Shelley Jacobson

Centre Manager - Templestowe World of Learning

“I was inspired to work with children to make a difference.” ~ Author Unknown

I began my career in early childhood education and care in 2003 and started working at Templestowe World of Learning in 2011. I hold an Advanced Diploma of education and care and a Graduate certificate of Education. 

I have worked in early learning since I was 17 years old, working as a room leader and then progressing into management over the last 12 years. I was inspired to work with children to make a difference. What I love about my role is having a beautiful team of educators that I work with each and every day and the families. I love getting to know the children and the families. Being hands on is important to me.  

The first 5 years are the most important of a child’s life. They set the foundation for future learning. All childcare centres, including our centre, use the foundation of play-based learning to guide our experiences every day. With access to a range of age-appropriate learning resources, trained educators, and new experiences among friends, we set children up to thrive in an environment that is dedicated to learning. Children develop their curiosity, problem-solving, confidence and resilience at our centre, and we carefully plan play-based learning experiences around their interests and learning goals. Over time, you will see your child develop abilities such as language, motor movement, memory, concentration and social relationships all by partaking in these experiences - it's a truly incredible journey to witness! 

I have a team of educators that are long standing, some being at the centre for 18 years. They are very experienced and passionate educators. They all have a love for working with children, come up with some great new ideas all the time and help the families in any way they can. Our team compromises of three Early Childhood Teachers and diploma qualified educators. All educators have up to date first aid training. We believe in specialists for a room. So, educators are rarely moved from their current room. This means that when your child joins the centre they have years of experience working with that current age group.  

My child protection statement – is that all children deserved to be respected and valued. To ensure all educators uphold the highest of standards in regard to health and safety and that our educators update their training every 6 months.  

We support our families by getting to know them, talking to them and seeing how we can help and at times referring them to local companies that could offer support if there is a need. Being there for the families is very important. Being a small 60 place centre, we have close relationships with our families. We love to have a theatre performance every year for the graduating children for that year and a Christmas party at the local play centre. 

I believe I understand families well is because I am mother myself. For me, being able to help families every step of the way from enrolling with Centrelink to helping them know what to bring for their child’s first day is key.  

Welcome to Templestowe World of Learning.