Our educators are fully qualified and very experienced – many have been with us for more than 5 years. They are dedicated to their roles and attend regular professional development training.
Eve Hawkes
Early Childhood Education & Care Service Director
Diploma in Teaching (ECE) / Advanced Diploma in Community Sector Management / Cert 4 in Training and Assessment
I graduated Teacher College in 1979. I have been the Director in a variety of services over the years – Community-Based Preschools, Long Day Care, Early Intervention, Campus Based Care, and lastly the Director here at Engadine Preschool Kindergarten since January 1994. I am extremely proud to be the Director of this service and the leader of an extraordinarily talented, dedicated and knowledgeable team of educators and teachers. I was also extremely proud when our service was the first in Engadine to be assessed as “Exceeding” the National Quality Standards by the Department of Education and Communities – a very high honour. I strongly believe in our preschools’ philosophy and base every decision on its values and ideals. I firmly stand behind our services’ values of collaborative partnerships with children, families and the community, inclusion for all children, the care of our environment, individuality, the value of play-based learning and critical reflection of everything we do as we strive to be the best early childhood education and care service we can possibly be.
Emma Light
Early Childhood Teacher
Bachelor of Teaching (Early Childhood)
I completed my Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood Education, Birth to 8 years) in 2005. Since then I have worked in a variety of services including occasional care, long day care, local government and for the past 13 years in community-based preschools. I am a nurturing and caring early childhood teacher who is passionate about supporting and guiding children to identify and work through their feelings and emotions using the circle of security approach. I enjoy working collaboratively with the children to further extend on their knowledge of the world around them, extending on their ideas and interests as we explore, investigate and discover through play. I am passionate about creating learning environments that spark the children’s curiosity and wonder and provoke them to ask questions about the world they live in.
Renee Paynter
Early Childhood Teacher / Early Childhood Educational Leader
Bachelor of Teaching (Early Childhood) / Associate Diploma in Social Studies (Child Care)
I completed my Bachelor of Teaching (Early Childhood) in 1995. I strongly believe in play-based learning and I am enthusiastic about creating learning environments that nurture children’s social and emotional wellbeing. I am committed to pedagogical practices which value and honour relationships between children, families and the community. Every child has a unique style of learning and brings with them their own individual personality. I believe these differences in learning and personality should be respected. In this ever changing and evolving world each child comes from varying backgrounds and upbringings I believe that it is imperative that these differences are nurtured and respected. I maintain that a child’s early educational experience plays a vital role in forming who they are and that every child has the right to have access to a high-quality early education service such as that is offered at Engadine Preschool Kindergarten.
Nicole Sheath
Early Childhood Teacher
Bachelor of Education / Diploma of Teaching (Birth to 8 Years)
I completed my Diploma of Teaching (Birth to 8 years) in 1993 and then completed a Bachelor of Education in 1996. I have worked in a variety of roles throughout my career including working as a teacher in council, running long day care centres and as a P-2 teacher with the NSW Department of Education. For the last 10 years I have worked in community-based preschool services. I believe the care and education children receive in the early childhood years set the scene for how they view learning throughout their lives. It is a time to have fun, be silly, laugh, dress up, explore, experiment and learn through play. I hope when the children outgrow preschool they will leave with the skills and learning dispositions needed to cope with life’s many ups and downs. I hope they take with them many happy memories of their time at preschool and a lifelong love for learning.
Stevka Janic
Early Childhood Educator
Diploma in Children's Services
My love of teaching was sparked when my youngest daughter attended Engadine Preschool and I began working here as a casual staff member. This gave me the motivation to begin my studies as a mature aged student, completing my studies with my Diploma in Children’s Services and becoming a KU Scholarship recipient. I have been a member of Engadine Preschool since 2007 where I am the full-time permanent educator in the Gumnuts room.
Children have taught me to open my mind and heart to the joys, the innocence, and the diversity of ideas in the world. Because of this, I will never forget how to smile with the new, cherish the old, and laugh with the children.
Danielle Daniel
Early Childhood Educator
Diploma in Children's Services
I graduated from my diploma course to the highest possible standard and accolades from Sydney Institute of TAFE. I have worked at Engadine Preschool since 2011. I have a passion for early childhood education and believe that it is the most important stage of a child's life where they are able to have the opportunity to learn through play. My aim is for children to become diligent, respectful and involved members of our community. I also take pride in the partnership of raising children with their families. I believe when a child has that "Ah ha" moment, it's worth more than money and hence that is why I left a financial background to pursue a career in early childhood education.
Jacqueline Mills
Early Childhood Educator
Diploma in Early Childhood Education & Care
I was born and raised in the Netherlands and immigrated to Australia in 1992, I speak fluent English, Dutch and German.
I have completed a Diploma in Children’s Services and have been working in Early Childhood Education and Care since 2005. I have had many different roles including live-in nanny, co-ordinating Playgroup, working in a Long Day Care Service as well as a Before and After School Care setting.
In 2012 my career at Engadine Preschool Kindergarten started as an inclusion support educator and have since become a full-time educator in the Gumnut Room. I enjoy exploring our natural learning environment with the children and incorporating sustainability in our every day practices. I believe in providing children with a safe, supportive and nurturing environment in which children and their families feel respected, regardless of their ability, culture, values or religion. For me personally, it is very rewarding seeing children learn, grow and develop through play-based learning activities reaching their goals.
Rachel Piper
Early Childhood Educator
Diploma in Early Childhood Education
I was born in Sydney and live in the Sutherland Shire. I started working at Engadine Preschool in term 2, 2016. After gaining my Diploma in Early Childhood Education and Care, I now work as an Educator at Engadine Preschool. I love watching children grow and learn from their experiences at preschool. It is wonderful to watch them develop great friendships and gain confidence in the classroom. I also enjoy seeing the children explore their environments and take pride in their achievements.
Jessica Gibson
Early Childhood Educator
Diploma in Early Childhood Education
In year six, I wrote that I wanted to be an early childhood educator. At 16, I left school to begin my dream. I started at TAFE and had my diploma by the age of 17. I have now been working in the industry for many years. I am studying for my bachelor of early childhood education and care degree, and I love what I do. I believe that young children are naturally imaginative and creative thinkers. I love fostering exploration and experimentation by encouraging open-ended play experiences that children can learn and grow from.
Tahne Mobbs
Early Childhood Educator
Certificate III, Diploma in Early Childhood Education & Care
I completed my Diploma in Early Childhood Education and Care whilst working at Engadine Preschool Kindergarten. I came to Engadine Preschool as a child, and now I am lucky enough to work with the teachers that nurtured me all those years ago. I love to be a part of the children’s learning and I enjoy making connections and watching their confidence grow. I believe that children’s individual interests and creativity should be celebrated, and it is important to me that everybody is appreciated and loved for who they are.
Cassy Pendergast
Early Childhood Educator
Diploma in Children's Services
I obtained my Diploma in Children’s Services in 2005 which led to my professional development career working in a variety of settings - long day cares, local government, community-based preschools and as a Nanny. Most importantly I am a mum of three beautiful girls.
I believe in the power of play and exploration to unlock children’s potential in their learning and environment which is reflected in our philosophy. Valuing the individuality of each child and their abilities is important for them to have a sense of belonging and engagement within their space and relationships.
My journey at Engadine Preschool Kindergarten started back when I was a child where I attended during 1990-1991. It feels special to be able to come back through the doors with memories of what was and be part of what it is now. I endeavour to create a safe and nurturing place where your children can have the opportunity to learn, engage, grow and just be in the moment of curiosity and play.
Jackie Forbes
Early Childhood Educator
Diploma in Early Childhood Education & Care
I began my journey into early childhood in 2016 when I completed my Diploma in Early Childhood Education and Care after initially beginning as a swimming instructor and then taking time off to start our family. I lived and worked in Wagga Wagga before our family made an exciting sea change to Wollongong last year.
As a dedicated early childhood educator, I am committed to fostering a safe, inclusive, and nurturing environment where every child and their families are valued, respected and empowered to reach their full potential. I believe that early childhood is a critical period of growth, learning and development. I strive to create meaningful experiences that inspire curiosity, creativity and a lifelong love of learning via a high quality, play-based environment and program and am very excited and privileged to have joined the Engadine Preschool Kindergarten community in 2025!
Jo Howard
Early Childhood Educator
Certificate III in Children’s Services
In 2009, I commenced working with children in a Montessori Preschool in Tokyo, Japan. I completed my Certificate lll In Children’s Services in 2013 whilst working in a Montessori School in Sydney. From 2014 to 2015, I worked at The Australian International School Singapore, before moving to Fort Worth Texas, where I had the pleasure of working as an Early Intervention Instructional Assistant from 2015 to 2020.
I joined the amazing team at Engadine Preschool in August 2022 and my passion lies in understanding and addressing the unique needs of each child, fostering their individual growth and development, and helping them reach their full potential.
Kristy Hickey
Family Engagement Leader
Bachelor of Arts (Marketing and Communication Studies), Certificate III in Business (Office Administration)
My career journey first started when I deferred University for a year and worked as an Office Administration Trainee for a publishing company in Cronulla, where I completed my TAFE Certificate. While there I was pointed towards a career in marketing, so I completed my Bachelor of Arts majoring in Marketing and Communication & Cultural Studies in 2002.
I have now worked in marketing for over 20 years across a number of industries. These include events, shopping and bulky goods centres, aged care, social housing, accounting and now early childhood education. At this stage of my career I am passionate about working for an organisation that makes a positive difference in children’s lives. My role at Engadine Preschool Kindergarten is about communication and administration support, where I have the honour of working with an amazing team who genuinely care, and are so talented in educating the children in some of the most important years of their early life. I love coming to work each day seeing the bright, smiling faces of the children and assisting their families.