Yerrabi Ponds by Busy Bees located in Gungahlin features warm and inviting open plan rooms and a spacious outdoor area where children are encouraged to play and ignite their natural sense of curiosity and discovery.
Wendy Mackay is our appointed Service Manager, bringing her outstanding qualifications, years of experience and passion for Early Childhood Education. Wendy is backed by a team of 20 Educators, with the Service offering 90 licensed places each day. Located near the Mulligans Flat Nature Reserve, the Service is nestled among parklands and our Bush Kindy days provide children with plenty of opportunities to explore and respect the natural environment. Our Service was developed to ensure that children are being provided with plenty of exciting opportunities and challenges for them to play and grow.
Yerrabi Ponds by Busy Bees encompasses an innovative approach which is based on the discovery and exploration of respectful relationships with children. We provide children with uninterrupted time for play, plenty of freedom, and stimulating areas that encourage respectful play time in small groups. When they’re tired from exploring, learning and making new discoveries, our children are supported by a qualified on-site Chef who will ensure they are nourishing their bodies as well as their minds.
At Yerrabi Ponds by Busy Bees, your child will benefit from:
We can’t wait to welcome you to our Busy Bees family. Contact our team to book a tour of our Service today.
Service Manager
Hi, my name is Wendy and I’m the Service Manager at Yerrabi Ponds by Busy Bees. I hold a Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood) and my Diploma in Children’s Services.
Prior to joining Yerrabi Ponds by Busy Bees, I worked as a Centre Director, Educational Leader and ECT in Canberra for 6 years. I established my career in Early Childhood Education working at various Early Learning centres and preschools in Melbourne and Adelaide.
I’m looking forward to leading a dedicated team who share my belief in the importance of the first five years in a child’s life, and the capabilities of the youngest children who attend Yerrabi Ponds by Busy Bees. All of us learn throughout our lives; it starts from the day we are born. It’s now recognised that the early years of life are the most important for learning. That’s when the foundations for the future are laid, and when we begin moving down the path that will take us through childhood, the teenage years, and ultimately into adulthood.
Loris Malaguzzi, the founder of the Reggio Emilia early childhood programs, called for the rights of children with an unwavering conviction and professed that children must be seen as powerful, competent and resourceful. My aim is to provide an environment that encourages children to truly be themselves and bring what they already know to share with others. Where children learn how to express themselves through many languages and enjoy becoming part of a community that values respect, trust and collaboration.
I am focused on building a strong community of children, Educators and families at Yerrabi Ponds, and am particularly influenced by the principles, philosophy and teachings of the Reggio Emilia School in Italy. The ideas from Reggio Emilia are innovative, complex, intriguing and highly inspiring, yet not always easy to grasp and translate into every day practice. I hope to one day visit the schools in Reggio Emilia to further my understandings and fulfil a dream.
I’m looking forward to getting to know you, alongside the learning community at Yerrabi Ponds.
Assistant Service Manager
Hello, my name is Rebecca and I am the 2IC at Yerrabi Ponds by Busy Bees. I currently hold a Bachelor of Early Childhood and Primary Education, and I am studying for my Master of Occupational Therapy.
To introduce myself, my family is originally from China while I was born and raised in Canberra. I am a lover of dogs and I own my very own Cavoodle named Maple. Outside of working hours you can find me spending a lot of my time in my other home, which is the library, studying or napping. If not there,
I enjoy immersing myself in nature whether it is long walks or hikes.
I started my career fresh out of university in 2018 as a Kindergarten Teacher for half a year before finding that my passion and interest is within the Early Childhood Education sector. To further this interest, I stepped into the role of an Early Childhood Teacher within a Preschool for a year. In 2020, I found a desire to step further into a management role to advocate for Early Childhood where I started my role as a 2IC at Busy Bees. I have found that this role has allowed me to advocate for both the team and the children. I strongly believe that this sector is overlooked and what is not seen is how vital the early years are for young minds to be fostered and nurtured. Not only that, but the major components of this sector are not acknowledged enough. This includes the children who are capable and competent in their own development and learning, as well as the Educators and Early Childhood Teachers whom are qualified and the Educational programs they create for children foster their overall social, emotional, cognitive, and physical development.
Since my time working at Yerrabi Ponds by Busy Bees, it has become another home for me. I have grown in confidence working alongside Wendy. Working closely alongside her has inspired me in many ways, including the advocacy she has for Early Childhood and how hard she fights for the team at Yerrabi Ponds by Busy Bees. The way we work almost feels simultaneous where words aren’t needed to be spoken to know exactly what needs to be done. Another big part of why it feels like home is because I am surrounded by a team who inspires me and shares the same passion, which is the love for children.
A significant part of coming into my role is understanding that a big part of what creates our community at Yerrabi Ponds are the families whom are the first teachers of their child. This understanding underpins the value I hold for both children and families to receive the best start and support when transitioning into an Early Learning environment. This all begins from enrolment. I believe that it requires a lot of trust to leave your child within an Early Learning Centre and as a result, this can create lots of emotions. I see my role as an opportunity to build the foundational trust so that families can feel at ease and have a sense of security knowing that their child will be nurtured and loved, and the voices of the families and children are heard and acted upon.
In the spirit of reconciliation, Busy Bees Early Learning acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and recognises First Nations peoples’ continued cultural and spiritual connections to land, sea, sky and community. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.
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