Our Team

Senior Management Team

Sam Johnson

Owner / Director

We are Ian and Sam Johnson; the owners and approved providers of Childs Play ELC

Child’s Play is a family-run childcare, operated by Samantha & Ian Johnson. Samantha was a teacher in the UK and in Australia, with a specialism in special needs (14 years) and Ian was an accountant (20 years),. Sam and Ian have been a couple since 1999 and married in 2006, and have 2 daughters – Millie born in 2007 and Alexa born in 2011. Sam and Ian Combined their skill set we were able to create and develop Childs Play Early Learning centres. We opened our first service in October 2014, and have gradually over time expanded the brand. Sam and Ian have been assessed and rated by the department of education multiple times and have achieved the ‘exceeding’ in all 7 areas in there Tarneit service. Sam has won the International Women’s day award – business category for her work in the early childhood and childcare sector in 2021

Currently we own and operate 3 purpose-built facilities 2 in Tarneit and 1 in Torquay which are licensed to have over 130 children each per day. These are equipped with age-appropriate learning resources and have inviting and interesting play spaces to support children’s development. We plan to open and operate more services in these areas and expand the group without losing the family aspect and relationships we have developed over time. In the next 2 years, Sam and Ian are building 2 further services. Wyndham Vale is scheduled late 2023/early 2024 and we have another service in Tarneit opening up in mid-2024.

We currently employ over 180 staff and work with a number of suppliers that are all local to the area. We are very proud and value our employees and understand that they are our most important assets, their love, loyalty and dedication and commitment to give the highest quality care is of the utmost importance to us.

What is something you love?

We love spending time with our 2 girls, and they were the reason we got into this sector. We are migrants from the UK and had to rely heavily on childcare and saw this as an extension to our family and the difference you could make at such a crucial time in children’s lives. We are incredibly family-orientated people … this extends into our culture as we genuinely care and support everyone who is part of our community – family.

How would you describe Child’s Play ELC?

Like family, it is a home away from home. Ran by a family and feels like family. When we started we reflected and decided we wanted to make a difference to other families that may not have family just like us, and give them support. We are guided by our philosophy; “Every child matters”; we feel honoured that people choose us to look after their children and be part of this incredible time when so much growth and development take place. Every single child is important and matters to us and we want to ensure that they are supported, guided, nurtured and are able to achieve their full potential in our services with trusted and highly educated and caring educators. Parents can rely on us to make a difference and create relationships built on trust and communication.

Ian Johnson

Owner / Director

We are Ian and Sam Johnson; the owners and approved providers of Childs Play ELC

Child’s Play is a family-run childcare, operated by Samantha & Ian Johnson. Samantha was a teacher in the UK and in Australia, with a specialism in special needs (14 years) and Ian was an accountant (20 years),. Sam and Ian have been a couple since 1999 and married in 2006, and have 2 daughters – Millie born in 2007 and Alexa born in 2011. Sam and Ian Combined their skill set we were able to create and develop Childs Play Early Learning centres. We opened our first service in October 2014, and have gradually over time expanded the brand. Sam and Ian have been assessed and rated by the department of education multiple times and have achieved the ‘exceeding’ in all 7 areas in there Tarneit service. Sam has won the International Women’s day award – business category for her work in the early childhood and childcare sector in 2021

Currently we own and operate 3 purpose-built facilities 2 in Tarneit and 1 in Torquay which are licensed to have over 130 children each per day. These are equipped with age-appropriate learning resources and have inviting and interesting play spaces to support children’s development. We plan to open and operate more services in these areas and expand the group without losing the family aspect and relationships we have developed over time. In the next 2 years, Sam and Ian are building 2 further services. Wyndham Vale is scheduled late 2023/early 2024 and we have another service in Tarneit opening up in mid-2024.

We currently employ over 180 staff and work with a number of suppliers that are all local to the area. We are very proud and value our employees and understand that they are our most important assets, their love, loyalty and dedication and commitment to give the highest quality care is of the utmost importance to us.

What is something you love?

We love spending time with our 2 girls, and they were the reason we got into this sector. We are migrants from the UK and had to rely heavily on childcare and saw this as an extension to our family and the difference you could make at such a crucial time in children’s lives. We are incredibly family-orientated people … this extends into our culture as we genuinely care and support everyone who is part of our community – family.

How would you describe Child’s Play ELC?

Like family, it is a home away from home. Ran by a family and feels like family. When we started we reflected and decided we wanted to make a difference to other families that may not have family just like us, and give them support. We are guided by our philosophy; “Every child matters”; we feel honoured that people choose us to look after their children and be part of this incredible time when so much growth and development take place. Every single child is important and matters to us and we want to ensure that they are supported, guided, nurtured and are able to achieve their full potential in our services with trusted and highly educated and caring educators. Parents can rely on us to make a difference and create relationships built on trust and communication.

Lucy Holmes

Group Compliance Officer

Lucy Holmes embarked on her journey in early childhood education in 2006 possessing the NNEB (UK), and Diploma of children services (Australia). With a rich background in leadership roles, including Director, Operations, and Compliance, Lucy has consistently worked within the Victoria and Tasmanian early childhood sector, and along the way completed a Training and Assessment Certificate (TAE4).

Her extensive experience spans operations management for multi-site centres within the corporate sector of early childhood, establishing shared visions for the health and safety of children and community, along with creating strong relationships with the Department of Education and Training.

Child’s Play has embraced paperless solutions across all areas within the business. This comprehensive approach brings numerous benefits, including increased efficiency, reduced environmental impact and improved compliance reporting formations. This successful process has been embraced by the regulatory authorities, as evidence in efficiency, transparency and sustainability is evident. It’s a positive development for all stakeholders involved within the education sector. Compliance can be effectively managed remotely and securely, regardless of location. On-site solutions also provide a comprehensive approach to ensuring adherence to regulations and standards are collaboratively discussed with relevant team members.

Being able to support and inspire staff members across all levels, in relation to compliance and conformity, allows Lucy to maintain a culture of growth, learning, and consistency, ensuring that every team member feels valued and empowered to make a difference, whilst adhering to regulatory requirements which are compliance driven.

What is something I love?

Absolutely love watching Basketball along with supporting our local teams.

How would you describe Child’s Play ELC?

Collaboration within all the centres is embedded and evident, there is a family feeling, along with a sense of belonging and support from all who work at Child’s Play. The team spirit is so apparent, with a “can do” attitude throughout the whole company.

Tarneit

Tarneit West

Torquay

Wyndham Vale

Corrina Giorgi

Assistant Manager Wyndham Vale

Hi my name is Corrina Giorgi

Tell us a bit about yourself and your experience

I am a mother of 4 beautiful children and have a wonderful supportive partner. Our family have been living in the Wyndham Vale area for over 3 years.I love being creative and have a passion for horses. I have been in a range of industries, most of which I had management positions, however I never found them rewarding that is until I decided 9 years ago to make the switch to childcare where I feel I have found one of the most rewarding jobs.

How long have you worked at Child’s Play?

I began my career with Childs Play June 2016

How would other people describe you?

If we were to see you in the community you would be…
Talkative! I can have a good old chat for hours and become lost in conversation. People are able to open up to me as they find me relatable. I am honest, caring and a good listener.

What hobbies do you have?

When I find time I have a range of hobbies which include making bath bombs, candles,cakes, creating a range of items using resin or anything that is creative really. Recently I’ve really enjoyed refurbishing furniture.

Do you have a favourite food?

Salami

What is your favourite thing to do outside of work?

Spend time with my family, I really love our Friday nights where we are all together either watching a movie or playing board games

Why do you work in early childhood education?

Early education is an extremely rewarding career, creating beautiful bonds with children and their families where we are able to watch children grow, and develop their own individual personalities before our very eyes. I love being able to share children’s experiences with their families

How would you describe Child’s Play ELC?

Family orientated and passionate about children would be the best way to describe Child’s play. As soon as I walked through the doors Sam and Ian have been nothing but accommodating and understanding when it has come to my family.
I’ve found at Childs play every single person across each service believes and instills Child’s play philosophy – Every child matters

How would you describe the Wyndham Vale community and Child’s Play’s involvement?

Wyndham Vale is a beautiful community, I am blessed to be able to be apart of the Wyndham Vale community. Child’s play community will be well supported and accommodating as is with every service.

What are you most excited about with the new Wyndham Vale Centre?

Knowing how amazing Child’s Play services are and what they bring to the community, I am excited to bring this to Wyndham Vale. What we do at Child’s Play is unique and I believe there is no other service that is able to offer what Child’s Play can provide. We believe in our philosophy every child matters. We show this everyday through our passionate and dedicated educators.

Rachel Flint

Educational Leader Wyndham Vale

Hi my name is Rachel Flint

Tell us a bit about yourself and your experience

I’m a mum of two children who has been working in the Early Childhood Education sector for 23 years. I started my career as an assistant educator in a small rural centre in NSW and worked my way up to Centre Manager with a variety of other roles including Educational Leader and ECT. I relocated to Wyndham Vale just over 12 months ago.

How long have you worked at Child’s Play?

My journey with Child’s Play has only recently commenced, but I feel like I’ve already settled in and I’m excited about my role as Educational Leader in the new Wyndham Vale service.

How would other people describe you?

Other people would probably describe me as creative, compassionate and loyal.

What hobbies do you have?

I’m a passionate rugby league fan and have been supporting the Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs since the age of 7. I also love reading and writing. I’ve published 4 fiction novels and I’m currently working on 2 more.

What is your favourite thing to do outside of work?

In my spare time I love spending time with my family doing things around the house or going out for a nice meal.

Why do you work in early childhood education?

My Early Childhood journey stemmed from my love of working with children and watching them learn new skills and make new discoveries, while forming relationships with them and their families. It’s rewarding to be able to spend time with children and help set the foundations for the beginning of their journey through life. I’m also passionate about mentoring educators and supporting them in any way I can.

How would you describe Child’s Play ELC?

Child’s Play feels like one big family and everyone has been so welcoming and supportive. Their commitment to creating quality education and care is evident in all of their beautiful centres.

How would you describe the Wyndham community and Child’s Play’s involvement?

The Wyndham Vale community is fairly new to me, but I can see that there is a need for quality early childhood education and care and I feel like Child’s Play will fulfil that role well.

What are you most excited about with the new Wyndham Centre?

I’m excited to be able to work with the children and families of Wyndham Vale, but also to work with the Child’s Play educators. I’m grateful to be able to share my knowledge and experience with our team and contribute to creating an inclusive and welcoming environment, where every child matters.

Point Cook

Wararat Jehu

Assistant Manager Point Cook

Hi, I’m Wararat Jehu.

I have over 10 years’ valuable childcare and management experience.

My work values and goals have remained consistent to provide the best childcare service possible where every child matters. My continued goal is to lead a team that is highly motivated, enthusiastic and adaptive to changes. Together we will make every day a special day for the children, their families and our staff.

Do you have a nickname?
Yes – ‘Aoy’ (sounds like ‘Oi’)

How long have you worked at Child’s Play?

I am a new member, having just recently commenced with ‘Child’s Play’. I am very excited to be a part of the Point Cook Centre and to work alongside a happy, experienced, and professional team.

How would other people describe you?

People describe me as a very happy, supportive and dedicated hard working person. Every day at the Service I always greet everyone with a big happy smile and energy which gives all the children, their families and our staff a warm welcome not only at the start of the day, but throughout the whole day. People know that I love making everyone happy and smile.

What hobbies do you have?

In my time off, I enjoy spending time with my family and together we enjoy travelling, listening to music and watching movies.

Why do you work in early childhood education?

Working in early childhood provides me an opportunity to make a real difference. As an Assistant Centre Director, I encourage, nurture and support positive outcomes in children’s health, wellbeing and learning. Being able to teach a young mind how to achieve something for their first time and watching their little happy faces as they make those achievements is a real incentive to go to the Centre every day! Making others’ lives easier is my daily reward.

How would you describe Child’s Play ELC?

I have seen that Child’s Play is very family orientated and shows genuine passion towards the children. When I first walked into the Service, I felt very welcomed and everyone was so friendly which made me feel comfortable, supported and part of the team. I also feel that Child’s Play offers a home-like environment to children, their families and to their staff. I feel a genuine trust that all Child’s Play Centre staff initiate the philosophy that ‘Every Child Matters’.

What are you most excited about working at Child’s Play Point Cook?

I am very enthusiastic to be a part of the exciting team at ‘Child’s Play’ Point Cook and to run the service with, and alongside, our experienced and happy team members. My goal is to lead a team that is highly motivated and adaptive to changes whilst offering genuine care and support through our happy Child’s Play community. Together, as a team, we will make every day a very special day for the children, their families and our valued staff.