About Us
At Firefly HR, we are passionate about facilitating positive change within the Out of School Hours Care (OSHC) and Early Childhood Education (ECE) sectors. We want to light up the industry with our specialised support, guidance, resources, and opportunities to connect with like-minded educators.
Since its inception, Firefly HR has grown into a team of ten industry professionals who genuinely love and care about the sector. Together, we have over 100 years of experience working with children in the OSHC and ECE sectors! We were all directors, educators, and service leaders prior to jumping into the Firefly HR ship. That’s what makes us so unique!
We are driven by you.
To respond to your queries and questions.
To support you with any issues that arise.
To offer you guidance about your career, professional practice, management style, or compliance requirements.
To connect you with other like-minded professionals.
To encourage you to take opportunities that align with your goals.
Or to reignite your spark and help you find your passion for the industry again.
Our Mission
Our mission is to support the OSHC and ECE sectors by sharing our knowledge, expertise, and guidance to create a united and informed industry.
Sharing information through professional development sessions, think tanks, blogs, and our podcast, allow us to achieve our goal of uplifting the sector. Empowering OSHC and ECE professionals to bring positivity, understanding, creativity, and passion towards their career is what we aim to do. When you provide exceptional quality service, you can really make a positive impact on the lives of children, and we are here to help you do this!
By supporting you to find your dream role, progress your career, or to make strides in your existing workplace, we elevate the sector together.
Our History
In 2018, Firefly HR was born. But it stemmed from a very different seed than what you may recognise it as today. Firefly HR’s founders, James and Barbi were chatting with a friend in the OSHC space who was struggling to find empowered educators for her Service. At the time, Barbi realised that she had never experienced this before as a Director. Whilst asking herself, how can she help to solve this issue of high staff turnover by adopting the hiring methods that she used in her Service, she had the idea to start Firefly HR. From then on, our little organisation has blossomed into what it is today.
Firefly HR has grown into an organisation that achieves so much more than providing OSHC and ECE professionals with opportunities that make them light up. We are dedicated to serving you, the hardworking educators and service leaders, by assisting you with all things OSHC and ECE.
Meet the team
Barbi Clendining
Co- Founder
Barbi has a Bachelor of Teaching in Primary Education and a Bachelor of Arts (Sociology). She has over 19 years of primary teaching experience and 12 years exclusively working in the OSHC field. Barbi shares her knowledge with educators to support them in their careers and provide the best care for children.
James Clendining
CO - FOUNDER
James, with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Economics and Finance, manages our team to support OSHC and ECE professionals. He also helps place OSHC professionals into roles aligned with their values, skills, experience, and unique strengths, positively impacting children’s lives.
Steve Moore
HEAD OF CLIENT ENGAGEMENT
Steve holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Commercial Law) and a Certificate IV in Children’s Services (OSHC), currently pursuing a Diploma of School Age Education and Care. With over 15 years of diverse OSHC experience, he’s excelled in roles at large corporations and smaller organizations. Formerly at ACECQA, Steve provided valuable mentoring to service leaders in NSW. Known for his leadership and service transformation skills, he’s a sought-after consultant and presenter.
Andrew Farr
Creative Director – Innovation and Strategy
Andrew, a Visual Communication graduate with over 7 years at ASX, excels in converting complex data into user-friendly collections. His skills cover procedural optimization, marketing, event management, and software research. Andrew specializes in application support through the Firefly HR App, creating tailored solutions for seamless connections between Services and educators, efficiently addressing ratio concerns in line with each Service’s specific values and needs.
Junaita Boakye Danquah
STRATIGIC CLIENT MANAGER
Juanita skillfully balances organizational objectives and relationships to maintain a competitive business edge. She excels in people management, recruitment, and inspiring colleagues to maximize performance. Her experience in children’s services lends itself to efficient business practices. Juanita has a successful track record leading and motivating teams, monitoring compliance, and delivering change.
Ritu Arora
STRATIGIC CLIENT CONSULTANT
Ritu holds a Bachelor of Computer Applications and a Post Graduate Diploma in Human Resource Management, backed by over 10 years of international HR experience in technology and financial services sectors. Her expertise encompasses strategic business partnering, change management, talent acquisition, compensation and benefits, performance management, employee relations, and HR compliance.
Arshiya Karla
STRATIGIC CLIENT CONSULTANT
Arshiya has 4 years of experience as an OSHC educator and in recruitment. She has a deep understanding of child development and strong interpersonal skills. Arshiya is passionate about impacting lives in the OSHC field and uses her ability to connect with children and expertise in recruitment for empathetic problem-solving.
