Meet Us
Welcome to Oppia Early Learning and thank you for taking the time to find out more about us and what we do.
Our Oppia Team…
- Be a strong advocate for each other, the children and the sector
- Be prepared to make a difference and drive the change
- Be well informed on current industry practices and approaches
- Be prepared to invest in both their personal and professional growth
- Be prepared to stand up and speak up to protect the safety and wellbeing of the children and each other
- Be empathetic, patient and invested
- Love what they do
- Create exceptional learning environments that exceed the needs of the children
Some ways in which we help our staff in their quest for personal and professional growth includes Individual Enrichment Plans, Allocated Research Days, Personal Development Days, Community Support/ Volunteer Days and ongoing external networking and mentoring opportunities.
As part of Oppia’s commitment to excellence, we want our staff to be the very best version of themselves, so they can support others to do the same.
Megan Holt
Founder and Owner
My name is Megan Holt, a parent to 2 boys, early childhood teacher, passionate early childhood advocate and proud founder of Oppia Early Learning. My journey first began over 30 years within the early childhood sector as a Foundation (Prep) Teacher and then Kindergarten teacher. I taught Kindergarten for several years before moving into the long day care sector where I have successfully held several roles including Co-ordinator, Area Manager, State Manager, Trainer & Assessor and several executive level operational management positions with both private and not for profit organisations.
Over the years, my vision has developed into one of reimagining early education and creating an individualised and all-inclusive educational approach that successfully nurtures young children to discover and reach their full potential.
Oppia is a Finnish word that means “to learn”, and after being lucky enough to travel extensively to view other education systems around the world, there are aspects of the Finnish early years approach that have resonated with me strongly, including their desire to ensure that each child finds their ‘joy’ in learning.
My vision for Oppia Early Learning includes capturing some of the key elements of the Finnish approach to early childhood teaching and intertwining them with our national (EYLF) and state (VEYDLF) frameworks to create a robust and all-inclusive educational approach. I invite you to read more about our unique approach to learning under our ‘About Us’ section and thank you for choosing to find out more about who we are and what we do!
Nicole Cronin
Centre Director
Hello my name is Nicole and I am the Centre Director at Oppia Wantirna South.
I am a Mum to 2 wonderful children Lachlan and Ava and live locally within the Knox Community.
I have worked in Early Childhood Education for 25 years and have been working as a Centre Director for 23 of those. I have a Diploma of Children Services, Advance Diploma of Community Sector Management and a Food Safety Supervisor Certificate.
My passion for working with children started at a young age and over the years it has only grown stronger. I strive to create a warm, engaging, safe environment where all children have equal opportunity to develop and reach their full potential. I believe that building strong connections with families and our local community is an important part of my role to support children beyond our centre.
I look forward to the opportunity to support you and your children on their exciting journey of learning and development.
Chloe Van Vugt
Cook & Assistant Director
