What do we dream of?
 In 1961, President Kennedy dreamt of putting a man on the Moon.
In 1969, man landed on the
Moon for the first time in history.
In 1900, Wilbur and Orville Wright dreamt of building a flying machine.
In 1903, they made their first successful test flights and are credited with inventing the Aeroplane.
In 2004, Eleena Tong had a dream
She wanted to see all children, regardless of age, race and socio-economic status given the opportunity to play, learn and dream in a positive,
inspiring environment.
In 2007, DayDreamers opens
their doors to the Community.
 Why do we do it?
DayDreamers is our dream. Our Mission. It’s not the culmination of a dream; it’s only the beginning of bigger ones.
That’s because at DayDreamers, we dream of:
Giving kids a passion for life and hope for the future.
And what better way to do this than through plenty of (indoor) play, lots of creative learning, and oodles of exploratory dreaming.
Providing the best possible space for families to help develop their kids’ potential and gifting.
The grubby crayon fingers you see today could be the hands of a great artist tomorrow, and no one believes that more than we do.
Meeting the needs of children and families in this generation.
You see a slide?
We see a bridge between what is and what could be.
You see a plastic structure?
We see a community that supports, encourages and builds.
You see a café? We see a positive, friendly environment where families can connect, share and encourage each other over a cuppa.
Get the idea? We do.
Providing quality educational and recreational programs for children and families outside of school.
Our programs are carefully designed to encompass a wide spectrum of activities outside the normal academic stream, because nothing makes us happier than seeing a child light up in wide-eyed wonder at discovering something new – and loving it!
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The management team of DayDreamers consists of three founding members.
Each brings with them a deep pool of resources and experiences in different backgrounds and professional sectors.
Eleena Tong - Operations
Eleena has accumulated a wealth of experience in the hospitality and service industry, operating and developing retail precincts for multi-nationals such as Nestle and the Spotless Group in a variety of environments including Universities, Hospitals and Shopping Strips.
Her major projects to date include the RMIT University food court, the food retail precinct at the Austin Hospital, Heidelberg; and the Antica Gelateria Del Corso chain of super-premium Italian eateries.
Eleena is a visionary and an entrepreneur with a high networking ability and unmeasured passion for her work. |
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Michael Tan - Marketing & IT
With over ten years’ experience in online branding, Communications, e-Commerce, web and intranet design and eMarketing, Michael is the branding and marketing backbone of the team.
With a very solid background in the advertising industry, he has worked with Australia‘s leading private and public government clients, including the Ford Motor Company, Vodafone, Kraft Australia, Shell, Jenny Craig and the Australian Taxation Office (ATO). |
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Cherie Ong - Strategic Partnerships
After four years of working in financial consulting with Towers Perrin and Deloitte & Touche, Cherie spent the next two years completing her Masters of Arts in Educational Ministries in Deerfield, Illinois (US). Since then she has worked as a business consultant for Catalyst Innovations across a range of sectors including not-for-profit, commercial and religious sectors. Catalyst Innovations is a foundation trust that helps to network, resource and coach entrepreneurs both locally and internationally.
Cherie currently consults to World Vision Australia whilst nuturing her greatest achievement to date - her son, Elias. |
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Our Partnership -
Stonnington Church of Christ & DayDreamers
 Working together to build relationships, connect families and stay community-focused. Together, that's our dream.
Stonnington Church of Christ and DayDreamers both believe they can make a positive impact in the local and extended community. That's why we are engaged in a close partnership, finding ways and looking for opportunities enrich the lives of others (especially kids!) and to make our community a better place. If this is close to your heart, please let us know!
If you would also like to come and visit church (every Sunday 10am), chat about spirituality or find someone to share your ideas (and dreams!) with, please contact:
Find out more about the unique partnership between Stonnington Church of Christ and DayDreamers.
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 "The idea for DayDreamers first came about when I was still in university. I was walking to class one day, when I met a mother and her two children.
They were walking the older brother to school and the younger brother was telling me all about kindy and how much he loved going and how much he enjoyed playing with all his friends. He was really excited and just so passionate and full of life. So I asked his mother if he was going to kindy after dropping off his older brother. She said, 'No, I can't afford to send him to kindy every day, we're going home after this.'
At that moment, I remember looking at that little boy, who didn't understand that he wouldn't be going to kindy that day because his mother didn't have the money, and my heart just sank. It was a mixture of sadness and injustice that a child who was so passionate about learning, playing and life, would miss out because his mother didn't have the finances.
It would be years before I actually achieved my dream of opening an indoor play centre, but that little boy has stuck with me ever since that day.
He is the reason why DayDreamers doesn't just seek to give all children, regardless of their background and socio-economic status, the opportunity to play, learn and dream; but we also strive to see that children – not just in Melbourne but around the world – are given every opportunity to life, whether it's by partnering with under privileged children in our local community, or by donating proceeds towards building homes for orphans in African countries."
Eleena Tong,
DayDreamers visionary & passionate kids advocate (or some other fancy title)
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What do we care about?
Kids, of course! But there’s more. Because we believe all children, regardless of age, race or socio-economic status, should be given an opportunity to Play, Learn and Dream.
DayDreamers aims to make a difference by contributing some of our proceeds towards organisations that are fighting the cause of children around the world. These are just some of the ministries that echo our heartbeat, helping us see our dreams fulfilled.
 Watoto Ministry
An organisation whose mission is not just to provide parentless children with food, education and a roof over their heads, Watoto aims to raise the next generation of Ugandan leaders by placing orphans in families where unconditional love, physical care, emotional support and spiritual discipleship are aplenty.
Through the physical (eg: houses) and emotional (eg: foster mothers and siblings) building of communities, children are taught not just life skills that will stand them in good stead, but essential moral values that will be the bedrock of their character forever.
www.watoto.com
 Invisible Children
In a nation that has been torn apart by war, Invisible Children are doing what they can to help the Ugandan young that have been displaced by the violence.
Their mission is to improve the quality of life for war-affected kids by providing access to quality education, enhanced learning environments and innovative economic opportunities. Invisible Children isn’t about giving handouts; they are about investing in the futures of these children who some day will grow up to become the next generation of leaders in their country.
www.invisiblechildren.com
 DREAMing Foundation
DayDreamers is seeking to partner with the Corporate leaders, Captains of Industries and anyone who cares to lend a hand in reaching out to under priviledged kids in the local community.
The concept is simple:
We put up the funds; the kids get down to some fun!
Our learning providers for term 3 have led the way by providing a scholarship for an under priviledged child in each of their classes. DayDreamers has also donated 10 passes for unlimited play at DayDreamers.
Through such acts, we hope to inspire just that little bit more hope in these children and open their eyes to horizons they perhaps have never dreamed of. We hope to bring laughter into their lives when sometimes there may not be a lot to laugh about. And we hope to give them an opportunity to explore their potential, discover new worlds and just have some good ol’ fun.
 Stonnington - A community that plays together, grows together
Stonnington Council is working hard to make our community a better place. This is something we share in common.
We believe in letting our actions speak for themselves, and what better way to show we care for our community than by getting involved in it?
Be it in local schools, local community groups, or just around the local neighbourhood, we are excited about doing our part in enriching the community and making an impact towards building strong families.
Through creative activities that will benefit both the community while raising funds for the causes close to our heart (free e-bay how-to classes, anyone?), DayDreamers is out to show the kids – and their parents – that we care!
www.stonnington.vic.gov.au
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