LITTLE SCHOLARS - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Member of the View All Team
- Campus Manager
- Campus Manager Burleigh
Alice has been with Little Scholars almost since its inception. As a dedicated early childhood educator since 2009, she joined our Yatala campus in 2015, making her way up from assistant educator to lead educator, educational leader and assistant campus manager before joining our Burleigh team as campus manager.
Alice says to her, being a good leader means leading her team in a way that inspires them, allows them to oversee their roles and have autonomy and decision making capacity, but it also means genuinely caring for their wellbeing. She believes it's leading her team with passion, integrity and with a clear vision.
Job Titles:
- Member of the View All Team
- Campus Manager
- Campus Manager Ormeau Village
Alison joined Little Scholars as campus manager of Ormeau Village in 2021, bringing with her years of experience and education as an educator, lead educator, and a bachelor-qualified early childhood teacher.
Her favourite part of her role in early education is the relationships with the families and community, as well as the connection that can be formed by building positive relationships, which helps families feel confidence that their children are love when they leave them in our care!
She also believes that leading her team successfully means empowering others to be the best version of themselves, being a good listener and making sure everyone feels like a part of the team in a positive way.
Job Titles:
- Campus Manager
- Campus Manager Parkwood
- in 2018 As an Assistant
Amy joined Little Scholars in 2018 as an assistant campus manager and educational leader. She began her career more than 10 years ago and has worked her way up from trainee to campus manager of Little Scholars Parkwood.
She says the best part about working in early childhood education is being able to play a key role in shaping future generations.
To Amy, leading her dedicated team means her role is all about collaboration and inspiring others.
Job Titles:
- Campus Manager
- Campus Manager Karalee
- Manager of Little Scholars Karalee
Angela Sullivan is the esteemed campus manager of Little Scholars Karalee, and with 20 years of experience working in the early childhood sector, she says she's thrilled to be able to work in a beautiful service in her local community.
She says she's been working with children since she became a trainee educator at the age of 17, but quickly moved to experience all aspects of an early learning service, including lead educator, educational leader and service director for the past six years, during which time she was proud to guide teams and nurture the growth and development of children and their educators.
Angela says she loves witnessing children's learning unfold during play, and finds it inspiring to see them reach their full potential, form friendships and develop as individuals with the support of their community, and she says knowing she plays a small part in encouraging their curiosity, helping them feel like they belong and seeing them build connections makes her role rewarding.
"Good leadership, to me, is about fostering strong, nurturing relationships with families, children, colleagues, and the community," Angela says. "It's about creating a supportive, secure environment where both children and educators feel valued, inspired, and empowered to grow. I am passionate about guiding my team to build a community where every child and every individual feels like they belong, contributing to a positive and enriching experience for all."
Job Titles:
- Administration Manager
- Member of the View All Team
Anne leads all administrative details and events of Little Scholars as administration manager. Anne's career in early childhood education and care began in 2007, and since then, Anne has worked in all levels of the sector from hands-on educator to holding the position of national administration manager for Australia's largest early learning provider. Anne specialises in the monitoring of Kidsoft and iDebitPro and assists all campus managers with their administrative duties to allow them to focus on the children and business.
Job Titles:
- Campus Manager
- Campus Manager Redland Bay South
Carly became Redland Bay South campus manager in 2021, but she came with more than 15 years of experience in early learning, doing roles from float educator, assistant educator, group leader, assistant director and director. Her wide range of roles demonstrates her understanding of her team and what she can do to support them while they educate and nurture our little scholars.
Job Titles:
- Campus Manager
- Campus Manager Redland Bay
With a deep passion for early childhood education and over a decade of experience in the sector, Jade Kennedy says she's built a rewarding career dedicated to nurturing the growth and development of children in their earliest years. Since joining Little Scholars in 2022, Jade has worked as an educational leader and assistant campus manager, demonstrating a strong commitment to inclusive practices and early intervention supports. She took over as campus manager of our Redland Bay campus in late 2024 and we're thrilled to welcome her to our leadership team.
Jade's dedication to education extends to her own education! She holds a Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care, Advanced Diploma of Community Sector Management and has recently completed a Bachelor of Child, Youth and Family Practice. In 2024 Jade joined the team at our wonderful Redland Bay campus, as campus manager.
Jae Fraser brings more than two decades of expertise to the early learning and care sector. As a university-educated professional, Jae holds a Bachelor of Education, an Advanced Diploma in Early Childhood Education, and a suite of business management qualifications that span the breadth of the early learning sector. Jae's career has seen him engage with every facet of early childhood education, from teaching across various age groups up to year 7, to overseeing service management and senior operational roles across Australia and Singapore.
Previously, Jae held the position of general manager at Australia's largest early learning corporation, where he was instrumental in the growth and management of more than 400 services, leading a team of 3,500 employees who catered to the needs of 15,000 children. His leadership was pivotal in the expansion of a family-owned company, which under his guidance, achieved an ASX listing and grew from two to over 140 services in just over a year. Following a merger in 2010, the company entered an aggressive acquisition phase, expanding to operate more than 400 centres.
In 2014, Jae founded Little Scholars School of Early Learning, which has since expanded from a single campus with less than 30 children to 17 state-of-the-art campuses that provide exceptional education and care to families. Under his guidance, Little Scholars has become synonymous with quality and innovation in early childhood education.
Another role of Jae's is as managing director of The Scholars Group, for which he applies his extensive knowledge to manage and consult for over 20 services across Queensland and New South Wales, specialising in the financial and quality performance of childcare and education services. His commitment to excellence in education is evident in his mentorship of childcare directors and managers, ensuring the delivery of the highest quality of education and care.
Furthering his dedication to the sector, in 2021, Jae established The Fraser Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation that awards scholarships to early childhood educators seeking to advance their studies and enhance their ability to support children's development.
Jae has also been an influential figure in the Australian Childcare Alliance for over a decade, contributing as a board member in Queensland and at the federal executive level. The Alliance advocates for the future of Australia's children, ensuring that families across the nation have access to quality early childhood education and care. Jae's work with the ACA underscores his unwavering commitment to shaping a brighter future for children through education.
Job Titles:
- Member of the View All Team
- Quality Practice Manager
Jennifer is passionate and dedicated to early childhood development and is a strong advocate for children and their freedom and right to play.
Jennifer has worked in early childhood education and care for almost 20 years. During this time, Jennifer had the privilege of working across all age-groups from babies to school-aged as lead educator and early childhood teacher. She has also worked in adult learning as a Trainer and Assessor teaching our future educators in their Certificate 3 and Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care. Jennifer has recently worked for the Department of Education as an Early Childhood Officer, followed by becoming the Lead Quality (Pedagogy & Practice) for the South East Region.
Her qualifications include an Advanced Diploma of Children's Services, Bachelor of Child and Family Studies, Graduate Diploma of Early Childhood Education, Cert IV in Training and Assessment, Diploma in Leadership and Management and certifications in Coaching and the Abecedarian Approach 3A.
Jennifer draws upon a range of theoretical perspectives within her work in early childhood education but is particularly drawn to Vygotsky's socio-cultural theory and Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems theory. This emphasises the importance that social interactions have on children's development and wellbeing, particularly the profound impact educators can have on children's learning and development through their meaningful interactions. This also aligns with Jennifer's philosophy taken by from the African proverb ‘It takes a village to raise a child' where she believes that an entire community of people must provide for and interact positively with children for those children to experience and grow in a safe and healthy environment.
Jennifer is excited to be a part of the Little Scholars family where her goal is to lead the development and implementation of a high-quality educational program across the Little Scholars campuses.
Job Titles:
- Manager
- Campus Manager
- Campus Manager Stapylton
Our campus manager Jess is proud to support and foster a community at Little Scholars Stapylton. She says in her role as a leader, she's had the great privilege of guiding her teams and helping shape the educational experiences for children.
She believes in supporting children to be lifelong learners, and work in partnership with families to allow children to become confident, capable learners. She's also very happy to lead the dedicated team who share her values and beliefs around early childhood education and care and always strive for quality practices and best outcomes for children.
"I believe in creating a warm, welcoming space where children feel safe to explore, create, and discover. Building strong connections with families and the community is vital to support every child's early learning journey," she says. "My commitment is to staying curious, innovative, and deeply connected to the needs of our little learners, together with our Stapylton team, I'm excited to continue nurturing an environment where every child feels valued, inspired, and ready to embrace the wonders of learning."
In fact, she's so passionate, she's nearly finished her Bachelor of Early Childhood Education.
Jess's vast experience in mentoring and leading teams makes her the perfect addition to Little Scholars Stapylton, which she already adores. "I loved Little Scholars Stapylton because it is unique, the style and studio configurations are one of a kind. It's in a location that does remind me of home, surrounded by nature and wildlife."
Job Titles:
- Member of the View All Team
- Campus Manager
- Campus Manager Ormeau 2
Jordie joined Little Scholars way back in 2016 and has worked her way up from a trainee educator to lead educator, 2IC and now campus manager of our beautiful Ormeau 2 campus.
She says she's loved watching the sector change to benefit children and support their education, and she's proud of what Little Scholars offers our little learners.
As leader of the Ormeau 2 team, she says being a good leader means supporting her team, having meaningful and respectful relationships across her staff, families and stakeholders to provide the best quality campus we can for little people and ignite passion in educators.
Lara Suddards Guest Blogger for Little Scholars Little Scholars is thrilled to welcome our guest blogger Lara Suddards. Lara is a mum of two small children and writer of her popular blog Mrs Lardeedah.com, which shares thoughtful ideas, advice and recommendations to grateful parents of fun t
Job Titles:
- Member of the View All Team
- Campus Manager
Lyndal joined the Little Scholars family in November 2023, starting as Office Administrator at our Nerang Campus before moving into the 2IC role, and now proudly leads our Ashmore Campus as Campus Manager. With nearly 24 years of experience in early childhood education, both in classrooms and leadership, Lyndal brings a wealth of knowledge, warmth, and dedication to her role.
After completing high school, Lyndal earned her Certificate III, Diploma, and later, her Advanced Diploma. She is deeply passionate about the early years, cherishing every milestone, smile, and moment of growth she shares with children and their families. "Being in the Early Childhood sector is a gift in itself. The cuddles, the laughter, and the learning make every day so rewarding" she says.
For Lyndal, great leadership means creating a positive, supportive, and inclusive environment for the children, educators, and families. She leads with kindness, joy, and a deep commitment to making every individual feel valued, respected, and inspired.
Job Titles:
- Leader
- Member of the View All Team
- Operations Manager
Melanie is a true leader and role model who has helped drive the quality and educational programs of Little Scholars.
Melanie Excell has worked in the Early Childhood Education and Care industry since 2002 and is a university-trained teacher, holding a Bachelor of Education. She's passionate about early education and preparing children for a successful future. Melanie has worked in various roles in the sector including teaching, centre director, area manager of both small and large groups of centres across Australia and more recently a senior management position in a large childcare company. Melanie is also a recognised Children's Rights Queensland Ambassador. In this role, she helps raise awareness and advocate for children's rights across the state.
Melanie manages her campuses wearing many hats, ensuring that our campuses are meeting the needs of the parent as well as the child, ensuring the very best outcomes for all involved. Melanie is dedicated to the early education sector to ensure the best level of care is available to our future generations. She is also passionate about mentoring, guiding and training our educators to ensure they are fully equipped to deliver a high standard of care and education to all children in their care.
Melanie enjoys working collaboratively with all stakeholders to create safe, welcoming and playful learning environments in our campuses, which will, in turn, provide an optimal learning space for children.
Job Titles:
- Campus Manager
- Campus Manager Burleigh Waters
Melinda has worked in the early childhood sector for nearly 30 years, and she says she is particularly driven to create inclusive, supportive and enriching environments where all children in her campus can thrive.
Job Titles:
- Campus Manager
- Campus Manager George St
Job Titles:
- Member of the View All Team
- Campus Manager
- Campus Manager Ormeau
Morgan joined Little Scholars Ormeau toward the end of 2022 and brought with her more than a decade of experience in early learning and care, starting as a trainee educator and working in every position in an early learning campus.
Morgan says the best part of working in early childhood is being a part of every child's journey, watching them grow and learn and reach their milestones. "I believe every child is capable and giving them the opportunity to be autonomous in every aspect of their life helps shape them into confident and respectful citizens in our community."
Morgan believes in her leadership role, it's about being a role model, as well as ensuring all educators feel heard and appreciated, so they can strive to be the best they can be in every aspect of their role.
Job Titles:
- Member of the View All Team
- Campus Support Manager
Natalie has been at Little Scholars Deception Bay before it was even a Little Scholars campus! Making her way up in that campus from support educator and as campus manager when Little Scholars took the campus on.
Thus, she's really seen the development and growth of the company, and countless children as they made their way through the campus.
Natalie says the best part about working in childhood education is easy to describe.
Job Titles:
- Member of the View All Team
- Campus Manager
- Campus Manager Nerang
Renee joined the Little Scholars family in 2020 as campus manager of our beautiful Nerang campus. Renee has a wealth of experience, with nearly 25 years in the sector, 17 of them as campus manager.
Renee says the best part of working in early childhood education is, "the reward and connections as we are genuinely making a positive impact on the lives of children and families and we have the opportunity to provide a strong foundation for their future learning and success."
Job Titles:
- Campus Manager
- Campus Manager Yatala
Sasha has been with Little Scholars since 2016 and since that time, she's been on the leadership teams of Little Scholars Stapylton, Ashmore and Yatala, the latter her original campus in which she had always had hoped to return to work!
Sasha has completed her Certificate III in Children's Services, Diploma of Children's Services, Advanced Diploma of Children's Services and is currently studying for her Bachelor of Early Childhood.
She believes the best part of working in early childhood education is that educators and children are educating each other, and the relationships she has developed with children.
Job Titles:
- Member of the View All Team
- Regional Manager
Job Titles:
- Member of the View All Team
- Regional Manager
Job Titles:
- Campus Manager
- Campus Manager Pacific Pines
Job Titles:
- Campus Manager
- Campus Manager Deception Bay North