrate differences, and support individual needs. Iona is positive and calm with plenty of love to give, and laughs to share.
Before having her two daughters Iona travelled a lot, and she likes exploring different cultures around the world alongside our local community and family. Being new to the area, Iona is excited to learn about Gumbaynggirr culture and language and she feels honoured to live in such a special place.