Jehanna’s Journey – From Kinder Teacher to Aspire Parent
Aspire Early Education and Kindergarten is a welcoming place for children, educators, and parents. Clyde North Team member Jehanna Silva has experienced Aspire as both an educator and as a parent. Jehanna's son Jayden has just completed his Aspire journey at Aspire Berwick Waters, finishing Four-Year-Old Kinder at the end of last year. She kindly took time out of her busy week to chat with the Aspire team about her journey so far!
Jehanna started out at Aspire Clyde North four years ago. After getting a good feel for the role and organisation through her Zoom interview, she took on the role of Three-Year-Old Kindergarten Teacher. She was drawn to the company due to their strong community connections, and warmth and friendliness at the centre. From there she moved into the centre’s Four-Year-Old Kindergarten Teacher role, which strengthened her leadership skills. One thing Jehanna has loved about working at Aspire are the professional development and training opportunities offered to team members.
“I really enjoyed a recent training day at the Aspire Head Office,” Jehanna recalled. “It focused on neurodiverse children and highlighted different strategies to meet their needs and support their learning journey.”
Throughout her time as a Teacher at Aspire Clyde North, Jehanna has felt immense support from her centre team and the wider Aspire management team. Because of this, she has developed her early education experience and skills and feels that her work-life balance is at an equilibrium.
“Being an early education provider, Aspire understands when our children are sick, we need to look after them at home. They are truly a family-first organisation,” Jehanna explains. “Even during my current pregnancy, they are super supportive throughout my journey so far. It has put my mind at ease for when I come back from maternity leave.”
Jehanna’s son Jayden started at Aspire Berwick Waters when he was a baby, nearly a toddler. Over the last few years, Jayden’s educators at Berwick Waters have supported his growth and development. “The educators at Aspire are doing more than just running a program, they genuinely care about the kids and want to be here,” Jehanna enthused.
“Every day he’d be learning a new song or would come home with a new fact about the solar system! He had attended another centre for some time and wasn’t nearly as excited about sharing what he had learnt.”
Jayden reached many milestones during his time at Aspire, “He really grew up. He learnt how to walk and develop his language. His confidence has grown so much and is so social, which is funny since my husband and myself are quite introverted!”
Aspire centres have a strong focus on school readiness throughout the Kickstart to Kinder and Step into Prep three- and four-year-old kindergarten programs. Jehanna knows that Jayden wouldn’t be as school-ready if he hadn’t gone to Aspire Berwick Waters.
“Aspire really prepared Jayden for school by giving him opportunities to increase his confidence, visiting local primary schools, and the Lunch Box program at the end of last year,” she explains. “Jayden especially loved the Lunch Box program, and felt so grown up bringing his own lunch to kinder, it was a great, practical way to prepare him for school.”
Being both an educator and parent has shaped Jehanna’s perspective on early education. “I now have a really high expectation of early education and care,” she explains. “It also has helped me reflect on the programs I run as an educator. This year especially, as my son was the same age as the children I was teaching, I thought to myself ‘What does Jayden enjoy at the moment?’ and incorporated some of the things he and his friends loved learning about into my kinder curriculum.”
Having both her parenting and professional life tied so closely to Aspire has meant a lot to Jehanna, “I have great comfort in the knowledge of Aspire’s incredibly high quality and standards as a parent and educator.”
Jehanna's outlook on work aligns closely with Aspire’s values and philosophy. For her, she prides herself on her connections and relationships with the children. “If you don’t build a relationship, they don’t want to learn,” she states. “I saw how much Jayden’s educators cared and made a genuine effort to help him connect, learn and grow. It eased my mind that the educators care so much, with the philosophy embedded across each Aspire centre’s culture.”
Another aspect of Aspire’s educational philosophy that Jehanna values is that the educators are growing and learning together too. “I have learnt so much from Jinesha and Keethi, Jayden’s teachers at Berwick Waters. They remind me that learning is continuous.”
“I also LOVE the community events that our centres hold. It is encouraging to see educators and team members from other centres go to each other’s events.” Jehanna was especially excited to see Shashika, Aspire Clyde North’s Centre Manager at her son’s four-year-old kindergarten graduation from Aspire Berwick Waters last year. Knowing that the centres have support from each other is a great example of the centres connecting with each other and uplifting Aspire’s values.
“Do it!” was Jehanna’s response when asked what she would tell parents considering care at Aspire Early Education and Kindergarten. “You just don’t get the quality of care and education anywhere else, from our experience.”
She also highly praised Aspire as a workplace, “I absolutely love the sense of collaboration. Although I have the title of Kindergarten Teacher, the other educators in my room always have the opportunity to add activities and voice their opinion on the curriculum. We work together as a team.”
Aspire’s community, sense of belonging and quality of care make it stand out when compared to other early education providers. When asked how she would describe Aspire in a short phrase, Jehanna responded almost instantly, “It’s like your other home.” She feels so warm and welcomed every time she dropped Jayden off at his centre and when she comes in for the day at Clyde North. “After Jayden’s experience at Aspire, we are walking away with a confident young boy who is ready and excited for school. My husband and I are excited for our soon-to-arrive baby to start his journey at Aspire Berwick Waters one day!”
As one journey ends at Aspire, another is soon to begin. Jehanna’s story is only one of many fantastic educators that have their children in care at Aspire centres. We would like to thank Jehanna for her great insight into life as a team member and parent of a child at Aspire Early Education and Kindergarten.
At Aspire Early Education and Kindergarten, we believe that happy educators are at the heart of exceptional early learning. By prioritising the well-being, growth, and creativity of our team, Aspire fosters an environment where educators feel valued, heard, and supported. After all, when educators thrive, children flourish. Aspire goes beyond education; it creates a space where children, families, and staff feel a true sense of belonging. From career development to a collaborative and caring workplace, Aspire ensures that every educator can make a meaningful impact while feeling empowered in their role.
If work-life balance, a sense of community, and making a difference in children’s lives resonate with you, explore career opportunities with Aspire today. All current job openings are available on Aspire’s Seek page, linked below.
