"The central act of adults... is to activate, especially indirectly, the meaning-making competencies of children as a basis for all learning. They must try to capture the right moments, and then find the right approaches, for bringing together, into a fruitful dialogue, their meanings and interpretations with those of the children." Loris Malaguzzi
Kalpi has been the owner of Ekidna Cottage since 2008 and since then has had an ongoing commitment to supporting the centre as a whole through her gentle, calm and nurturing nature. Kalpi is enthusiastically involved in all aspects of the centre, including supporting Isha with the development of policies, procedures and the centre philosophy. Kalpi is actively involved in ensuring the wellbeing of her staff and supports and encourages their professional development, enabling them to gain up-to-date training and knowledge about current research related to the profession. Kalpi can also be seen working with the children alongside the other educators on a regular basis, actively supporting the many learning experiences that occur in the centre. The wellbeing of each individual child and their families is of priority at all times and Kalpi personally collaborates with the in-house chef to develop our nutritionally appropriate menus. Kalpi's love of interior design, gardening and the arts in general is also seen in the way that she ensures that the learning environment is loved - maintaining the spaces and resources, nurturing an environmentally friendly ethos and creating aesthetically pleasing spaces in which the children can thrive.
Kalpi has her Certificate III Early Childhood Education and Care and current first aid. She is also trained in emergency asthma and anaphylaxis management and child protection.
Kalpi also holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science, speaks English and Hindi and is passionate about art, art history, interior design, gardening and travelling.
Isha has a Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood Education) from Macquarie University. She also has current first aid qualifications and has been trained in emergency asthma and anaphylaxis management and child protection.
Isha has been working at Ekidna Cottage since 2006. She is the Director, Nominated Supervisor and Educational Leader. Since taking on these leadership roles in 2008, Isha has endeavoured to cultivate a place that embraces diversity, values relationships and is built upon mutual respect and kindness. It is this that gives Ekidna a sense of place that is warm, welcoming and authentic. Isha is passionate about maintaining close partnerships with families and the wider community. She has a special interest in child psychology, the rights of the child, child protection, social welfare, advocacy in early childhood and the emotional and additional needs of children and families. She feels strongly about promoting the safety and wellbeing of all children to build stronger families and communities and is passionate about the positive influences of quality Early Childhood Care and Education in the lives of infants and young children. This is seen in the professional culture that she maintains at Ekidna, in which she ensures that all policies and National Quality Framework requirements (including national regulations) and the Early Years Learning Framework are adhered to at all times. Isha also collaborates closely with the educators to ensure a thorough transition to school program. Specific development in the areas of communication, social skills, literacy, numeracy, science and interactive technology are incorporated into a variety of learning experiences and projects based on the children's individual and developmental stages. In addition, Isha organises a wide variety of events, special programs and excursions which aim to enrich the children's learning. In addition to English, Isha can speak Hindi. Having lived in many different parts of the world during her childhood, Isha loves travelling and also enjoys photography and film, the creative arts, learning about different cultures, swimming, camping and horse riding. Most of all, Isha enjoys spending time with her husband and two small children.