Book a Tour

Our People

At Samford Papilio, our centre community is made up of a close-knit team of professional, qualified and passionate educators, teachers and staff. We are responsive and caring educators who endeavour to build positive relationships with your family and loving connections with your child. We recognise your child’s individuality and are committed to nurturing them and instilling the skills and curiosity they need to confidently step into the world as lifelong learners.

Meet Our Centre Manager

Name: Sam Saffrett

Years in Childcare: 15 years

Qualifications: Diploma

What makes you passionate about Early Childhood Education? I am passionate about Early Childhood Education because every day I get to see children growing to their full potential. The love of learning the children create with laugher and fun always makes me so proud to be apart of their little lives. The way we build connections with not only the children but the whole family, creating a second home for the children in our care. I am also very privileged to work with a team of educators that have their own strengths and talents that they share with the children and myself at Papilio Samford every day.

Why do you believe your centre is an excellent choice for parents seeking the best child care? We believe that is takes a village to raise a child, therefor we are part of the Samford Village community. At Papilio we have a large natural outdoor environment, and we believe that children learn best when in nature with open ended experiences. We have a team that consists of a number of long term staff that have created an environment of love for learning and are always ready for fun.

Fun fact about you? On my weekends I love creating, either sewing, or using my Cricut to make something exiting and I particularly enjoy building little projects with my husband. I love going camping in my caravan exploring this great country we live in with my family and friends.

Meet our Third in Charge

Name: Glenda Takavadii

Years in Childcare: 10 years

Qualifications: Master of Science in Development Studies, Bachelor of Education - Early Childhood Development

What makes you passionate about Early Childhood Education? I am passionate about Early Childhood Education because it is the foundation for all future learning and life outcomes. Early Childhood Education allows me to IMAGINE the future possibilities for humanity. I’m not only passionate about it but I sometimes can’t help but feel privileged to be a part of something bigger in the children’s lives. I love helping children discover the joy of learning. That moment when a child makes their own discovery or learn to do something on their own, it’s priceless. I love the way children think, their curiosity and the way they view the world and I’m always learning from them as well. It challenges me to do better and be a better version of myself.

What makes your centre different from others? It’s homely, there’s a spirit of community amongst the staff, children and families. It reminds me of this sitcom I used to watch growing up called Cheers, their theme song sang, “sometimes you wanna go where everybody knows your name and they’re always glad you came”. Everyone is always glad everyone showed up.

Meet our Assistant Manager

Name: Debbie Aitchison

Years in Childcare: 21 years

Qualifications: Diploma

What makes you passionate about Early Childhood Education? I get to make a difference in the lives of young children every time I head to work! I get to see children’s development and learning firsthand as children grow and flourish in my care. Many family’s rely on early education services so they can work, they entrust us with their children – and what a privilege it is to play a role in children’s lives during those vital first five years.

What makes your centre different from others? Papilio Samford is unique because we are part of the Samford Village and a part of a large family network. We have a team of passionate long-term staff who offer a holistic approach to nurturing, caring for and teaching the children in our service. Connecting with nature is a passion at Papilio Samford as it allows children to develop a love of the earth and how to care for it. Playing in and with nature is a simple yet powerful activity that provides enormous benefits for our children. We complement playing in nature with learning outdoors so the children in our classes have the potential to develop into resilient, happy and engaged people with a love for Lifelong Learning.

Meet our Lead Educator

Name: Kimberly Ogle

Years in Childcare: 7 years

Qualifications: Diploma

What makes you passionate about Early Childhood Education? My passion for early childhood education and care begins with my love of the arts. The arts are an essential part of life and part of what makes being human wonderful. I have always been passionate about the arts, and nothing brings me more joy than helping someone find their creative expression. When our students graduate from care and begin formal education, the tools we teach them will be the lens through which they see their futures. With our support, we hope that everyone will be able to use creative problem solving to find the right solutions.

When I am not sharing creative tips, I am encouraging a love and understanding of the world around us in both staff and students. A robust general knowledge of the flora and fauna in our community helps to ground us in our environment. Once we start respecting and understanding what we can do to care for plants and animals it becomes second nature to help preserve it. I encourage respectful enthusiastic discovery of every living thing we learn about here. We are teaching the leaders of the future; they are going to change the world and it is my hope that everything they learn with us will help make the world a kinder and better place to be.