The Secret to keeping staff (and families) happy.

A Head Start Children’s Centre Currumbin came first in Queensland, and third in Australia, when the inaugural 2021 KindiCare Excellence Awards were announced, thanks to its 9.8 KindiCare Rating. 

This near perfect number tells us that the service is delivering high quality, much-loved childcare, and its staff retention figures speak volumes, too.  

 At A Head Start Currumbin, 9 qualified team members have been with the service for 5+ years, and 7 of them have clocked 10 years or more!  

These numbers are particularly impressive, given the high staff turnover at many early learning services, and the positive effect that constant, committed educators have on children’s learning and development.  

So, what’s their secret?  

Well, a big part of staff retention comes down to culture.  

Educators at A Head Start Children's Centre Currumbin. Source: Supplied.

Educators stay at services where they feel valued, supported and happy, and A Head Start Currumbin keeps its people, because it truly cares about its people.  

For starters, ‘community’ isn’t just a word at this centre – it’s a way of life 

From the moment A Head Start Currumbin opened its doors back in 2005, there’s been a real effort to create an environment where everyone has a sense of belonging and everyone feels at home.  

A Head Start Children's Centre Currumbin. Source: Supplied.

Centre Director, Renee Haig-Greenwood says, “Critical to building this feeling is the loving relationships that form between our whole community.”  

Genuine connections are felt between parents and educators, educators and children, staff and staff, and most importantly, children and children.  

Ms Haig-Greenwood says, “Openness and honesty in conversation, trust, and respect for differences makes centre life playful and fun,” and this great culture has upsides for all.  

It helps to keep staff and attract families, and also boosts the quality of the service and helps it achieve beautiful outcomes for kids.  

The National Quality Standard says collaborative relationships between families and staff are, ‘Fundamental to achieving quality outcomes for children,’ and all the partnerships at A Head Start Currumbin give this centre its soul.   

At this service, every team member’s opinion and expertise matters  

Although lots of businesses have a ‘top-down’ management approach, where owners, chief executives, managers and other big-wigs are more influential than employees lower down the chain, A Head Start Currumbin, flips this approach on its head. 

The service employs a ‘bottom-up management’ approach, which recognises each team member for their unique and often outstanding skills. 

A Head Start Children's Centre Currumbin. Source: Supplied.

In practice, every team member’s contribution is acknowledged and supported. They’re always free to speak up and share their insights, and from the moment they start, new team members are encouraged to contribute. 

Ms Haig-Greenwood says the bottom-up approach, “Instils pride and confidence, and leads to a desire to develop outstanding professionalism,” which is a win-win-win for individual staff, the service, and its families.  

Team members are also given opportunities to learn, grow and progress 

The founder of A Head Start Currumbin, Dr Laurel Scanlan, knows that staff development, maintenance and training are the ingredients of exceptional service, and she makes it as easy as possible for educators to stay up to speed with their early education knowledge, skills and practice.  

Many educators have worked towards their Certificate III, Diploma and/or Advanced Diploma of Children’s Services while working at A Head Start Currumbin, and the centre also welcomes school-based trainees from local high schools to come on board for a week – or a decade!  

Alison Foster and Chelsea Winning both got their start in early education when they did work experience at A Head Start Currumbin while at Elanora High School.  

Fast-forward 11 years, and both women are qualified Early Childhood Teachers, still working happily at the centre.   

Ms Foster says, “The level of professionalism and passion from our educators is something rare and, in my opinion, a centre cannot be successful or effective if staff members lack this.  

“I consider myself very lucky to have commenced my career at A Head Start, and am grateful for the skills and knowledge that I have learnt throughout my employment, as it has helped me become a caring, passionate, and competent educator.” 

Of course, low staff turnover isn’t the only thing that sets this service apart 

Ms Foster says, “What really stands out for me, when I compare A Head Start Currumbin to other centres, is our ‘HighScope Curriculum, which means that children are part of the learning journey.”  

Littlies collaborate with educators to plan their learning, based on their interests and knowledge, and Ms Haig-Greenwood says, “The outcome we desire for all our children is for them to develop resilience, socially and emotionally, together with values that will guide them to living a happy and productive life.”  

Interactions with familiar, attentive and enthusiastic educators help them do this, and A Head Start Currumbin is a really inspiring place for everyone who walks through its door.  

How to spot a great childcare culture when you see one 

Although we can’t all enrol in A Head Start Currumbin, it is possible to get an excellent feeling from a centre near you.  

KindiCare makes it easy to search, compare and shortlist services, and when you visit your favourites, Ms Haig-Greenwood says you’ll learn a lot about a centre’s culture by how engaged the children are with their educators and activities.  

She says it’s a great sign if they’re so immersed in their activities that they continue on with what they’re doing, even when you enter their playroom or playground.  

It’s obviously important to consider a service’s practical attributes (such as cleanliness, resources and facilities), but when it comes to culture, Ms Haig-Greenwood suggests you also look for these qualities at your prospective service: 

• Genuine connections: “Children and educators showing respectful and, perhaps, loving relationships.” 
   

• Individualised learning: “A curriculum that continues to engage each child in new, challenging and rewarding play-based learning, and seamlessly progresses their learning as they move from room to room.” 
   
• Knowledge sharing: “Access and help for you to reinforce your child’s learning at home by having lots of information about the daily learning program and any individual program that’s developed for your child.” 
   
• Clear communication: “The ability to have a direct line of communication with the centre and your child’s educators.” 

After 14 years at A Head Start Currumbin, Ms Haig-Greenwood certainly knows how great a centre can feel, and we encourage you to dig deep and find a service that’s got real heart and happy people – because culture counts for a lot.  

View A Head Start Children's Centre on KindiCare >>>