About Astute.
Why choose Astute?
Astute Early Years Specialists are the leaders in Childcare Management and consultancy services. If you’re an approved provider, service owner, centre manager, team member or teacher then you are going to love us and our team of epic (fearless, talented and legendary) specialists.
Why? Because we get it: all of it. Big services, small kindergartens, great (read exceeding) and working towards great – when it comes to early years, we have experienced it!
That’s why we provide advice and support to ensure compliance, improve your rating and streamline operations, all the while the showing the leadership qualities of a superhero.
Meet our team below and see how we can help transform your childcare centre.
Our Values

Respect
We respect our people, our network and the work that we do each day. We understand the value each individual person brings to the world and build relationships that are mutually respectful. Astute embraces & respects individual ideas and ways of thinking.

Excellence
We strive for excellence in every way and in everything we do. When we set to do something, we do it to the highest quality & standard attainable. Our performance & deliverables are second to none. We guide Centre Owners, Approved Providers, Managers and Team members to deliver excellence across all facets of their business.

Relationships
Our people are our family. At Astute relationships are nurtured, valued and integral to our work. We foster strong connections with our clients, centres, team members & stakeholders that become long-term relationships.

Children are important
The wellbeing of children is central to everything we do. At Astute, our purpose is to support Centre Owners, Approved Providers, Managers & Teams to deliver the highest quality education and care programs to children. Children are our future and they deserve to be nurtured, supported and provided with loving environments & community for their early learning journey.
Meet our expert team

Mel Comerford
Director & Founder

Kylie Dawson
Early Years & Adult Professional Learning Specialist

Natalie McDonald
Business and Marketing Manager

Emma Thomas
Early Years Specialist & Educational Leader

Rebecca Donaldson
Early Years Specialist

Gail Lindner
Digital & Creative Marketing Coordinator

Kellie Blinco
Early Years Specialist

Ashleigh Marshall-Payne
Accounts Manager

Rachael Vogel
Early Years Specialist

Shantel Dixon
Family Journey Specialist

Olivia Ritchie
Marketing & Events Officer

Build a World of Play!
Astute Early Years Specialists’ very own Kylie Dawson recently worked on The Lego Foundation’s #buildaworldofplay campaign. Kylie is proud of the resources

Top 10 Tips for Writing Your Quality Improvement Plan
By Kylie Dawson 1. DO NOT document regulatory requirements as a strength (these are the minimum and expected requirements). 2. DO NOT

Staffing arrangements post 16 December 2021 & Mandatory Vaccinations for ECEC teams
This post is not about vaccination – I support wholeheartedly protecting those that cannot protect themselves. I also support valued based choice
Contact us today and let our team of early years specialists work their magic.