Meet the founder
My name is Penelope Papadaki. I am a kindergarten teacher and the founder of Kindora.
I was born in 2001 and raised in Athens. If I could describe myself in five words, they would be: dynamic, responsible, creative, ambitious and sociable.
From a young age I knew I wanted to work with children. I always felt a special connection with them: even when I was a child myself, I sought out younger kids to play with and look after.
Today, as a kindergarten teacher and the founder of Kindora, I want to create a place where childcare is treated with the responsibility, love and professionalism it truly deserves.
For me, childcare has never been "just childcare". It is trust. It is responsibility. It is care.
My bond with children began early
My relationship with children began long before my studies. From a young age, parents around me trusted me to look after their children, even for a little while, so they could run an errand. Perhaps because, early on, I inspired a sense of responsibility and safety.
And the children, for their part, always seemed to feel at ease with me. They opened up, communicated, expressed themselves and built a relationship of trust with me.
That mutual connection is perhaps what marked me the most: it made me understand that caring for a child begins, first of all, with the relationship you create with them.
The road to early childhood education
When the time came to decide what to study, I had my doubts too. Shortly before the national exams, influenced by those around me, I was considering different paths. Until, one summer, a mother asked me to look after her child for a while during our holidays in the village. That experience was enough to settle it:
"That is it. Children are what I want to work with."
On my university application I listed early childhood education programmes exclusively.
- Graduate of the University of Patras, Department of Educational Sciences and Early Childhood Education
- A 9-month specialisation in Special Education
- Training in infant and child development, BLW, sleep, boundaries and behaviour management
- First Aid and Paediatric First Aid training
- Experience from kindergarten practice, personal childcare and working with families
How Kindora was born
Kindora grew out of a very simple thought: when you entrust your child to someone, a good CV is not enough. They need to be a person who truly loves what they do. To have knowledge, experience, responsibility, sound judgement and, above all, to understand the weight of the trust placed in them.
I realised what a great responsibility childcare is, and how hard it can be for a family to find the right person. That is how Kindora was born: with a strict selection process, screening, evaluation, First Aid training and, above all, a genuine effort to find not just a nanny, but the right person for this particular family.
My vision? That when a parent closes the front door to go to work, the only thought in their mind is:
"I am at ease. My child is in good hands."
My approach to childcare
I believe children need love, care, safety and warmth. But they also need something more: the right person beside them, offering the right stimuli, strengthening their development and helping them discover the world and themselves.
I believe in children who grow up with confidence and autonomy. Who learn to try, to express themselves, to explore and to believe in their own abilities. I also believe in boundaries: not as punishment, but as a necessary frame of safety and stability.
And above all, I believe in emotional connection. Because for me, that is the foundation of every meaningful pedagogical relationship.
The core values of Kindora
Our promise to families
At Kindora we do not want families to choose a childcare professional simply because "the schedule fits". Every candidate goes through a strict evaluation and screening process before being proposed to a family.
Safety is a core requirement of our process, and First Aid and Paediatric First Aid training is an important part of the Kindora Standard. And our relationship does not end at placement: Kindora stays by the family’s side with support, guidance and ongoing communication, so every partnership can grow in the best possible way.
We do not simply promise to find you a person.
We promise to look after the relationship that is created.
Dear parents,
I know how hard it is to leave your child in the hands of a "stranger". I know that along with the need for help come the worry, the questions and the need to be certain your child is truly well.
That is why I created Kindora. And I promise you, as Penelope, that I will do everything I can so that this "stranger" becomes someone your child will love, trust and feel safe with.
Because in the end, this is what I want most of all:
To close your front door and leave with peace of mind.
Knowing your child is in good hands.
Find the ideal solution for your family
Application for Parents