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Rosie Pupo is the Nominated Supervisor and Manager of Inner West Council’s Family Day Care service, with extensive experience in the early childhood education and care sector since 1992. In 2026, she celebrates 10 years in this leadership role with Inner West Family Day Care.
Her family day care career began in 1994 as a trainee with South Sydney Council. She went on to hold roles with Ku-ring-gai Council Family Day Care, The Infants’ Home Family Day Care and Canada Bay Council, and also served as a Project Officer with the New South Wales Family Day Care Association. Her broader experience includes marketing and promotions, adding further depth to her leadership and sector knowledge.
With more than 30 years of sector experience, she has contributed to and observed the ongoing evolution of family day care. This experience continues to inform her strong commitment to advocacy, sustainability and recognition of the unique role family day care plays within Australia’s early childhood education and care sector.
She is deeply committed to children’s rights and to recognising children as capable, active participants in their learning and communities. Educator wellbeing is also central to her work, with a strong focus on supporting, respecting and valuing educators as essential to achieving positive outcomes for children.
Her leadership approach is grounded in mentoring, collaboration, reflective practice and professional learning. She works closely with educators to strengthen practice, support professional growth and ensure educator voices are represented in decisions affecting the sector.
She holds a Diploma of Children’s Services, Certificate IV in Small Business and Certificate IV in Training and Assessment. She is currently completing a Bachelor of Education (Birth to Five Years) at Charles Sturt University in 2026, further strengthening her commitment to leadership, advocacy and quality early childhood education.
Stephanie Hoy brings more than 15 years of corporate leadership experience, having worked as an Executive Manager responsible for staff, development projects, quality business improvement initiatives and organisational development before retraining and completing her Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care. She is now in her ninth year as a Family Day Care Educator in regional South Australia, operating her service on Barngarla Country and caring for children for nine families each week.
Stephanie brings a unique combination of corporate, governance and frontline early childhood experience. She has a strong understanding of the realities of operating a small business while delivering high-quality education and care, and of the important role family day care plays in regional and remote communities.
Over the past nine years, Stephanie has actively contributed to the broader early childhood sector, participating in third-party external reviews, filming video promotions and participating in various sector reference groups, including Macquarie University’s Approved Learning Framework Review. She is also an ambassador for Monash University’s Conceptual PlayWorlds, led by Professor Marilyn Fleer, a play-based STEM intentional teaching methodology. Her work showcasing Conceptual PlayWorlds in family day care has been featured by Early Childhood Australia’s The Spoke, Macquarie University and in international academic lectures. She was awarded a scholarship to promote Conceptual PlayWorlds in Fiji, mentoring teachers and educators and supporting the elevation of educational experiences for children internationally.
In 2023, Stephanie was named National Family Day Care Educator of the Year in the Excellence in Family Day Care Awards.
Stephanie is passionate about strengthening the profile, sustainability and professionalism of family day care and ensuring the voices and experiences of educators, coordinators and approved providers are represented in sector decision-making. She brings a practical, solutions-focused approach to governance, grounded in strong relationships, advocacy, innovation and a genuine commitment to improving quality outcomes for the children.
Jo is the Manager of Nature Alliance Family Day Care and has more than 20 years' experience in family day care as an educator, parent, coordinator and manager.
Jo began her career as a Family Day Care Educator in 2005, operating her own service until 2012. She then became a Coordinator with Communicare Family Day Care, supporting educators with the practical and regulatory responsibilities of operating their businesses.
In 2015, Jo found her “dream job” as a Coordinator with Nature Alliance Family Day Care. She has since progressed to Manager, with experience spanning educator recruitment and support, mentoring, administration, policy development, regulatory compliance, quality improvement and service leadership.
Jo commenced her studies with a Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care before completing her Diploma. In her forties, while working full-time, she achieved a long-held goal by completing a Bachelor of Early Childhood Education externally through the University of New England (UNE) in New South Wales.
In 2024, Jo’s contribution to the sector was recognised when she was awarded Coordinator of the Year for Western Australia and South Australia.
Jo is passionate about protecting the unique structure of family day care and is a strong advocate for the sector and its educators. She recognises the impact of increasing regulatory and administrative demands and advocates for practical, proportionate requirements that maintain children’s safety without creating unnecessary burdens. Jo wants educators to recognise the importance of their work, thrive professionally and have time to focus on what makes family day care special: building meaningful relationships and providing responsive, individualised care.
Jo brings extensive sector knowledge, empathy and determination to her work. She remains committed to strengthening educator confidence, supporting positive outcomes for children and ensuring family day care receives the recognition it deserves.
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