The Early Learning Advantage.

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At Cedars, we’ve always been visionaries at heart. So we recognise that to successfully prepare our students for the future, it has to involve implicational thinking. And that’s why we’ve thought ahead, by taking a specialised approach to early learning, so we can give your child the earliest advantage possible.

Providing more than a secure environment for the intellectual, physical and spiritual development of children, we’ve also ensured that as part of our regular curriculum, it includes professional speech, occupational therapy and psychology specialists.

At Cedars, we do it for one reason.

To give all of our students, the strongest start to their education, by building core competencies that are critical to their development through language, communication, and fine motor skills. They’re intentional, foundational skills that we know will confidently take them forward in life.

And as we do, it results in giving little lives, a very big advantage for their years ahead.

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meet our Specialists

Occupational Therapist

Amanda Cumming

It was in 1985 when Amanda was working for a doctor and visited an occupational therapy (OT) ward that she had an epiphany.

Amanda Cumming Occupational Therapist

It was in 1985 when Amanda was working for a doctor and visited an occupational therapy (OT) ward that she had an epiphany.  She saw the specialists working with people including children to promote their independence in practical ways. She decided then and there that this is what she had to do.

She had to become an Occupational Therapist.
Enrolling right away at the Cumberland College of Health Sciences (now known as UNSW), Amanda graduated in 1988 with a Bachelor of Applied Science. “I have now worked with children for 30 years in both the public and private sectors and for 22 years I have managed my own private practice in Jamberoo and helped children with their:
  • Fine motor skills – eg holding a pencil
  • Visual-motor skills – drawing
  • Gross motor skills – jumping and moving
  • Sensory processing issues – managing sensitivity to noise
  • Self-care – getting dressed
  • And most importantly – self-confidence
“Classrooms can be very busy places and each child has unique skills and needs.  Early intervention and building self-confidence are key elements in helping to maximise a child’s potential.”
Amanda’s passion involves recognising and encouraging a child’s strengths but also, if necessary, smoothing the path of their learning journey by looking at a child’s sitting posture, vision, concentration and play skills. She is excited about working with the specialist team at Cedars ELC.  “We can each provide rich, positive and fun opportunities for the children in a supportive environment.” “Outside of my work life, I am a tragic rugby league fan, love playing touch football, snow skiing, gardening, walking my dogs and enjoying life with my husband and adult children (when the latter are in town).”

Speech Pathologist

Jo Collier

After talking with Jo Collier you’ll soon realise she has a passion to help develop children’s communication skills in the prime window of intervention: 0 to 5 years. 

Jo Collier Speech Pathologist

After talking with Jo Collier you’ll soon realise she has a passion to help develop children’s communication skills in the prime window of intervention: 0 to 5 years. 

Children with solid spoken language skills prior to kindergarten have a great foundation for learning reading, writing and academic skills.
Jo who is a Certified Practising Speech Pathologist graduated from the University of Sydney in 1994.  Since then she has worked in community health and commenced as the Paediatric Speech Pathologist at Port Kembla Hospital at the end of 1996, and continued working in Illawarra Area Health until 2011. Since 2001 Jo has developed a special interest in working with preschoolers and preschool educators in various specialised projects with Illawarra Area Health. “I always knew I wanted to work with children and wanted to be in a profession where I could help people.” “I was absolutely delighted to be invited to join the team at Cedars Prep several years ago to help children develop their communication skills which are so important to classroom learning.”
People are often surprised to find that speech pathologists don’t just help with pronunciation of sounds. Effective communication also includes listening to and understanding what is said, using words, sentences and grammar to express thoughts and ideas clearly, and understanding conversational rules.
Jo’s role at Cedars Prep is to strengthen communication skills for all the children and provide communication screening for the students to identify particular areas of focus for each child. Several times each week Jo provides an hour of focused speech and language activities in a small group format.  Strategies, ideas and resources to help continue building these skills with the children are provided to the Prep staff so that these foundational skills continue throughout the school day. Jo holds a strong Christian faith and it is very evident that she reflects God’s love in her work with our youngest students. In her spare time Jo loves to relax and spend time with her husband Darrin and two boys, Seth and Josh. “I love a good coffee at a café with a friend, bushwalking and spending time at the beach.  When possible, I enjoy gardening, but I find hardy plants are the ones that currently survive in my garden!”

Director of Prep

Melinda Smith

If you’ve spent any amount of time with Melinda you’ll realise she places a high value on community and cultivating in her young students a sense of belonging. Added to that she is passionate about instilling in them a love of learning.

Melinda Smith Director of Prep

If you’ve spent any amount of time with Melinda you’ll realise she places a high value on community and cultivating in her young students a sense of belonging. Added to that she is passionate about instilling in them a love of learning.

“I want to ensure that our students in their early years have a connection with others and an environment that stimulates learning.”
These are the key aspects that Melinda has focused on in 20 years of working in the early childcare sector. Melinda graduated from Macquarie University in 1992 with a Diploma of Teaching (Early Childhood).  She has since been a Director of several Early Childhood Centres before joining the Cedars team.  A highly regarded and passionate educator Melinda has recently been assisting researchers at the University of Wollongong with studies on activity levels of children. A key strength that Melinda brings to our Prep Program is a desire to enable children to learn by allowing them to engage in an environment that is shaped around their individual interests and needs.

What did Melinda have to say about Cedars new ELC?

“I am beyond excited to be moving our Prep Program into the new Early Learning Centre.  The facilities, the specialists on site and the amazing outdoor play areas are all added ways we are preparing our children for big school ahead of them.”
Together with Melinda is a fantastic staff made up of 10 dedicated, passionate and  committed educators. “It is exciting to work and teach in an environment where Christ is the focus.” Melinda is a dedicated wife and mother of two teenage boys.  On weekends you may find her sipping coffee with friends, watching movies and enjoying as much time as she can with her family. Of course on the wintery days you may find her curled up on the couch reading her favourite book.

School Psychologist

Hannah Baker

When asked Hannah Baker is quick to tell you she loves working with children and has a passion to see each child develop a strong sense of wellbeing.

Hannah Baker School Psychologist

When asked Hannah Baker is quick to tell you she loves working with children and has a passion to see each child develop a strong sense of wellbeing.

“For a child to learn and do their best academically, they need to feel safe and accepted for who they are and have the skills to cope with all the other complexities of life as they arise,” says Hannah.
“My aim is to have our students well cared for and supported in order to develop social, cognitive and emotional skills.” Hannah has worked in many contexts before joining the team at Cedars, starting her career as a community based Psychologist working alongside families and schools, before moving to work as a Chaplain in several public schools, and a Psychologist in other Christian schools.
“Coming to work at Cedars was like finding a home. There’s a lovely sense that children and their families are known and loved and supported here, that we all belong to a tribe.”
Cedars Prep is perfectly positioned to build that sense of belonging helping ease the big transition to Kindergarten. The school environment, the uniform, our teachers and their peers are already familiar. It’s a great start.” Hannah is on the ‘ground level’ as she works with Prep Teachers to encourage our youngest students to develop essential life skills. “I believe that faith and values play an important role in a child’s wellbeing.  I try to encourage these values in each of our students.  I work alongside a great team of people at Cedars all with the mission of developing our students into well rounded people.  I love the holistic approach to education.  Caring for the whole child, not just their scores, makes sense here.” For individual students who may have different needs or are going through something particularly difficult in life, Hannah is available to spend time getting to know them, discovering what their strengths and supports are and developing a plan with families to ensure the child’s experience at school is nurturing and positive. When Hannah isn’t at Cedars she enjoys learning new skills, making things and regularly relaxes with a good book and spends as much time as she can with her husband and son Felix.

our new Early Learning Centre

why Cedars

At Cedars we understand you want the best result for your child’s education – to have confidence in knowing they’re connected to the right school to help them achieve and ultimately succeed in life.

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