MEET THE TEAM:

Julie Smithers and Kellie Dickson are Stepping Stones Education and Care.

We have a combined early childhood experience of over 50 years and have worked in all facets of early childhood education and care - both Centre Based and Family Day Care. We are passionate early childhood professionals who believe in “best outcomes for children” over and above all.

We use our wealth of experience and knowledge to support our educators in their day to day roles and to also provide support to the families that enter into our services care. We want our service to have a culture of community, where no stakeholder feels like a number or feels like they cannot express themselves respectfully.

We take great pride in our service and do everything in our power to ensure that our educators are equipped to provide high quality care and education to the children charged to them. We offer an intensive induction process for new educators to our service and continual support and professional development to build a strong confident and competent team of professionals.

Since mid 2022, Julie relieved herself from actively playing a part in the day to day running of our service but is always with us in heart and mind. She remains as a shareholder in our company and keeps up to date with how our educators and families are through regular updates from Kellie.

Kellie Dickson

Approved Provider

Director

Nominated Supervisor

I am a founding owner of Stepping Stones Education and Care and I bring over 30 years of Early Childhood experience to the service. I am a true advocate for 'Best Outcomes for Children' and work tirelessly to support, encourage and mentor the Educators of my service. I have a deep passion for all things Early Childhood and take great pleasure in observing, encouraging and enhancing the growth and development in children of all ages. After all, there is nothing better than the joy and pride on a child's face when they have achieved a goal or discovered something new or of interest, or simply the sound of children laughing and playing. I have been lucky enough to find my niche and work in a profession that I love.

I encourage an open door, so please feel free to stop by. Always best to call first though, just in case we are out and about spending quality time with our Educators and the children in their care.

I am usually in the office Monday to Friday between 8.30am and 4.30pm

Tahni Adie

Coordinator

Educational Leader

I started with Stepping Stones in late 2024 and come to the service with over 25 years experience in Early Childhood.

I hold a Diploma in Children’s Services and I am a passionate advocate of children’s learning through play, exploring their environment through trial and error and scaffolding their learning interest and ideas.

I like to think that my caring and supportive nature backs up my knowledge and experience, enabling me to perform my duties as Coordinator/Educational Leader with understanding and expertise. I feel this allows me to provide our services educators with the guidance, support and mentorship that gives them the opportunity to grow as professionals and feel safe in their roles as educators.

I work Tuesday to Friday (8.30am to 4.30pm) and am often on the road conducting visits with our educators and developing connections with the children in their care.