About

Safety, Leadership, Integrity, Inclusion & Child-Centric Collaboration

We enrich the lives and minds of our children and families in their communities.

Big Fat Smile has both humble beginnings and solid foundations. Established in 1981 as the Illawarra Children’s Services Action Group, we sought to bring positive, lasting change to the Illawarra region through active campaigning for the rights of families to affordable early education and care.

Big Fat Smile is a not-for-profit, sector-leading provider of child education, care, recreation, cultural and inclusion services in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory.

Fast forward 38-years, and we have grown into one of the largest and most respected providers of early education and inclusion services in our region. We exist for children and families, working to provide access to the highest quality early education and care in Australia. In fact, quality is central to everything we do.

Our values

Our values guide our practices across all levels of our organisation, from Head Office, to Educators in services.

  • Safety: We are dedicated to child safety and wellbeing.
  • Integrity: We are consistently respectful, honest, ethical and accountable.
  • Child-centric: We put our children at the centre of our relationships, philosophy, quality practice and innovations for education and care.
  • Inclusion: We embrace the diversity of our children and colleagues and provide authentic opportunities for participation.
  • Leadership: We lead through excellence in practice.
  • Collaboration: We are collaborative, imaginative and courageous in our relationships.

Company

Board of Directors

Big Fat Smile is governed by an elected Board of Directors. Their role and responsibility is to establish the strategic direction of the organisation, ensure an effective framework for the management of risk, and oversee executive and business performance.

Jeff Harvie

Board Chair and Non Executive Director

Jeff Harvie

Board Chair and Non Executive Director

BBus; CPS; MAICD

  • Board Chair
  • Non Executive Director of Big Fat Smile Group Ltd. since 2020
  • Audit, Risk & Compliance Committee member since 2020

Jeff brings more than 25 years’ experience in senior finance roles across not-for-profit, private and public sectors in Australia, New Zealand and the UK. He brings strategic experience having worked with, and held board roles, including a variety of non-executive director and audit and risk committee positions, across ASX listed and private companies as well as large not-for-profit organisations. This experience has developed the understanding and skills needed for the critical role of discipline, governance, accountability and transparency in the success of financially sustainable organisations.

Dr Marina Papic

Non Executive Director

Dr Marina Papic

Non Executive Director

Dr of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

  • Non Executive Director of Big Fat Smile Group Ltd. since 2020

Marina has worked in the education sector for 35 years and has held various teaching, academic and leadership roles including: Associate Professor (Mathematics Education); Head of Department, Institute of Early Childhood Macquarie University Sydney; Director of the Children and Families Research Centre, Macquarie University Sydney; Executive Officer Primary, Independent K-12 College; and Manager of Children’s Services, Blacktown City Council.

Gavin Bartlett

Non Executive Director

Gavin Bartlett

Non Executive Director

LL.B

  • Non Executive Director of Big Fat Smile Group Ltd. since 2020
  • Audit, Risk & Compliance Committee Chair since 2020
  • Gavin has extensive General Counsel and legal experience supporting organisations in the early childhood sector in meeting their legal and governance needs. Gavin also has experience in the areas of commercial property, franchising, dispute resolution and litigation.

David Campbell

Non Executive Director

David Campbell

Non Executive Director

M MGMT; FAICD

  • Non Executive Director of Big Fat Smile Group Ltd. since 2014
  • Audit, Risk & Compliance Committee Member

David is a Fellow and Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a retired Member of Parliament. NSW Treasury has also prequalified him for appointment to agency Audit and Risk Committees. David brings a strong understanding of the planning and delivery of major infrastructure projects.

Sophie Ray

Non Executive Director

Sophie Ray

Non Executive Director

BA (Hons) LLB (Hons) Grad Dip Leg Studs, GAICD

  • Non Executive Director of Big Fat Smile Group Ltd. since 2016

Sophie is an experienced Non-Executive Director, Board Chair and business owner, currently the Independent Chair of RSL NSW. She has spent two decades working in diverse sectors including law, professional services, agriculture, manufacturing, retail, hospitality & tourism, early childhood, migration and veteran’s support.

Jason Malone

Non Executive Director

Jason Malone

Non Executive Director

BComm, MBA, CPA

  • Non Executive Director of Big Fat Smile Group Ltd. since April 2018
  • Audit, Risk & Compliance Committee member since May 2018

Jason is an experienced CEO and CFO with nearly twenty years of experience in the area of commercial business partnering, financial control, business development, procurement, P&L line management and supply chain. Experience supported by Professional qualifications and an MBA.

We enrich the lives and minds of our children and families in their communities.

Executive leadership team

Big Fat Smile is led by an executive leadership team based at the organisation’s Head Office in Corrimal.

Jenni Hutchins

CEO

Jenni Hutchins

CEO

B Arts (Welf, Psych), PG Dip (Child & Family, Psych, Intern Psychologist), R.Psych

  • CEO, since February 2017
  • Chair, Executive Leadership Team

Jenni leads the implementation of Big Fat Smile’s Strategic Plan with the outcome of enriching the lives and minds of our children and families in their communities.

Justine Uluibau

General Manager, Operations

Justine Uluibau

General Manager, Operations

Dip (Children’s Services), Grad Dip (Public Sector Management), Cert IV Training and Assessment

  • General Manager, Operations, since September 2020

Justine leads a team in the operations of Big Fat Smile’s portfolio of community preschools, long day care centres, Fun Clubs, school holiday care, Inclusion Agency and community support programs to enhance the education, care and wellbeing of children, families and communities.

Bob Kotic

Chief Financial Officer (Temporary)

Bob Kotic

Chief Financial Officer (Temporary)
  • Bachelor of Business Studies (Accounting)
  • Master of Economics (Finance)
  • FCPA

Bob leads a team in the delivery of the finance, facilities and IT functions of the organisation.

Marina Harris

Executive Manager, People & Culture

Marina Harris

Executive Manager, People & Culture

Bachelor of Commerce, major in Employment Relations

Master of Business Administration

Marina leads a team in the Human Resource functions and champions the Big Fat Smile culture, vision and values

MIchele Peden

Pedagogical Thinker in Residence

MIchele Peden

Pedagogical Thinker in Residence

Associate Diploma of Social Science (Child Studies), BEd(EC), Cert IV Workplace Training Category 2, GDipAdultEd, Cert IV Training and Assessment, MEd(EC), PHD

  • Pedagogical Thinker in Residence, since February 2018

Michele leads a team in developing an educational framework for children aged 0 – 12 to support Big Fat Smile’s services and enhance education and care outcomes.

Amanda Archer

Executive Manager - Experience & Development

Amanda Archer

Executive Manager - Experience & Development

Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood), Dip Quality Auditing, Adv Dip. Leadership & Management, Bachelor of Business- Marketing (working towards)

  • Executive Manager- Experience and Development, since November 2020
  • Amanda has worked for Big Fat Smile since 2017

Amanda leads the Compliance, Client Experience, Business Development and Marketing Teams toward synergistic goals to achieve our vision and values

Why choose us?

Diversity Programs

We are taking enrolments for 2021. If you are interested in having your child start at one of our centres, click on the link below to download enrolment information pack.

Transition Programs

We have a transition to school program based around the best start program, we have a smart board and use iPads and we love Kinderloop to partner with families during the day.

Links with local community

We have great links with the local community including the library, Wollongong City Council and local park and love excursions, incursions and plan different events each term.

Celebrating Culture

We are very in tune with our vast range of family cultures who attend the centre and we celebrate these, creating respect for all children and families through our many events each term.

Our values

Our values guide our practices across all levels of our organisation, from Head Office, to Educators in services.

Learn more

Safety


Integrity


Child-centric


Leadership


Inclusion


Collaboration


Download publications

Annual Report 2020

Annual Report 2020

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Parent Handbook

Parent Handbook

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Strategic Roadmap

Strategic Roadmap

Download
Annual Report 2019

Annual Report 2019

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Annual Report 2018

Annual Report 2018

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Annual Report 2017

Annual Report 2017

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Annual Report 2016

Annual Report 2016

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Annual Report 2015

Annual Report 2015

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