My Story
Experiential Early Learning

Our Vision

My Story recognises the importance of collaborative partnerships with children and families. It is through these relationships we can provide the continuity of learning experience, confidence and resilience of character necessary for children to become researchers in their own learning. Our commitment to continuous professional improvement drives the provision of holistic, exciting and innovative learning programs influenced by current theory and pedagogy.

“Families Supporting Families”

My Story is owned and directed by two families. We understand you. We are you. Like you, we juggle careers, young children, relationships, family life, domestic responsibilities, financial planning… all on top of limited sleep!!

Like you, we look for empathy, flexibility, understanding and personalised care in the services we engage and that’s why you will receive the same attention at My Story. We believe our community of care will become invaluable to you, your child – indeed your whole family – because it is the care and support we depend upon ourselves. We believe such a fabric of mutual support is a unique experience that you will not find in centres run by investors.

  • “The staff at My Story are so warm and empathetic and really have gone above and beyond to bond with and support my son! They’ve welcomed his physiotherapist for an […]

    Liz Roy -

  • “Enrolling into My Story has been the best decision for our family and especially our child. My two year old LOVES going to My Story, and this is a testament […]

    Carrie -

  • “As a mum of three children I can honestly say that My Story is the best daycare that I have experienced. The Directors and staff are all caring, hands-on and child […]

    Cath Fraser -

  • “We are so happy to have our daughter at My Story Experiential Early Learning. The Educators and Directors/Owners of the Centre are fantastic!  It is a very welcoming, friendly and […]

    Angela Pattison -

  • “My Story is a beautiful centre with the kindest, most supportive and nurturing staff.  You are always greeted with a smile and the Directors, Anna and Chloe are always accommodating […]

    Kelly -

  • “My Story is an incredible place with very supportive educators. Our daughter enjoys the creative learning and friendships she has made. Thanks so much Anna and Chloe.”

    Jennifer Tiglao -

  • “Being part of the MyStory community means an exceptional education, long-lasting life lessons and genuine support and care for all of us, way beyond the ‘daycare duty!’

    Emma-Jane -

  • “The unconditional care and love that both Anna, Chloe and the team at My Story provides to the children is truly amazing. I highly recommend My Story, by far the […]

    Rebecca -

  • “My Story is like a second home for our children, where they are gently nurtured by the kindest educators through their early years.”

    Shalini -
    Parent

  • “We absolutely love My Story! We feel so fortunate to have our son cared for and educated by Anna, Chloe and the team there.”

    Sarah -
    Parent

  • “Anna is so accepting of our routines and believes in giving kids a home away from home. Her relationship with her staff makes them deliver to their best ability.”

    Nidhi Raj -
    Parent

A BIT ABOUT OURSELVES

Anna

Anna Tran ProfileIf someone told me twenty years ago that I’d be teaching young children and managing an education and care service, I would have said, “You need to clean that crystal ball! “.

Back then, I was working for one of the four major banks as a personal lending officer. There was no sign of studying until after 8 years with the bank and having my second child. At this point, I decided that it was time for a career change but the question was, ‘what was I good at and how could I give back to the community’?

What eventually influenced my decision to study in Early Childhood Education was from my own experience of early transitions to new environments.  I arrived in Australia from Vietnam when I was 5 years old.  I remember this was a very exciting but also terrifying time in my life. A child integrating into a new country is very much like a child transitioning to a new education and care service. There were new faces, rules, food and even how different people dressed. Change is hard and even more so when you are away from your family. It is for this reason that I am fortunate to be working with Chloe in a role that supports young children. We believe their very first experiences of change can create spaces in which children feel a sense of belonging and community.

Fast forward to today, I have four children, James 22, Emma 12, Cohen 3 and Ruben 1 years old. I know what you’re thinking … huge gaps! Also, I can not forget my fabulous husband Will, who has a great love for gardening and is very excited to inspire our outdoor spaces. We can’t wait for the opportunity to meet all the children and families and to share this journey with you.

With a Bachelor of Early Childhood Education, Certificate IV in Training and Assessment in the Workplace and several leadership roles in the Education and Care sector, I think I might need to ask that crystal ball another question!

Chloe

Chloe Chant ProfileI didn’t come to ECEC until after my daughter, Sophie, was born. Previously I had worked as an event planner and as the National Education Coordinator for the Tax Institute. It was only after a few months at home with this beautiful little baby that I realised that my skills and attributes all coalesced in a way perfect for a career in Early Learning.

I studied at TAFE while at home with Sophie, gained my Certificate and Diploma and went on to work for a large ECEC company for several years. I worked as Educational Leader, a role focussed on providing mentoring, innovation and inspiration to educators to improve their curriculum provision. I worked alongside Anna and we came to understand we had a similar ambition – to have the autonomy to be able to provide high quality early learning experiences for children that are reflective of, and responsive to, the latest research. Pretty soon, we were able to see that the huge bureaucracy of large companies makes it very difficult to catch hold of these opportunities and neither of us felt like ‘missing the boat’. So, we began our own journey of creating an early learning service that provides genuine and authentic learning suitable for the world we live in and the children for whom we care.

On a personal note, I am the mother of my 5yo daughter, Sophie, and my 12yo stepdaughter, Alex. I understand the unique (but not uncommon) challenges of bringing up children between households and negotiating the roles of both parent and stepparent.
I am originally from Adelaide and so all my extended family still live in SA. I miss the support my Mum and Dad, brother and sister could have offered me while bringing up my children. Although they are always at the other end of the phone/skype call, I would love to be able to pop round for a cup of tea (or wine!) or enjoy a spontaneous night out with my husband without worrying about finding baby-sitting!
I look forward to meeting you and working together to ensure the holistic well-being of your child in these beautiful (and challenging!) early years.

Our Philosophy

At My Story we honour the importance of the first 5 years of life as essential to lifelong success and happiness. To provide children with the best opportunity to excel in life, we carefully consider new research, theory, and the individual ‘stories’ of each family. The following 8 principles underpin the program and relationships at My Story.

  • Children are capable, competent, autonomous members of society and co constructers of knowledge.

    Children are intrinsically curious and are interested in concrete, complex, and abstract ideas. Children’s theories and perspectives are to be listened to, respected, but also problematised by ‘knowledgeable others’ in order to scaffold and enrich the process of learning.

  • Children are influenced by the unique time and social context in which they live.

    Each child’s learning and development will differ depending on their lived experiences of concentric and simultaneous forces, ranging from their immediate family to their broader socio-cultural positioning. Each child will experience relationships and curriculum differently according to contextual influences such as religion, culture, values and socio-economic status. Because the nature of these contexts are complex and dynamic, a sense of belonging is being perpetually recalibrated with assistance from supportive and knowledgeable others.

  • Responsive relational experiences support a child’s wellbeing, sense of belonging and internalisation of learning.

    It is through the formation of supportive, respectful, reciprocal relationships that children develop the confidence and agency to explore their environment and make meaning. Interactions and relationships with family, educators and peers provide a child with a collection of experiences that consequently underpin development of self-concept, self-efficacy and self-esteem.

  • Collaboration is key to supporting every child’s participation in the program.

    True collaboration with families goes beyond tokenistic participation and involves shared decision-making, shared understandings, clarity of expectation and respect for families as the experts in their child’s wellbeing. Collaboration directly with children when co constructing curriculum is not only conducive to a sense of autonomy, it also provides rich opportunity for critical reflection on practice. Accessing the human, environmental, physical and cultural resources of the wider community also provides a diversity of knowledge and skill that enriches the program.

  • The curriculum encompasses everything a child experiences during their day.

    An effective curriculum is co constructed with children and families based on their emerging interests, dispositions for learning and abilities of the children. Integral to the educator’s role is to capitalise on the day-to-day incidental events and spontaneous musings of children in a way that fosters progression towards holistic, child-centred curriculum goals.

  • A child’s ability to internalise learning is supported most effectively by ‘play’.

    An effectively integrated curriculum promotes play as a medium to connect with the unique learning dispositions of each child, and strengthen a multitude of intelligences. The scaffolding of play by educators provides children with opportunities to traverse the gap between what they can do with, or without help.

  • A culture of inclusion provides children with the repertoire of pro-social skills to live successfully in a diverse society.

    It is a social responsibility of the educator to use diversity of race, religion, sex, gender, ethnicities, family structures, abilities and socioeconomic status as a provocation to co construct an enlightening path towards tolerance, acceptance and celebration of difference. The early years are critical to the development or rejection of bias, and so the curriculum must champion the exploration of social justice principles rather than reinforcing the values of dominant culture.

  • Exploration of the natural world provides children with a wealth of learning and developmental opportunities.

    Through engagement with the natural world, children’s imagination is stimulated, their capacity for risk assessment is supported, and their physical health is promoted. Meaningful engagement in the natural world fosters a sense of belonging and environmental responsibility. Consideration of the natural world also provides provocation for educators and children to authentically explore the relationship between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and the places we live.