Our Founder's Early Learning Journey
What I have learned through our family's early learning journey - and how this led to the creation of KindiCare.
BY BENJAMIN BALK, KINDICARE
Like many parents, I had no understanding of early learning, most commonly referred to as childcare still in Australia and most countries around the world, until I became a parent. I was naive.
Our family's own search journey
As a first time parent, you’re more focussed on the pregnancy and what it is going to mean to be a parent than what happens when you have to return to work.
Even then, it’s typically a first time mum’s domain, which certainly was the case with my wife Julini who was the one who did the research on the options, quality, inclusions and cost of “childcare”. Julini was the one, not only chasing a spot for our first born so she could return to work after maternity leave, but ensuring that our daughter Amelia would be in an environment in which she could thrive, develop and grow as well as be safe.
Julini, being the planner that she is, was already searching when she was 10 weeks pregnant! But despite my wife’s 'planning superpower', it was 2015 and demand was high in our area as well as close to work, as it still is in most areas of Australia, so to secure a place for a 9 month old, in an early learning service we were comfortable with, was like finding the lost city of gold…
We were fortunate enough to get a spot at Only About Children’s centre in North Sydney that provided not only an amazing experience for Amelia (and later Annelise), but also for Julini and I as parents. It helped us to understand the benefits of early learning, and for me personally, to understand what early education actually is and how it supports the growth and development of children from a very young age.
The importance of early childhood education and what we learned
I believe the role of parents and educators is to support children in their development, ensure they have basic skills and the building blocks of life as well as identify and encourage the areas in which children are naturally talented, gifted or predisposed. What I didn’t understand is that this begins with early learning - not primary school or high school…
So just like our little ones benefit and learn every day attending early learning services across the country; what have I learned though my personal and professional experience as a parent, and as someone who has created solutions to help parents and providers connect throughout the early learning journey?
1. It’s not childcare or child minding…it’s early childhood education!
Dedicated early chilldood educators and teachers are providing the next generation with learning and development opportunities that are so important in the first five years of life for our children. This is the beginning of a lifetime of learning and these dedicated professionals deserve respect and recognition as educators.
2. It’s not a cost, it’s an investment.
Every family has different financial circumstances, but having a child attend an early learning service doesn’t just free a parent up to work and pursue their own goals, it allows that child to engage socially with a diverse range of children as well as benefit from a structured learning environment well ahead of their first day of primary school.
3. Every family has different needs.
This is why parents need to have a variety of early learning options including Long Day Care, stand alone Preschool and Kindergarten, Family Daycare and Outside of Hours School Care.
4. Your parents won’t necessarily understand that its not just child minding…
Participation in early learning by children in Australia continues to grow, and has increased a lot in the past 20 years. Early learning in 2023 is entirely different to what it was in 1993…when the top of the Aria Charts was Whitney Houston’s “I will always love you”…but your parents were actually listening to Blondie :).
5. Government investment in early learning is good for our children, for employers and for parents.
Australian Government’s like to throw money at infrastructure…but what better long term investment for the country exists than creating an environment where children have accessability to early learning across the country with the opportunity to become the best possible versions of themselves while parents are supported to develop their own careers and aspirations.
Those who enriched our lives, and those of our children, during our family's early learning journey
So as my youngest daughter Annelise graduates from early learning as a confident, eager and congenial child ready to take the next step in her education and development, I have to say thank you!
Thank you to Only About Children and the educators and staff of OAC North Sydney, many of which are now in roles across OAC’s other centres.
Thank you Paula and Des of Dashing Ducks Castle Hill who provided an amazing environment for our girls (and they still miss Paula’s mom’s cooking!).
Thank you to Miss Reshma and Miss Linda and the amazing team at Baulkham Hills North Preschool who provided an alternative preschool curriculum and experience for our girls.
And last but by no means least, thank you Affinity Education who recognised a fantastic early learning centre when it acquired Dashing Ducks and created Papilio Early Learning Castle Hill lifting the level of curriculum and support and learning for educators and children to the next level. You have an amazing team and the positive impact that Mr Ryan (aka Mr Mate!), Miss Sarah, Miss Nirali and Miss Rosie have made on our girls and their classmates will last a lifetime.
Early childhood education and care is only as good as the dedicated educators and staff that choose to enrich the lives or our little ones with passion. It can be a very challenging but also very rewarding career and we should all recognise the importance of what those working in early education do to support our children's development in the important first five years.
So, thank you to all educators and staff nationally that are saying goodbye to another graduating preschool class as they commence their next stage of learning in big school! Our family feels so grateful to have experienced so many great early learning environments and educators during our own early learning journey. ❤️
The inspiration that created KindiCare
It was our experience as a family, and the search experience my wife Julini went through to find an early learning service, that inspired me to create KindiCare. KindiCare now helps countless families each year undertaking the same early learning search journey. So whilst our children's own journey in early learning has ended, because of KindiCare, as a family, we will always remain connected to it.