Shine Bright EYM

23/09/2026

✨ From inspiring professional learning to purposeful action! ✨

Our Central Office Early Years team and 15 Shine Bright Educational Leaders recently joined pedagogical leaders from across the Loddon Campaspe region for Activating Quality: Empowering Pedagogical Leaders — a fantastic professional learning event facilitated by the inspiring Catharine Hydon.

It was a day full of ideas, connection and conversation, with a strong focus on teaching excellence, intentional teaching, bringing joy to practice and strengthening pedagogical leadership.

Our Educational Leaders thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to learn alongside colleagues from across the region, share ideas and reflect on how strong pedagogical leadership can make a real difference in everyday practice. 🌱

But professional development is most valuable when it moves beyond the day itself.

Following the event, our Early Years Advisors came together to reflect on the key messages and, importantly, identify how we can turn that learning into tangible outcomes for our services and educators.

Through Term 4, our Advisors will work alongside Educational Leaders to:

🔹 Become familiar with the Educational Leader Resource from ACECQA and explore how it can support their role and practice.

🔹 Plan for 2027 Educational Leadership, considering what the role might look like within their individual service and identifying key priorities for the year ahead.

🔹Use the workload allocation tool to consider how allocated Educational Leader time can be best utilised and where their focus and time are most needed

🔹Explore the Shine Bright Educational Leader template to support Educational Leaders in implementing targeted pedagogical support to their teams.

This is what great professional learning looks like: inspiring people, sparking ideas and then creating the support and structures to turn those ideas into positive change.

A big thank you to Catharine Hydon and the Loddon Campaspe Early Childhood Improvement Branch for an engaging and thought-provoking day — and to our wonderful Shine Bright Educational Leaders for embracing the opportunity to learn, connect and grow together. 💙

Some useful resources we will be using:
https://www.acecqa.gov.au/educational-leader-resource
https://www.vic.gov.au/victorian-educational-leadership-program

18/09/2026

17/09/2026

💛 We are celebrating the community spirit behind Axedale Kindergarten.

Community connections help our children thrive, and we’re incredibly grateful for everyone who supports Axedale Kindergarten with such generosity and care.

When the kindergarten's much-loved picnic bench became too rickety to use, the Heathcote Men's Shed generously built and delivered a beautiful new table. They also created the kindergarten's fantastic bag-hook trolley a few years ago, and we’re so thankful for their ongoing support.

✨ We’re also celebrating a long-held dream coming true! ✨

After eight years of planning and persistence, a brand-new cubby and mud kitchen was lifted into place by crane on Friday 7 August. It will inspire children to explore, imagine, create and make treasured memories together.

The project was made possible by funding from the Axedale Quick Shears and a Bank Community Grant.

With thanks to Pieta, the kindergarten's Nominated Supervisor, Education Leader and Teacher, and to the 2024, 2025 and 2026 Parent Advisory Group committee members for helping bring the vision to life.

We’re also grateful to Linton Torr from Raw Boards for the wonderful craftsmanship, and to the crew who delivered it to kinder.

From a new picnic table to a dream play space, these contributions show what can happen when a community comes together. We can’t wait to see them filled with play, laughter and imagination. 💛💕

08/09/2026

👏What a fantastic day at the Ovens Murray Early Years Leadership Forum — a celebration of learning, leadership, connection and shared commitment to better outcomes for children and families.

From Uncle Dozer Atkinson’s warm Welcome to Country, including his powerful reminder of the role humour plays in teaching children, to the official welcome from Robyn Bourke, Executive Director, Early Childhood Implementation at the Department of Education, the forum began with a strong sense of purpose and momentum.

Across the day, the focus was clear: access has grown, participation is strong, and the next opportunity is to make every hour count through meaningful participation, quality teaching and practical actions that support stronger outcomes.

There was plenty to celebrate, including more than 900 additional services offering kindergarten since 2015 and a 21% increase in funded kindergarten services across the Ovens-Murray district.
With 95% of Victorian children enrolled in four-year-old kindergarten and 83% attending the full 600 hours, the conversation centred on how enrolment, attendance and meaningful participation become real learning, confidence and opportunity for children.

Participants explored what quality looks like in practice through the Kindergarten Teaching Excellence Approach, including the powerful combination of intentional teaching, play, language and strong relationships. Learn more: 👇
https://www.vic.gov.au/kindergarten-teaching-excellence-approach

The forum also reinforced the importance of child safety, with the upcoming advanced mandatory training opening on 30 September and new resources available to support early childhood education and care services in responding to child abuse. Resources are available here: 👇
https://www.vic.gov.au/protect-early-childhood

Another highlight was the updated Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework, which reinforces the critical role of the early years in lifelong learning and the importance of high expectations, responsive teaching, child safety, First Nations perspectives, and intentional teaching.

The afternoon brought energy and practical ideas through the EAST behavioural science approach — making change Easy, Attractive, Social and Timely — sparking great discussion about how to support sustainable change across services and communities.

Thank you to everyone who contributed to such an interesting, engaging and outcomes-focused day. The shared commitment across the Ovens Murray early years sector was inspiring to see — and a reminder that quality practice, strong relationships and purposeful action make a real difference for children and families.💕

01/09/2026

🎉 Wishing everyone a happy Early Childhood Educators Day.

We have received some heartwarming messages from our community that we are now sharing broadly, knowing how valuable the work is in our sector, day in and day out.

Read messages below 👇

https://www.shinebright.org.au/uncategorized/happy-early-childhood-educators-day-to-everyone-in-our-sector/

We were also delighted to see Sandra Houlihan from our Elmore Kindergarten celebrated today in the September edition of the Early Childhood Update from the Department of Education 👇

https://www.vic.gov.au/early-childhood-update-september-2026/making-lasting-difference-childrens-lives?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Early-Childhood-Update-2-September-2026&utm_content=vic.gov.au/early-childhood-update-september-2026/making-lasting-difference-childrens-lives&utm_source=v6.education.vic.gov.au

01/09/2026

We have some wonderful roles with immediate start available in Campaspe and Bendigo!

Working alongside educators at various kindergarten services, you will provide much-needed breaks and support to ensure programs continue to run smoothly.

You will assist with:

⭐ Supporting educators during breaks and staff absences
⭐ Maintaining a safe, engaging and inclusive environment for children
⭐ Supporting programs, documentation and observations
⭐ Working collaboratively with educators and service teams
⭐ Adapting confidently to different kindergarten environments and team practices
⭐ Contributing to a positive experience for children, families and colleagues

More information: [email protected]

Or apply now 👇

Bendigo: https://myrecruit.actionhrm.com/recruit/position/_JhidIKnjz8et0KHjmBjbA==

Campaspe:
https://myrecruit.actionhrm.com/recruit/position/wr31txo-EExpA0a83cKwfA==

26/08/2026

News worth celebrating! 🎉

Shine Bright is proud to share an outstanding achievement across our services.

As our Assessment and Rating process continues, every Shine Bright kindergarten and Long Day Care service assessed so far has achieved a Meeting or Exceeding rating against the National Quality Standard - with 17 services Meeting the NQS and 24 services Exceeding the NQS.

This is a wonderful reflection of the dedication, care and professionalism of our educators, teachers, leaders and support teams across our communities.

Most importantly, it means families can feel confident that whichever Shine Bright service their child attends, they are receiving high-quality early education and care in a safe, welcoming and supportive environment.

For more than forty years, Shine Bright has been driven by passion, not profit - helping children get the best start in life.

Congratulations to our teams on this fantastic result! 💛

Read more here 👇

Shine Bright Celebrates All Assessed Services as Meeting or Exceeding Quality Standard Aug 26, 2026 | General, Staff, Uncategorized As the Assessment and Rating process continues across Shine Bright services, Chair, David Richmond, has celebrated an outstanding result: every Shine Bright kindergarte...

21/08/2026

Check out this great opportunity at our Marong Kindergarten.

🌟Monday, Tuesday and Thursday: 7.45am – 4:15pm
🌟Wednesday: 3.25 hours non-contact time per week

To learn more about this maternity leave position, please contact Minnie Westbrook at [email protected]

Or apply now 👇
https://myrecruit.actionhrm.com/recruit/position/BD489s5FE221BiPGNLF-zQ==

20/08/2026

☑️Awesome sound proofing
☑️Stacks of space - everywhere
☑️Professional and comfortable staff spaces
☑️Sheds that will be the envy of many
☑️Storage space you can only dream of
☑️Dedicated parent spaces
☑️Large yard with mature trees the children will love

The new Nichols Point kindergarten has it all!

With thanks to our hosts at Mildura Rural City Council for the site visit yesterday. We can't wait to welcome children to this state-of-the-art facility (by King Construction) next year.

Register your place now for 2027 👇
https://forms.enrolnow.com.au/260688548816978

20/08/2026

More than 50 Shine Bright staff and educators spent the day at the 2026 Mallee Early Years Conference, exploring how the theme ‘Growing Minds, Connected Communities’ can strengthen our work with children, families and communities across the Mallee.

Our Early Years Advisor Daymond was part of the conference working group for this fantastic event, which brought together 200 participants at in Mildura, with the event hosted by Mallee Family Care.

Keynote address was from Neuroscientist, Thriving Minds Podcast host, Author and Brain Health Advocate, Professor Selena Bartlett, who explored how the developing brain is shaped by technology, stress, connection, sleep, movement, and relationships.

Professor Bartlett reminded us that we are the boss of our brains. She used a working memory test to remind the audience of what it is like to “feel” our brains, explaining that the average person can hold around four pieces of information in their mind, where not so long ago it was eight.

It was good to be reminded that our presence matters to children more than perfection and that the most powerful things we can give our children is our attention.

Professor Bartlett pointed to recent research by Joy Hirsch, Yale School of Medicine, related to human eye-to-eye contact as a primary source of social cues and the impact that constant phone use is having on this important biological interpersonal interaction.

For anyone interested in learning more, Professor Bartlett’s work offers practical insights into brain health, connection and supporting children’s development:

Selena Bartlett: https://lnkd.in/gmXNV4qB

Thriving Minds podcast: https://lnkd.in/gz2CnTyB

Big Feelings, Growing Brains website: https://lnkd.in/g6qKAkbn

Seen (film): https://seenthefilm.com/

In the afternoon, participants joined break-out workshop sessions covering cultural awareness, wraparound early years services, home learning environments and the power of play.

With thanks to the entire Mallee Early Years Conference Working Group which was made up of representatives from Sunraysia Community Health Servicesity Health Services, The family & child hub, Mallee Accommodation and Support Program (Mallee Accommodation and Support Program MASP), Mildura Rural City Councildura Rural City Council, Beginnings Mildura, Shine Bright EYM, Early Childhood and Kindergarten Teachers, District Aboriginal Services - and Mallee Family CareFamily Care.