Celebrating Early Childhood Educators' Day at Sagewood

Fifteen years ago, a small group of Australian services set aside one day in September to say thank you to their educators. That idea has grown a great deal since then, and the day is now marked internationally, with more than 200,000 educators celebrated here in Australia. Early Childhood Educators' Day fell on Wednesday 2 September this year, and the theme, The Future Starts With Us, sits very close to the way we feel about the people who spend their days with our children.

We were grateful this year to have two of our own take part in that national conversation. Our owner and co-founder, Jay Barr, and Kimberley Menaglio, one of our Leadership in Development / WHS Officers, joined host Paul Mondo on Early Years Dialogue, presented by the Australian Childcare Alliance, to talk about the day and about what keeps educators in a profession they love.

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How do our seven centres celebrate?

We have seven centres across Perth, in Dayton, Joondalup, Woodvale, Success, Harrisdale, Canning Vale and Baldivis, and rather than running one celebration across all of them, we hand the day to each Centre Director to shape around their own team. They know their educators, they know what would genuinely mean something in their centre, and we would far rather the day suit the people receiving it than suit a template.

Jay described it this way in the interview: "We celebrate across our seven services. We empower our directors to look at our educators' needs and wants and how they like to be acknowledged, and we personalise that at every service."

At Kimberley's centre this year that meant a morning tea for the whole team, along with gifts chosen with particular people in mind, or as she put it, "personalised gifts that we know that they would enjoy personally." It sounds like a small thing, though we think it matters, because feeling properly known is a large part of feeling you belong somewhere.

What draws someone into early learning?

Kimberley has been in the early childhood sector for almost ten years, nearly five of those with us, and she found her way to it very young.

"I started when I was 18 years old and I pretty much fell in love with it straight away," she said. The interest had been there long before the qualification, and a work placement in an early childhood service settled the question completely. "It was just known to me then that that's something that I wanted to do."

Ten years on, she describes the heart of the work simply.

"I love that we get to form the relationships and the connections with the children and their families, and knowing that you're playing such an important role in their early years."

Where can a career in early learning lead?

Kimberley started out as an assistant educator, went on to lead a room, and now helps guide other room leaders too. When someone asks us what a career in early learning can actually look like, we think of paths like hers.

"There are so many opportunities to grow," she said. "I have been given those opportunities myself, and if you have a passion for working with children, it can be such a rewarding career to be involved in."

We would like that to be an ordinary story at Sagewood, and it is something we work at year after year.

What keeps great educators in the role?

Jay was asked what helps a provider keep good educators, and her answer began with relationships.

"I think it's building relationships. Finding educators who are passionate about the industry, but then it's being personable and acknowledging the hard work that they do, not just on Educators' Day, but every day of the year. Their job is hard, but they also have a really rewarding job. And I think as an owner, when you acknowledge that, and you support them, you get long-term staff."

The way she supports educators turns out to be the same way our educators support children.

"It's about listening. Like we listen to a child, it's about listening to those educators, having those conversations, being present, being available, and supporting them on that journey. Professional development, creating opportunities, and providing a service that is like it is for the children, a home away from home, where they feel comfortable and that they feel a part of. Every day we learn, and like we teach the children, as educators we learn and we continue to grow."

This is why our careers pages lead with our people. We do offer a wellbeing program, an early learning discount for our own team, birthday leave, recognition awards and team days, and we are very glad to, but what keeps educators with us over the long term is being genuinely supported, day after day, by leaders who know them well.

What has changed for educators over the past decade?

Kimberley has watched the way people talk about this work change a great deal over her time in it.

"Since I started in child care, there's been a lot of growth around the appreciation for educators and the understanding that we're not just caring for the children. We're supporting their development and their learning and their wellbeing and their emotional security in some of the most important years of their life."

She sees that change continuing. "We're moving in the right direction for everyone to feel valued and appreciated. We're making those changes now."

What does the sector still need?

Jay also spoke about something bigger than any one service.

"The industry, government, we all need to get behind the hard work that we do. The reforms that are in are to protect the rights of children, but we also then need to look at staff and protect their rights, and allow for those opportunities for them to grow and have a voice, to continue giving back to the community and the children that they care for."

The challenges our sector faces are larger than any one provider can solve alone, and meeting them will take educators, providers, industry bodies and government all working together. Early Childhood Educators' Day feels like the right moment to say so.

A message to every educator

Jay's message on the day was for educators everywhere, not only for ours.

"Be grateful. Celebrate yourself, celebrate your service, celebrate your team. On the hard days, remember that there are always good days, and you truly do make a difference in the lives of children and families each and every day."

To our teams at Dayton, Joondalup, Woodvale, Success, Harrisdale, Canning Vale and Baldivis, thank you. Thank you for your patience, for your warmth, and for the hundreds of small kindnesses that happen quietly in every room, every day. The future really does start with you.

We would be honoured to walk alongside you

If a career in early learning has been sitting in the back of your mind, we would love to hear from you. Have a look at why work with us, or simply get in touch and start a conversation about where you would like to go.

And if you are looking for a centre for your family, we would warmly welcome you to book a tour at the centre closest to you, and meet the educators who would be caring for your little one.