Position purpose

Gumnut Gardens is a small, independent, family-owned early learning and long day care provider with three centres across Sydney. This position is based at its Centennial Park / Paddington centre, 61 Moore Park Road — a converted federation home with a leafy garden adjoining Centennial Park, offering a warm home-away-from-home where children (known at Gumnut Gardens as Jarjums) can explore, play and grow at their own pace, with sustainability and connection to the natural world woven through everyday practice.

The Early Childhood (Pre-primary School) Teacher leads the educational program for their room, working alongside the centre's educators and families to plan and deliver an EYLF-based program that makes full use of the centre's indoor rooms, garden and nature-based outdoor learning, while observing and supporting each child's growth, safeguarding their health and wellbeing, and meeting the service's obligations under the National Quality Framework.

Key responsibilities and duties

- Plan and set up the daily learning program across the centre's indoor rooms, garden and outdoor learning spaces, including regular nature-based excursions to nearby parklands, choosing the resources, natural materials and equipment for each setting so the environment is arranged to move every child forward against their Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) goals.
- Deliver a wide-ranging program of hands-on experiences — garden and treehouse play, construction and threading tasks, group games, and outdoor nature exploration — that strengthen children's fine and gross motor coordination,



their ability to share and cooperate with others, and their confidence and understanding of the world around them.
- Grow each child's language, vocabulary and early literacy through daily shared story sessions, dramatic and role-play experiences, singing, rhymes and music, and both one-to-one and small-group conversations throughout the day.
- Observe and document children across indoor play, garden time and outdoor excursions to gauge their progress, and watch for early signs of illness, emotional distress or possible developmental delay or disability, raising any concerns promptly with the Nominated Supervisor and the child's family.
- Support children at mealtimes with the fresh, nutritious food prepared daily by the centre's on-site chef, and keep a close watch on their wellbeing and safety indoors, in the garden and on outings, identifying any dietary, health, home or environmental factor that may be holding a child's learning back.
- Support children with toileting, nappy changing and personal hygiene routines in line with the service's health and hygiene policies.
- Attend to unwell children and provide comfort and reassurance to those who are hurt, upset or distressed.




- Keep families informed about how their child is developing through daily handovers at drop-off and pick-up, written observations in the child's individual learning records, and scheduled progress discussions with parents.
- Take part in parent–teacher interviews and in the centre's regular educator team meetings, program planning sessions and management or committee meetings.
- Contribute to Gumnut Gardens' family-engagement and community activities — such as school-transition links, visits to and from local community services, and connecting families into external family-support programs where a child would benefit.
- Mentor and supervise early childhood student teachers completing practicum placements at the service, modelling quality practice and verifying the requirements of their placement.
- Foster children's awareness and appreciation of cultural diversity and inclusion, including regular Acknowledgement of Country recognising the Gadigal of the Eora Nation, reflected through the program, resources and celebrations shared across the centre's community.
- Involve children in the centre's sustainability and eco-conscious routines — including tending the kitchen garden and growing food — to build respect for the environment and the natural world.
- Work within the National Quality Framework, the National Quality Standard and the Education and Care Services National Regulations at all times, and maintain the records and documentation the service requires.

Pay: $95,000.00 – $105,000.00 per year

Benefits

- Professional development assistance

Work Location: In person

📌 Early Childhood Teacher (Room Leader for Preschool Room) (Paddington)
🏢 Gumnut Gardens
📍 Paddington