Jessica Horne-Kennedy

Education and Care Consultant

As a Consultant for the Education Hub at Gowrie NSW, Jessica brings a strong background of knowledge drawn from her experiences as an early childhood teacher and director.  Jessica has worked in a range of settings such as community adult education, parent run playgroups, Reggio Emilia inspired settings and Rudolf Steiner Schools in New Zealand and Australia.

Jessica has a particular interest in the theories and philosophy of relationships in early childhood environments. This interest formed the basis of her Masters in Education thesis and explored how the beliefs held by Rudolf Steiner early childhood educators influenced their practices of forming relationships with children in their first year of attending preschool. Prior to working in early childhood, Jessica trained and practiced as a visual artist and holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Otago Art School in New Zealand.

Lisa Wilson

Education and Care Consultant

“Hi, my name is Lisa Wilson. I am an education and care professional, kickstarting my career as a volunteer in vacation care and continuing in to long day care, standalone vacation care and family day care.

Since working in education and care I have developed many passions and at the forefront is mentoring and supporting colleagues, students and other services to improve their quality practices and empowering them to be the best that they can be. I realised that I could do this through education and the development of practical training workshops that unpack the complexities of our role and what is expected of us. I have been fortunate enough to use this passion in the development of Outside School Hours Care resources in our former Quality Assurance System and now support a number of services to achieve high quality outcomes within the National Quality Framework as an education and care consultant and in my role as a Quality and Compliance Coordinator to a number of services.

Another passion that has grown stronger since commencing my teaching career, is the environment and the implementation of sustainable practices. Sustainability to me is a way of life, it is a belief and part of my personal philosophy and an obligation I know I need to fulfil if I wish my child, the children in my care and future generations to enjoy the way of life we have now.”

Michelle Cuthbertson

Education and Care Consultant

Michelle Cuthbertson  has over 40 years continuous experience in the Early Childhood profession.  During this time, Michelle designed and facilitated training programmes for staff, management and families across NSW and ACT and worked in various roles including Centre Manager, Family and Children’s Services Manager, Senior Preschool Advisor, Resource Developer, TAFE teacher, and Parenting Facilitator.

Passionate to see positive outcomes for children, Michelle is qualified in Early Childhood Education, Adult Education and a number of parenting programs, including Circle of Security.