Our Expert Sebastian Tuttle

Sebastian Tuttle is the Director of Children's Services at Thrive Group, a not-for-profit early education provider operating across rural and regional Tasmania. With over a decade of experience in the sector, Sebastian has worked his way from outside school hours care educator to center leader, manager, and now director. Originally from far north Queensland and one of ten children, Sebastian's path to early childhood education began when he cared for his sister's children for six years after deciding against pursuing medicine. His unique background in anatomy and neuroscience, combined with his hands-on experience in remote service delivery, has shaped his innovative approach to early childhood education. Sebastian is passionate about community-driven solutions, workforce development, and ensuring quality education reaches Tasmania's most isolated families.

About Thrive Group

Thrive Group (formerly NCCN) is a not-for-profit early education provider committed to delivering high-quality early learning and outside school hours care services across rural and regional Tasmania. Operating services in some of Australia's most remote locations, including Flinders Island and Queenstown, Thrive Group utilizes a centralized business model that allows services to focus on children and families while head office manages compliance, administration, and support. The organization works closely with government, schools, councils, and community groups to establish and maintain vital childcare services in areas where commercial operators cannot sustain operations. Thrive Group's mission extends beyond service delivery to include workforce development, community partnership, and advocacy for early childhood education in rural and remote communities.

In this episode we cover:

- Delivering early education in remote Tasmanian communities
- Centralised models to support rural providers
- Addressing workforce gaps with local solutions
- Sustainable and future-ready regional services

Our Expert Jade Ingleby

Jade Ingleby is the Co-owner of Choklits, a three-service early childhood education provider with 120 employees. With a background in banking and auditing, Jade made a career pivot nine years ago after being inspired by Arnold Schwarzenegger's message about taking responsibility for your own happiness. Since then, she has built Choklits into a thriving organization that operates on five core pillars: growth, community, communication, reflection, and collaboration. Jade is passionate about empowering staff at all levels to become leaders and creating non-traditional career pathways within the early childhood sector.

About Choklits Child Care

Choklits operates three early childhood education services, starting with their flagship center in Ringwood located next to the Cadbury chocolate factory (hence the memorable name). The organization has grown from a rundown 52-place center with 12 employees to a thriving network of 120 staff members. Under Jade's leadership, Choklits has developed innovative programs including Plant to Plate gardening initiatives, Early Languages (Auslan) programs, messy play therapy, and sports programs called "Activate." The organization prioritizes community connection and believes in making every person's life better – whether they're staff, children, families, or community members.

In this episode, we cover:

- Empowering staff and leadership philosophy
- Problem-solving and team empowerment
- Creating opportunities and retention strategies
- Building community culture

A sneak peek inside the episode:

"You need to train your people so well that they can leave, but you need to build the culture that they want to stay."

Our Expert Joanne Oakman

Joanne Oakman is a passionate and experienced early childhood education professional with over 20 years in the sector. From her beginnings as a room leader to leadership roles with KU Children’s Services, YMCA NSW, Only About Children, Oxanda Education, and now as Client Business Manager at Save Our Service, Joanne has worked across a range of settings including long day care and vacation care, in both not-for-profit and private organisations. Known for her ability to turn around struggling centres, she thrives on new challenges and is committed to delivering quality care and support to children, families, and educators. With a strong background in recruitment and operations, Joanne brings a people-first approach, combining empathy, strategic thinking, and a deep understanding of the early learning landscape.

About Save Our Service

Save Our Service (SOS) is a leading Australian childcare recruitment agency, founded in 1995 and headquartered in Ryde, NSW. They provide seamless staffing solutions to childcare centres across NSW, Queensland, Victoria, and WA, offering casual, permanent, part‑time, and emergency relief educators through their innovative app and online portal. With a “People First” philosophy, SOS prioritizes educator support—offering professional development, mentorship, and thorough vetting—to ensure high-caliber personnel who integrate smoothly into services. Their platform enables 24/7 shift management, rapid responses, online timesheets, and performance feedback tools for both educators and employers . Additionally, SOS engages in social responsibility initiatives, such as supporting The Infants’ Home and contributing to fundraising efforts.

In this episode we cover:

- Recruitment challenges in early childcare education
- Addressing educator burnout
- Flexible employment for educators
- Future of ECE: AI and workforce planning

A sneak peek inside the episode:

"Retention is key. Centres need to invest in their educators' well-being now to see long-term stability. I hope the sector shifts from being reactive to proactive—planning ahead instead of responding after the fact."

Our Expert Melissa Woodhouse

Melissa Woodhouse is the Head of Childcare at UTS Childcare Incorporated, bringing over 30 years of dedicated experience in early childhood education and care. Her journey began in the 1980s when she completed her diploma through the Triple C's in Randwick, starting as an educator in a toddler room at a community-based service in Bondi Junction.

Throughout her career, Melissa has worked across diverse settings including preschools, occasional care, long daycare services, and both private and not-for-profit organisations. Her progression from room leader to management roles, including a significant tenure with Liverpool Council in local government, reflects her natural ability to identify and nurture the strengths in others.

Melissa's passion lies in bringing out the best in people, particularly in supporting directors and educators to excel in their roles. Her reflective leadership style and commitment to evidence-based practice have made her a respected voice in the early childhood sector. She holds management qualifications and continues to be an active reader, researcher, and advocate for quality early childhood education.

About UTS Child Care Inc. (UTSCC) 

UTS Childcare Incorporated is a not-for-profit organisation that operates as a separate entity from the University of Technology Sydney, though maintains strong connections to the university community. For 35 years, the organization has been dedicated to providing quality, accessible, and affordable early education and care specifically for UTS students and staff.

Operating two long daycare services in Sydney's inner city, UTS Childcare is renowned in the sector for being a quality provider. The organisation's values include joy, and under Melissa's leadership, they have pioneered innovative approaches to reducing documentation burden while maintaining exceptional educational outcomes. Their recent establishment of a Children's Council as part of their governance structure demonstrates their commitment to embedding children's voices and rights in decision-making processes.

In this episode, we cover:

- Reducing documentation overload
- Reconnecting with purpose and joy
- Rethinking compliance
- Empowering educators and children

A sneak peek inside the episode:

"Compliance gives us the minimum standard, the framework to ensure that safety, equity, accountability is in place and children deserve access to compliant services... However, just being compliant isn't enough. The real opportunity lies in seeing that compliance is like the foundation and not the finish line."

Our Expert Melinda Ackerman

Melinda Ackerman is the Company Manager of Niño Early Learning Adventures, a premium multi-centre early education brand in Melbourne. With a career spanning from kindergarten teaching to senior centre management roles, Melinda brings extensive expertise in early childhood education and operational strategy. Holding a Diploma of Social Science and a Bachelor of Teaching, she continues to upskill in areas such as first aid, child protection, and HR programs. Known for her inventive leadership style, she collaborates with her teams to enhance the Niño ELA experience for children, parents, and local communities. Passionate about supporting educators’ well-being, Melinda is also a qualified Health & Wellness Coach and advocates for positive, sustainable workplaces. A former Vice President of FKA Children’s Services and a member of RMIT’s Steering Board Committee for the International Infant Transition Research Project, she is committed to advancing education quality and cultural inclusivity. Melinda’s vision is for Niño ELA to be recognized as Melbourne’s leading early education pathway, driven by innovative programs like the Positive Education Framework.

In this episode we cover:
- Ripple effect of positive practices
- The six domains of positive psychology
- Building trust in teams
- Embedding positive education in daily operations

A sneak peek inside the episode:

"Positive Psychology uses 6 domains which essentially is what people will utilise in their life to personal growth and to find happiness in these spaces. So that really resonated with us and we thought….’Wouldn’t it actually be great if we flip things a little to start to care for our teams first, which then has the on flow ripple effect…. That will essentially grow, teach and support our children on these life skills."