The Road Less Travelled
How Goodstart’s Catherine Tisdell uses data to improve quality and how she landed in this role.
BY BONNIE LAXTON-BLINKHORN, KINDICARE
The career pathways in early education are wide and varied and they often turn in unexpected directions. What’s consistent among the people we speak to is a commitment to ensuring all children have an opportunity to experience high quality early learning.
This week Catherine Tisdell, the National Lead for Data and Policy – Teaching and Learning at Goodstart Early Learning, spoke to us about her journey in early education and what she loves about her job.
Catherine is a passionate early learning veteran with 29 years’ experience in the sector, she has been at Goodstart for just over eight years and in her current role for four years, where she has a frontline role in driving continuous quality improvement.
“I’m intrinsically motivated to see that all Australian children in the early years are provided with the opportunity to experience quality early learning – and I feel in my current role I am part of the movement to achieve this,” she said.
So, what exactly does the National Lead for Data and Policy do?
The biggest part of Catherine’s job is to manage the Environmental Rating Scale program across all Goodstart centres in Australia.
This program includes a range of self-assessment tools that support practice uplift and quality in all Goodstart services. Catherine says the data collected from this process is invaluable, enabling Goodstart to track its trajectory towards its 2025 strategic goal of exceptional quality.
“Monthly I collate this data and share it with state and national teams, we also provide updates to the Goodstart board each quarter.”
“The data provides evidence that the program is working and that the way we implement this program is meaningful to staff in our centres.”
Catherine says working on the Environmental Rating Scale program is one of the best parts of her job, “Because it means we are seeing real improvements in our centres in regard to our learning environments and teaching practices on offer to children.”
In addition to this, Catherine’s role has many other aspects, she is a member of the expert services cohort, which sees her providing services and support to other internal teams.
“This includes safety, child safeguarding, inclusion, marketing, procurement and more. My aim here is to ensure that our internal services are giving our centres and people what they need.”
Catherine also works with the internal quality team to ensure any teaching and learning policy documentation aligns with the NQF and is clear for the reader and provides the information they need to operate their centres.
And, on top of all this, she writes and presents professional development modules on a range of early education and care topics.
See what we mean about wide and varied…!
From there to here
The career trajectory for early learning professionals isn’t always linear, and Catherine’s experience is an interesting example of the different destinations available and the different routes to travel there.
Catherine completed a Diploma in Child Care straight out of high school and began working as a senior educator with a not-for-profit long day care service based at a university, she pretty quickly realised she wanted to undertake further education and within two years commenced a Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood Education) externally while working full time.
“It took me six years to complete but along the way I was able to apply what I was learning to my work and to benefit my colleagues,” she said.
Towards the end of her degree Catherine began working at TAFE as a lecturer, which she said was a great opportunity to share her practical knowledge as well as the theory needed for student success on-the-job.
After two years with TAFE and a move back to Brisbane, Catherine secured a teaching director position at a C&K sessional kindergarten where the majority of children were considered vulnerable.
“To ensure the children got to kindergarten we had a bus service. My teaching remit extended to bus driver, and I ensured I took every opportunity for learning, this included while children were on the bus!”
After three years at the kindergarten Catherine was seconded into a project officer role at C&K central office to set up their Registered Training Organisation (RTO) to deliver the Certificate III in Children’s Services, when this qualification became the minimum expectation in 2002.
This was the first large project Catherine managed and it was the start of something big.
“Teaching and sharing knowledge with others was always a passion so after completing this project I secured the role of Training Manager of C&K College of Early Childhood. Over the next nine years I extended the scope to include the Diploma and Advanced Diploma of Early Childhood Education and secured state and federal funding for recognition of prior learning, traineeships and apprenticeships which were lucrative for the college.
“In addition, I managed the teacher professional development program across the state and from 2006 was appointed as General Manager of Training and sat on the executive group for C&K.”
The keys to success: Education and goal setting
Catherine says goal setting in both her professional and private life has helped her maintain her drive and direction.
“I am a naturally introverted person and don’t put myself out there enough – this is something I am still learning to do. In the last two years I have set goals to network, make connections and challenge myself.
“I am not afraid of hard work and often after demonstrating success in my work life opportunities have opened up.”
Education and professional development have also played an important role in Catherine’s success,
“I believe in learning something new every day! I read articles, research papers, anything contemporary in regard to ECEC. I revisit content such as ECA journals when needed and attend conferences and network with colleagues both internal and external to Goodstart. I also completed a graduate certificate in business in 2015.”
Fostering a commitment to lifelong learning is the most important piece of advice Catherine has for people in the early stages of their early education career.
“Learn every day, create networks of early education and care people that support and inspire you, find a mentor, look for opportunities and diversify your skills.”
