The KCCC Team
Oliver
Yvonne
Megan
Kitty
Kiera
Penny
Sam
Our board
KCCC is a parent-managed centre whose parents are members. The members appoint the Board of Directors of the co-operative. The board has a governance role and sets the mission, vision and strategic plan for the centre. The board also appoints the General Manager, who is responsible for the management of the centre.
KCCC is a member-based not-for-profit co-operative and its financial accounts are independently audited and filed annually with the Australian Charities and Not for Profits Commission (ACNC).
Executive Committee
• Consists of the Chair, Secretary and Treasurer
• Holds some special decision making powers
• Has specific responsibilities to the Department of Consumer Affairs (regulator of the Co-Operatives Act)
• Elected to manage the governance of the board
Board
• Elected by co-operative members at the Annual General Meeting (AGM).
• Responsible for the appointment and management of the General Manager.
• Each of the non-executive board members may sit on a sub-committee, working group and/or may be responsible and accountable for one of the boards guiding documents
• The quorum for a board meeting is five of the nine board members.
Members Of The Board
Emily Mischlewski
Emily is a qualified early childhood teacher and has experience in early childhood teaching, educational leadership, early childhood intervention, research, and early childhood policy and projects.
Emily has worked across sessional and long day care services, both large and small. She also has experience with family outreach – conducting home visits, running playgroups, and helping families navigate the NDIS and connect with local community services. Emily is particularly passionate about supporting children who have experienced complex trauma, and became an accredited foster carer in 2021.
Emily and her husband Will welcomed baby Clara in February of 2024. Emily is often in Kensington to visit family and friends, and she is excited to be given the opportunity to contribute to the KCCC community.
Steph Martin Bruce
Stephanie became a member of KCCC in 2024, when her daughter Madeleine joined the Yarragum room. Stephanie and her family live in Kensington and they love being part of the KCCC community. They are so grateful for the wonderful support and commitment of the KCCC staff and Stephanie hopes to give back to the community through her role on the Board.
Stephanie is a senior professional in mergers and acquisitions, corporate strategy and capital markets, as well as being a qualified Chartered Accountant. She has worked for some of Australia’s leading technology companies including ASX-listed REA Group (realestate.com.au) and TEG Group (Ticketek), and has experience across a diverse range of industries and organisations, including real estate, technology, financial services, live entertainment and health care.
Outside of work, Stephanie loves spending time with her daughter, husband and dog Rocky. Their favourite thing to do is walk around the Maribyrnong River or head to the beach on the Mornington Peninsula.
Jordan Lloyd
Jordan joined the KCCC community in 2022 when his eldest daughter started attending the centre. Now he has 2 daughters attending KCCC and loved the way that the staff and families of KCCC have created an environment where the girls look forward to going to “kindy” each day. As a result, he wanted to get involved in the Co-Op and give back to the Kensington community of which he has been a part for 15 years. He is passionate about helping maintain and improve all of the things that make KCCC so special to many of us.
Professionally, Jordan is a qualified Chartered Accountant and Partner at Deloitte. His expertise is in providing risk and governance advice to Australia’s largest corporates. More recently Jordan’s work has focused on helping employers ensure they are meeting their compliance requirements with regard to accurate payment of payroll obligations and helping remediate where breaches have occurred.
Outside of work, Jordan can be seen trying to keep up with his two girls and maintain some level of basic fitness! He is also a passionate Western Bulldogs supporter who managed to fly back to Melbourne from the US to watch their famous grand Final win in 2016.
Jen Bashford
Jen has lived in Kensington since 2017, and in 2022 her son Charlie started at KCCC, joined two years later by his brother Otis. Jen has enjoyed the opportunity to get to know any of the staff and families at the centre and has loved becoming part of the community. She and her husband Tim are so grateful for the care and education that Charlie and Otis get from everyone at KCCC, and for the friends they and their children have made. Jen believes the community cooperative model of KCCC is at the heart of why it is such a great place for our children.
Jen is an Assistant Principal, and has worked as a Secondary Educator for over 15 years. She teaches English, is a literacy specialist, and has worked to develop and implement Positive Behaviour Support models a a number of schools across western Melbourne. She loves seeing students grow in confidence through learning, and coaching staff to develop their professional practice.
Jen has an extensive history of volunteering with grassroots and community organisations, and credits her commitment to community to her grandparents, whose own volunteer work role-modelled positive social contributions. Jen brings to the board open communication, a passion for community engagement, and an understanding of how to work collaboratively with all stakeholders.
You can usually find Jen running around after Charlie and Otis at one of the local parks, reading, practicing yoga, or enjoying a strong coffee.
Andrew Dunlop
Andrew joined the KCCC community in 2023 when his daughter Alice started in Acacia. He was immediately struck with how friendly and caring the centre feels, the quality and personality of the educators and staff, and the great shared open space between all rooms. After a couple of years, Andrew decided he wanted to contribute more than the occasional working bee and became a board member in 2025.
Andrew is a consultant focused on the management of environmental and climate projects. He brings a keen interest in climate change, the environment and sustainability to KCCC, as well as a wealth of previous experience with the planning and delivery of major events.
When not at work or KCCC, Andrew writes, takes photos, attempts to keep fit around the Maribyrnong, follows Alice to Ascot Vale Leisure Centre or a local park, and desperately tries to maintain a reasonable grasp of French so he can understand what Alice and her mum Aude are talking about. When it comes to AFL, Andrew is an Essendon tragic.
Andrew recently moved from Kensington to Ascot Vale, turning a nice morning walk through JJ Holland Park into a drive past the racecourse, but moving childcare centres was never an option as there is nowhere like KCCC!
Kezia Mansfield
Kezia joined the KCCC community in 2022 when her eldest child started at the centre, and now has a younger one in Tea Tree. She has loved the high-quality education and care, the nurturing environment, and the emphasis on free play that makes KCCC such a special place where her kids are excited to go each day.
Kezia joined the Board to help support everything that makes KCCC special, while also leaning in to address challenges and help the centre continue to grow and improve.
Professionally, Kezia is a specialist emergency physician with experience working across Australian hospitals and in humanitarian settings overseas.
She is passionate about building strong, cohesive teams and fostering a respectful, welcoming environment—values she believes are equally important in healthcare and in the KCCC community.
Outside of work, Kezia can usually be found sewing (sometimes poorly made) costumes for her kids, mucking around at JJ Holland Park, or cooking a mean curry.
Becoming a member of the board
Contributing to the KCCC board is a wonderful opportunity to be involved in your child’s service.
The Board is responsible for directing, influencing and monitoring the organisation’s business. The board is ultimately responsible and legally accountable for determining the purpose (or mission) of the organisation the continuity of the organisation setting the organisation’s rate of progress in reaching its mission establishing the identity of the organisation by securing community support and appreciation for the organisation’s purpose and long- term direction.
Being part of the KCCC is very rewarding in many ways. What are the benefits of being a not-for-profit board member?
• Better health and greater wellbeing
• Financial literacy
• The satisfaction of achievement
• A warm inner glow
• Social contact with a great group of people
• A world that’s the better for your involvement
• New networks experience that can benefit employment
A comment from an ex KCCC board member, “I have now moved out of Kensington. Some of my closest friends I made are the ones I met as part of the KCCC board. When I come back to Kensington, these are the people I see and am connected with”. Malene Platt, 2017. (Board member, 2014-2015)
If you are interested in joining the board, please contact the General Manager or update/complete the skills register if you have not already done so to express your interest.
Kensington Community Children’s Co-Operative
Opening Hours
Monday to Friday 7.00am - 6.00pm
Closed Public Holidays
30 min. parking in front of centre, 3 hour parking adjacent.
Closest train station: South Kensington
Closest bus route: 402