Our Teachers
Finches - Four year old program
Amy Callinan - Four-Year-Old Teacher (Monday & Tuesday)
I hold a Graduate Diploma in Primary Education, as well as recently completing by Cert III in Early Childhood Education. I have worked in both Steiner and mainstream settings in a range of educational roles, such as a kindergarten teacher, playgroup facilitator and kindergarten assistant. My past studies have also included the part-time Ruldolf Steiner teacher training course. With five children of my own I have been involved as a parent in Steiner education for over twenty years, my own daughter attending Yandell Kindergarten in 2013/14. I am so excited to be a part of this wonderful community again but now as an educator, in this passionate and caring teaching team at Yandell Kindergarten.
Heidi Innes - Three Year Old Teacher (Thursday)
I have been working as a kindergarten teacher for many years in Steiner, mainstream as well as bushkinder settings. I love being around children, I never stop marveling at the uniqueness of each child and I meet each of them with an open heart.
I am a Steiner parent myself to two older children, I love spending time in nature, especially in our beautiful Birrarung, I like to cook and garden and spend time with friends.
It is a great privilege to work in such a committed team, supported by a dedicated committee of management and to accompany the young children here at Yandell as they take their first steps out of the family nest into the wider social world
Jo Stevens - Three/Four-Year-Old Educator
I am a Diploma qualified educator who started her working life as a horticulturist and it gives me great joy to share my love of plants, flowers and the natural world with our children at Yandell Kindergarten. There is wonder all around us and I feel that within a Steiner education that element is particularly honoured. It is one of the reasons both my children attend a Steiner school and why I have studied Steiner education. Thank you for entrusting your child’s kindergarten years to us.
Leanne Clifford - Four-Year-Old Educator
My journey as a Diploma qualified Educator working in the Early
Childhood sector has taken me in a variety of directions, Long Day
Care, Occasional Child Care and Kindergarten. I have worked for a
minimum of 10 years in each sector making lifelong friendships.
The importance of providing a safe and supportive environment
where children are made to feel safe and secure, to explore, learn
and discover has been my priority. I have always strived to care for
and nurture each child individually, in a manner that I would have
wanted for my own children.
My love of art and craft, interior design, and flora, particularly Australian flora inspires me in
my everyday life and work experiences.
I am married with two adult aged children who share my love of travel. I enjoy walking and
spending time with my family and friends.
I look forward to joining the team at Yandell Kindergarten and connecting with the community.
I hold a Graduate Diploma in Primary Education, as well as recently completing by Cert III in Early Childhood Education. I have worked in both Steiner and mainstream settings in a range of educational roles, such as a kindergarten teacher, playgroup facilitator and kindergarten assistant. My past studies have also included the part-time Ruldolf Steiner teacher training course. With five children of my own I have been involved as a parent in Steiner education for over twenty years, my own daughter attending Yandell Kindergarten in 2013/14. I am so excited to be a part of this wonderful community again but now as an educator, in this passionate and caring teaching team at Yandell Kindergarten.
Heidi Innes - Three Year Old Teacher (Thursday)
I have been working as a kindergarten teacher for many years in Steiner, mainstream as well as bushkinder settings. I love being around children, I never stop marveling at the uniqueness of each child and I meet each of them with an open heart.
I am a Steiner parent myself to two older children, I love spending time in nature, especially in our beautiful Birrarung, I like to cook and garden and spend time with friends.
It is a great privilege to work in such a committed team, supported by a dedicated committee of management and to accompany the young children here at Yandell as they take their first steps out of the family nest into the wider social world
Jo Stevens - Three/Four-Year-Old Educator
I am a Diploma qualified educator who started her working life as a horticulturist and it gives me great joy to share my love of plants, flowers and the natural world with our children at Yandell Kindergarten. There is wonder all around us and I feel that within a Steiner education that element is particularly honoured. It is one of the reasons both my children attend a Steiner school and why I have studied Steiner education. Thank you for entrusting your child’s kindergarten years to us.
Leanne Clifford - Four-Year-Old Educator
My journey as a Diploma qualified Educator working in the Early
Childhood sector has taken me in a variety of directions, Long Day
Care, Occasional Child Care and Kindergarten. I have worked for a
minimum of 10 years in each sector making lifelong friendships.
The importance of providing a safe and supportive environment
where children are made to feel safe and secure, to explore, learn
and discover has been my priority. I have always strived to care for
and nurture each child individually, in a manner that I would have
wanted for my own children.
My love of art and craft, interior design, and flora, particularly Australian flora inspires me in
my everyday life and work experiences.
I am married with two adult aged children who share my love of travel. I enjoy walking and
spending time with my family and friends.
I look forward to joining the team at Yandell Kindergarten and connecting with the community.

Fairy Wrens - Three year old program
Alison Ziatas - Three Year Old Teacher
I hold a Bachelor of Education and am currently completing my Certificate 3 in Early Childhood
Education. Before moving to the kinder classroom, I worked in the primary sector for a decade. I
believe in nurturing the natural sense of wonder and adventure that children enter the world with
and allowing each child to travel their journey at their own pace, in their own time.
My own journey at Yandell began in 2020 with my daughter attending the Kinder, and now my son
begins as a Fairy Wren. I am grateful to be a part of this beautiful community, as an educator and a
parent.
On my days off, you will find me in the garden with my children and our chickens, planting,
harvesting and enjoying the sunshine.
Jo Stevens - Three/Four-Year-Old Educator
I am a Diploma qualified educator who started her working life as a horticulturist and it gives me great joy to share my love of plants, flowers and the natural world with our children at Yandell Kindergarten. There is wonder all around us and I feel that within a Steiner education that element is particularly honoured. It is one of the reasons both my children attend a Steiner school and why I have studied Steiner education. Thank you for entrusting your child’s kindergarten years to us.