Aspire Early Education & Kindergarten gathers for ‘night of nights’ celebration

Freya Lucas

Oct 23, 2023

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Early childhood education and care (ECEC) provider Aspire Early Education & Kindergarten gathered together in August to celebrate the outstanding achievements of its fourteen centre teams as well as the efforts of the ‘team behind the team’ in head office.

This year was the first Awards night in what will now be an annual event for the provider.

“Our Awards night was such a significant occasion for us, not only because it gave us a chance to recognise the amazing talent of our team, but also to bring together members of the Aspire team in one place to celebrate,” Aspire Operations Manager, Kylie Bartlett said.

In the lead up to the Awards all Aspire employees were invited to nominate individuals and teams to recognise the amazing contributions they have made at their Aspire service.

Aspire’s Team of the Year was awarded to Aspire Atherstone. The Atherstone team has had an incredible year, launching their reconciliation action plan, forming amazing community partnerships, providing outstanding Kindergarten programs, and launching the very first Aspire children’s committee.

Aspire’s Rising Star Award was given to Abhayjit from Aspire Atherstone, who was recognised for his contributions to the Kinder program, enhancing the children’s learning environment, and his positive influence on the team.

The Most Valuable Educator Award, which recognises an individual who has a love of learning and consistently goes above and beyond in everything they do, was awarded to two members of the Aspire community, due to the overwhelming number of nominations received.

Jo from Aspire Riverwalk was recognised for her leadership style, which aligns with the Aspire vision of nurturing future leaders who positively impact the world through education. Rinu from the Aspire Tarneit North service received the award for her amazing partnerships with children and families and her commitment to children’s learning and well-being.

In the Aspire Spirit Award category, again due to an ‘incredible’ number of nominations, a three way split was announced, with each of the three awardees being acknowledged for embodying the Aspire vision and philosophy, and being joyful, encouraging, and supportive.

Aspire Clyde North educators Durga and Lulu have worked closely as a team, supporting not only the Clyde North centre but services across Melbourne. Their colleagues commended their achievements, expressing how they “capture each individual's differences and strengths and encourage them to achieve their full potential.” The third recipient of the Spirit Award was Neha, Aspire Tarneit North’s Educational Leader. Neha has a strong dedication to the Aspire vision and philosophy and encourages her team to strive to connect and grow together.

Aspire Tarneit North’s Centre Manager, Sharan was given the Aspire Manager of the Year Award, sharing the honour with Area Manager, Thilini.

Sharan joined Aspire Tarneit North and quickly became an asset to the local community, going “above and beyond” for her team and families and committing to professional development and collaboration.

Thilini started her journey with Aspire working within the centre and her dedication saw her progress into the Operations Team as an Area Manager. “Thilini has been a bridge between the sister centres and formed a healthy bond to stand, support, share, and acknowledge each other, thus becoming one family under Aspire,” her colleagues explained.

The leadership team at Aspire Cranbourne West were acknowledged for being Leaders in Innovation for their dedication to connecting with the local community, making them the centre of choice in the local area.

Aspire’s Leader in Excellence for 2023 was Aspire Clyde North’s Kinder Team for their outstanding Kinder program which celebrates a culture of excellence which is thoroughly embedded.

Honourable mentions were also extended to the Truganina Management Team and the Berwick Waters Kinder Team for their partnerships and connections with families and their local communities.

“Our people truly are at the heart of what we do, and we were thrilled to see so many outstanding people recognised in our first Awards night,” Kylie Bartlett said.

Learn more about Aspire Early Education & Kindergarten and career opportunities by visiting the Aspire website.

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