Daystars Killara

At this centre, children are the stars. They light up their families, the centre, and the community. 

• Concept of child: children are unique individuals.
• Sustainability: valuing the natural environment.
• Inclusion: a friendly, nurturing, and welcoming environment for all.
• Family: acknowledging the central role of families in children’s lives.
• Community: helping children connect to their community.

• Music program: using music and songs from different languages and cultures.

• Multicultural program: diversity is celebrated through various festivities, exploration of different culture’s foods, and learning new languages.

• Cooking experiences: each week the children take part in cooking to learn relevant skills (and taste the results!).

• Gardening: weekly gardening experiences support children to be sensitive towards plants and nature.

• Munch and Movement: the Munch and Move program supports children’s healthy development by promoting physical activity, healthy eating and reduced small screen time.

There are many parts within my role as a mentor and these are a selection of them: To provide a positive point of contact for the educators. To inspire, motivate and lead best practice, be knowledgeable and encourage reflective practice. Assist in providing knowledge and skills personalise to the needs of each educator. Another important aspect of my position is to develop and maintain positive relationship with not just the children but with their parents and families and providing the individual support that each family requires. As a Director being hands is important to me too.  My passion is to teach young children. The highlights of my days at work are when I see a child’s eyes light up when they learn/try something new. When they suddenly are able to make the letters in their name, or do something they weren’t previously able to do, I get just as excited as they do.

Odette Zeid, Centre Manager, Daystars Killara

Every child is unique and that is an understatement. They can make you laugh, cry and even pull your hair out. But it’s not on purpose as I will always come back because they are the ones who need the most care in this world. Working in the early childhood strengthens my love for children. It is such a rewarding job which can create a positive difference, and help children grow and guide them during their early years. Children LOVE having company – and it’s mostly either for a playful or nurturing purpose. It’s an interaction you can take enjoyment and real comfort from, and an added bonus is it’s what you do for a living — one of the charms of being a child care educator.

Yasmin - Full-time Educator

I love working here as I feel it's fulfilling to work with children. The staff here are supportive, which creates a positive work environment for everyone.

Chandra - Part-time Educator

With a ‘no junk food’ policy, the centre’s in-house chef focuses on healthier options while also catering for any allergies, intolerances, cultural preferences or food requirements. The centre’s four week rotating menus are specially designed and planned to meet the nutritional requirements of the NSW Health Nutrition Checklist. 

Through regular cooking experiences, the centre introduces important life skills of health and safety, healthy eating habits, nutrition, and hygiene. 

Educators promote skills such as turn taking and sharing through modeling healthy eating experiences, and involving children in meaningful discussions during mealtimes and cooking activities. 

Some of the children’s favourite meals include BBQ chicken pizza with garden salad, or meatballs with spaghetti. For their snacks, they love the homemade cheese muffins, fruit salad and pancakes.