Our management team

Adrienne Smith

Centre Manager, Dunstan Reserve

About

I was born and bred in Sydney. After a two-year stint in Singapore, I moved to Melbourne in early 2015. I’m enjoying the Melbourne lifestyle very much but am missing Sydney Harbour and the mild winters! I live in Coburg with my husband and two young sons. My husband is a travel journalist, which has given us opportunities to enjoy some interesting family holidays. I have a degree in Fine Arts, but have spent most of my career in hospitality, travel and office management. Looking for a career change, I joined MCCCC in mid-2015. Working in this field has been a steep learning curve but I have enjoyed learning the ropes and have felt supported by the team at MCCCC all the way. I love living and working in the Coburg/Brunswick area and being part of my local community.

My role:

“I consider my role part operations, part customer service and part psychologist! I am typically the first contact for new and existing families at Dunstan Reserve, from the very first phone enquiry through to centre tours and meet & greets to the setting up of orientations, enrolments and the associated paperwork, sorting and setting up of accounts and child records in our QK childcare management software etc.

The other component of my role is liaising with staff on things such as rosters, annual leave, PD and curriculum days, the movement of staff between rooms and centres, ensuring the correct ratios are in place, and communication about the various activities going on at Dunstan Reserve on a daily basis. I also support staff to ensure the smooth transition of new children in the centre. The wellbeing of staff is also a priority and I am the first port of call for any issues that might arise or for a debriefing session.

I am involved with the many activities and events going on at Dunstan and MCCCC, from Fun Runs to Working Bees to Kinder Info sessions to Professional Development—there is always something going on that needs my time and attention!

Although my job is centre-centric, there is a fair amount of crossover and communication with Tinning St and Mitchell St as we share the same ethos, philosophies—and often—staff.”