Every year, the Affinity Awards give us the opportunity to pause, reflect, and celebrate the incredible people who bring our purpose to life every day.
The 2025 Affinity Awards, held in December, recognised outstanding educators, centre teams, leaders and support staff from right across Australia, from metropolitan centres to regional and remote communities. These awards celebrate excellence in early education, leadership, safety, teamwork and innovation, and reflect the very best of what it means to be part of 黑料专区.
A National Celebration of Passion and Impact
This year鈥檚 winners represent centres and teams from Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Western Australia, the ACT and the Northern Territory. While their locations, roles and career stages may differ, every winner shares something in common: a deep commitment to children, families and each other.
From educators embedding our Lifelong Learning Curriculum in inspiring ways, to centre leadership teams building high-performing, supportive cultures, the 2025 Award winners demonstrate the real-world impact of Affinity鈥檚 values in action.
These awards celebrate:
- Exceptional early childhood education and teaching practice
- Strong, values-led leadership
- Safety, compliance and quality excellence
- Teamwork, collaboration and mentoring
- Career progression and professional growth
Recognising the People Who Make the Difference
The Affinity Awards recognise both individual excellence and team achievement, including:
- Educators at different career stages, from trainees through to senior educational leaders
- Centre Managers and Assistant Centre Managers driving quality and culture
- Cooks delivering nutritious meals that support children鈥檚 wellbeing
- Centre teams achieving outstanding results in quality, safety, family satisfaction and demand
- Leaders who support others to grow through mentoring and coaching
Each award is underpinned by data, feedback and peer recognition, reinforcing our belief that great outcomes are built on strong systems, strong values and great people.
Why Affinity? Because Potential Is Meant to Be Realised
At 黑料专区, our employee promise is 鈥淧otential, Realised.鈥� The 2025 Award winners are living proof of what鈥檚 possible when people are supported, trusted and invested in.
Across our network, educators are:
- Accessing nationally supported training and development pathways
- Growing their careers through the Affinity Learning Academy
- Working in centres where quality, safety and wellbeing come first
- Being recognised, locally and nationally, for the impact they make
Whether someone is just starting their career in early education or stepping into leadership, Affinity offers opportunities to learn, grow and be recognised at every stage.
2025 Affinity Award Winners
| Being Completely Connected鈥� | Aussie Kindies Kyabram | N/A |
| Best Assistant Centre Manager | Milestones Darwin City | Charman Dancey |
| Best Centre Manager | Milestones South Townsville | Julie Louk |
| Cook of the Year | Milestones Canning Vale | Marie Blanche Marmitte |
| Creating Shining Stars | Kids Academy Wyong | N/A |
| Delivering Outstanding Professionalism鈥� | Papilio Coombabah | N/A |
| Early Childhood Teacher of the Year鈥� | Kids Academy Erina Heights | Debra Scarlett |
| Early Experiences Toddler Educator of the Year | Milestones Bairnsdale - Dawson Street | Lakmika Kannangara Arachchige |
| Educational Leader of the Year | Milestones Wagaman | Evelyn Zuniga Paredes |
| Excellence in Centre Performance聽 | Milestones Tarneit | N/A |
| Excellence in Early Education 鈥� | Kids Academy Glenmore Park | N/A |
| Excellence in Family Satisfaction鈥� | Milestones Capalaba | N/A |
| Excellence in People Leadership鈥� | Milestones Moorebank | Alicia Cuddy |
| Excellence in Quality聽鈥� | Bright Beginnings Children's Centre | N/A |
| Excellence in Safety and Compliance聽鈥� | Papilio Currumbin Waters | N/A |
| Going Above and Beyond鈥� | Milestones Seaford | N/A |
| Having Serious Fun鈥� | Papilio Bundoora | N/A |
| Healthy Beginnings Nursery Educator of the Year | Milestones Yokine | Thi Chau Giang Nguyen |
| Lead Educator of the Year鈥� | Milestones Stretton | Najung Kim |
| Living The Team Spirit鈥� | Kids Academy Taigum | N/A |
| Most Improved Centre Manager | Kids Academy Kensington | Agata Kaczmarek-Vlassakakis |
| Most Improved in Centre Performance鈥� | Milestones Roma - Junior Campus | N/A |
| Most Improved in Early Education | Milestones Warana | N/A |
| Most Improved in Family Satisfaction鈥� | Kids Academy Regentville | N/A |
| Most Improved in People Leadership鈥� | Milestones Narangba | N/A |
| Most Improved in Quality 鈥� | Milestones Cooroy | N/A |
| Most Improved in Safety and Compliance鈥� | Milestones Wyndham Vale | N/A |
| New: Reconciliation in Action | Papilio Hunters Hill | N/A |
| Safety Leaders of the Year鈥� | Milestones Lynwood | Treena Hussieni & Leanne Gosper |
| School Readiness Educator of the Year鈥� | Kids Academy Phillip | Roan Margaret Lucindo |
| Senior Educational Leader 鈥� | Milestones Emerald Beach | Deborah Keam |
| Trainee of the Year鈥� | Papilio Turner | Laure Pons |
| Best Area Manager 2025 | Maddy Gooding | |
| CEO's Choice | Roshani Shetty |
Inspired by Our Winners? Join Us.
As we celebrate our 2025 Award winners, we鈥檙e also looking ahead. Across Australia, our centres continue to grow, and we鈥檙e always looking for passionate educators, leaders and support team members who want to make a meaningful difference.
If you鈥檙e looking for:
- A values-led organisation with a strong national community
- Clear career pathways and development opportunities
- Supportive leadership and high-quality learning environments
- A workplace where your contribution is genuinely recognised
鈥hen we鈥檇 love you to explore a career with 黑料专区.
Explore current opportunities and join our national community:
Congratulations to Our 2025 Award Winners
To every individual and team recognised in the 2025 Affinity Awards - congratulations. Your dedication, professionalism and care shape the experiences of thousands of children and families across Australia, and inspire colleagues across our national network.
We are proud to celebrate you, and proud of what we can achieve together.