Background

Little Sophia is a not-for-profit, inner-city Steiner long day kindergarten. In 2018 we achieved an Exceeding rating in all 7 areas of the National Quality Framework from the Department of Education and Training. We are located close to the historic Abbotsford Convent Arts Precinct, Sophia Mundi Steiner School and Collingwood College. Little Sophia has been part of this community for 25 years. We offer playgroup and two Steiner Association approved all-day kindergarten programs. The quality and depth of our experience is demonstrated by the care and love our community of educators, office staff and families bring to our kindergarten and the warmth and joy they take home. Little Sophia has two rooms, Dragonfly and Kingfisher, catering for 19 and 20 children respectively each per day. Little Sophia has a team of approximately14 dedicated staff and approximately 70 families that use our service each week.

Position objectives

The role of the Receptionist is 2 days per week. They will perform administrative tasks necessary to ensure the efficient running of the kindergarten. They will answer the phone and incoming emails, pass on messages and tasks to office staff, teachers and families as required. They will be responsible for making sure information is distributed to the relevant parties; teachers, parents, compliance officer and/or coordinator. They will have a warm, friendly and polite manner where excellent communication skills, both written and verbal and attention to detail is a must. The successful applicant must feel connected to and welcome the concept of distributed leadership and collaborative decision making. The receptionist plays a key part in ensuring transparency so as our distributed leadership model functions well, and that the appropriate people are consulted and information is received and discussed.

It is essential that our applicant feels connected with our philosophy and has or develops a basic understanding of Steiner Early Childhood Education and pedagogy.

Organisational relationship:

• The Receptionist is accountable to the Leadership group which consists of the coordinator, compliance officer and two teachers

• Receptionists must work collaboratively and transparently within their role, ensuring to share and discuss with those around them.

• The Receptionist will work with members of the Governance Committee if/as required.

The Receptionist will hold their responsibilities and role within the kindergarten. However, they will have a vital role in disseminating information to the right people. They will:

• Have clear responsibilities and a shared idea of what is needed when delivering on their responsibilities
• Willingly take on tasks as required
• Report progress
• Express difficulties
• Discuss changes to conditions or circumstances
• Actively foster an environment of trust and inclusion

Values and Behaviours:

The role of the adult in a Steiner Kindergarten is to conduct ourselves in a manner that is always worthy of imitation. From the way that we move about the space, to how we speak to the children is always done with an awareness that the children will perceive it and internalise and imitate it. They are affected by everything we do. Little Sophia staff are expected to perform their duties professionally, reflective of Rudolf Steiner’s philosophy and values. Our families, children and fellow workers should be treated with integrity and respect at all times. It is very important that Little Sophia staff work as an effective team, in doing so we must each support our fellow workers and develop our working relationships to enhance the quality of our program and everyone’s job satisfaction. All staff need to be aware that when they are at the Kindergarten and when attending work-related functions, their behaviour and manner reflects directly upon the Kindergarten.

Responsibilities and duties:

General responsibilities

• Operate within the requirements of the service’s policies and procedures, as well as funding and regulatory requirements.
• Respect the confidentiality of information relating to parents and children and comply with the service’s privacy policy
• Attend special kindergarten social events and foster a positive relationship

Specific responsibilities

Front of house

• Exhibit warm, friendly and professional communication via phone, e-mail, and mail
• Distributes incoming emails to Compliance/Coordinator/Teachers
• Supporting the team by assisting with scheduling, ordering materials and food ordering
• Respond in a positive and caring way to families enquiries and their needs, advancing complex inquiries to the teachers and/or coordinator
• Act as the first point of contact for billing and administrative enquiries
• Redirect queries regarding child development, education and pedagogy, to the child’s teacher and Coordinator where necessary
• Prepare room contact lists for each program and emergency contact list for teachers
• In the event of complaints, delegate to coordinator using the complaint procedure as outlined in the parent handbook
• Maintain confidentiality on all issues relating to children and families, and comply with the service’s privacy policy.
• Maintain regular contact with class carers, ensuring they are supported to create community within their rooms
• Assist parent volunteers with fundraising as required
• Manage parents accounts and monitor ongoing payments with follow up as required

• Prioritise tasks, focusing on managing phone, email, and walk-in queries and ensuring messages and information is disseminated

• Perform general administrative tasks in an accurate, reliable, and honest manner
• Maintain bookings
• Research grants and coordinate applications
• Post and collect mail
• Accept deliveries, including food deliveries and ensure appropriate food health and safety documentation is completed and updated accordingly
• Report daily student attendance via Xplor and weekly into the Childcare Supplement System (CCSS).
• Ensure all children attending the Kindergarten are signed in and out every day to ensure accurate daily attendances, and consequently access to the Child Care Subsidy.

Enrolments

• Welcome enquiries from prospective parents, send/email information packs and maintain the waitlist.
• Create opportunities to engage families on the waitlist, and create community to make starting formally at kinder a seamless experience.
• In collaboration with the leadership group, update information material as required.
• Issue offer letters and process documentation.
• Collaborate with Teachers to form the class list/room allocations.
• Assist with marketing and arrange the printing advertising of marketing material.

Student Placements

• Liaise with registered training organisations and individual students on placement requirements and dates.
• Create an annual student placement planner across Dragonfly and Kingfisher rooms.
• Conduct student inductions reflecting our philosophy and expectations of what it means to be a part of a Steiner kindergarten and their presence within the kindergarten rooms.

Finance

• Oversee accounts payable via the external bookkeeper
• Log and keep track of accounts receivable and prepare a weekly report and update to Coordinator
• Produce parent financial accounts, and routinely check parent accounts are up to date.
• Issue late fee invoices if a child is collected late and if fees are paid in arrears.
• Ensure parent accounts reflect the CCS portion of the daily kindergarten fee.
• Reconcile bank accounts.
• Maintain petty cash.

Selection criteria

Experience

• Experience in or knowledge of an Educational setting
• Receptionist/front of house experience/customer service
• Some experience in accounts receivable and basic bookkeeping (e.g. reconciling bank statements)
• Experience using Xplor software and an interest in further leveraging its capabilities to create efficiencies and reduce manual/time-consuming processes is highly desirable

Skills, knowledge and abilities

• Have a warm and friendly manner
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Work collaboratively with others across the kinder
• Communicate effectively i.e. be effective in different communication settings, attentively listen to others, provide timely and helpful information to others

• Able to adapt approach and demeanour to match the demands of different situations.
• Be able to rebound from setbacks and adversity when facing difficult situations.

Qualifications/certificates

• Holds a current Working with Children Check assessment, which demonstrates suitability for employment in a children’s service
• National Police Check
• Have a current Level Two First Aid Certificate (including Asthma and Anaphylaxis training)

Start date negotiable.

Full description of the role is available on our website http://www.littlesophiakindergarten.org.au.

Any questions please to [email protected], using the subject line: Receptionist enquiry via EthicalJobs.