An early education and care centre that’s part of the community.
Supporting Coffs families since 1985
Gamumbi is a small, not-for-profit early childhood education centre and long day care service, based on Gumbaynggirr land. Proudly operating in Toormina since 1985, we have strong ties to the Sawtell/Toormina community.
Gamumbi acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the land, the Gumbaynggirr people. We are committed to Reconciliation and value the teachings and traditions of First Nations peoples as an important part of our philosophy and curriculum.
In full transparency we are not an Aboriginal owned service.
Our early education and care philosophy
We have highly qualified, experienced staff.
We support
play-based learning.
We foster connections
to nature.
We work in collaboration with families and community.
How does a
not-for-profit service benefit children?
Our long day care service is not-for-profit. That means that all of the income we receive through fees and grants is used to improve the centre and the service we provide.
Our community-led Management Committee makes decisions based on what is best for the children, families and educators.
This means we have:
A team of highly-trained teaching staff committed to continuous improvement.
Additional educators to support inclusion and wellbeing.
High-quality, thoughtfully designed learning spaces. You can explore them here.
Who makes decisions at Gamumbi?
We share decision-making with children, families, educators and the community, so that every decision made is based on what it best for our children.
Our dedicated Management Committee is made up of parents who want to give children the best start in life. Decisions are made on our core values of relationships, inclusion, reconciliation and sustainability.
Families know their children best so we love to hear about what’s going on at home and incorporate this into the education program and learning environments.
We love the caring, calm and warmth that our children receive at Gamumbi. Our children are so relaxed and happy to be in this learning environment”
— Gamumbi parent
Meet our passionate teaching team
Lisa - Director | Nominated Supervisor (she/her)
How lucky are we? Lisa has worked in early childhood education for over 20 years.
Lisa is all about empowering children through authentic experiences. She believes in not answering children’s questions, but engaging them in the learning process to discover the answers together. That’s why she loves Gamumbi’s approach to learning through play and project based learning.
Part of the Gamumbi team since 2007, Lisa has been a teacher, parent, committee member and now Director. Her favourite thing about Gamumbi is the teaching team and the experience, knowledge and dedication that they bring to the curriculum.
The sense of community that has been built by the Gamumbi families and team gives children (and adults) a sense of place and belonging and makes Gamumbi a special place to be.
Kelsi - Early Childhood Teacher (she/her)
Our Early Childhood Teacher and preschool Team Leader, Kelsi was drawn to the centre because it’s a not-for-profit, community-led service.
Kelsi is a big supporter of play-based learning, seeing it as a time for rich discovery. It’s important to Kelsi that children are seen as capable and she loves that Gamumbi’s challenging outdoor play space and resources support this.
Her favourite thing about Gamumbi is the intentional, thoughtful and reflective teaching of the educators. Here, everything has a purpose.
With a background in student support, Kelsi is passionate about inclusive learning, celebrating differences and finding ways to meet the needs of each and every child. Kelsi continues to support the team in reflecting on inclusion as she continues study with her Masters of Special and Inclusive Education.
Ness - Assistant Director | Early Childhood Educator (she/her)
Ness has been with Gamumbi since 2015 and has completed her Diploma in Early Childhood during that time.
Ness is passionate about fostering a sense of belonging for all children and recognising the individual developmental, emotional and sensory needs of all children. Ness’s focus is forming strong relationships with children to ensure they feel safe and secure in their transition to Gamumbi.
Ness’s passion is for cooking and gardening and involving children in these real life experiences. She also shares her love of the natural environment by creating beautiful spaces for the children to explore.
You will also often see Ness in the office as she takes on the role of Assistant Director, doing what she does best which is supporting families and the team where and when its needed.
Jade - Early Childhood Educator (she/her)
Our gorgeous educator Jade has spent over 16 years in early childhood education and most of them at Gamumbi! She can’t imagine working anywhere else because she loves the strong sense of community and passionate team at Gamumbi.
Jade's favourite thing about early childhood education is the impact educators have on children’s learning and their journey at Gamumbi. She believes this builds educators passion for working in early childhood, and therefore gives the platform for success.
Jade insists that working with children and working at Gamumbi really makes us remember to enjoy all the simple pleasures in life and this is seen through her big smile and belly laughs.
Carolin - Finance & Administration (she/her)
Stepping into the finance and administration role is no easy task, but Carolin has done it with ease.
Carolin chose to come to Gamumbi because, simply put, she fell in love. In particular she says the philosophy, beautiful outdoor area, the staff, and the resident pet chickens, all played a key role in sparking her initial interest. This has only grown over time as she’s found out how welcoming and friendly everyone is, and just how great the management team is.
Carolin is passionate about helping families and children at Gamumbi. She always takes the time to listen and be there for any question or concern, no matter how small. Carolin loves to interact with the children and spends as much time as she can creating meaningful relationships with all at Gamumbi.
Kirsten - Educational Leader (she/her)
When people talk about early childhood curriculum and teaching, Kirsten is what always comes to mind.
With over 30 years experience in Early Childhood, her passion for children’s learning is immense and each day you will hear Kirsten excitedly sharing a story about something a child has learned or an artwork or construction they have created.
Kirsten is dedicated to reflective practice and as Educational Leader she leads the team in reflecting on current ideas, curriculum and routines to ensure what we do is always in the best interests of chidlren. Her high expectations ensure not only our team, but the children at Gamumbi challenge themselves and learn new skills.
Kirsten is often found in the art studio, discussing chidlren’s art with them and relishing in their ideas and new skills. Kirsten’s other passion is literacy and she has curated a fabulous library of quality children’s literature for families and children to explore.