Centre Manager Wendy Mackay shares her ECEC story and journey to Exceeding

Wendy Mackay was thrilled when her service was recognised as Exceeding the National Quality Standard in August 2022, celebrating with children and staff at Yerrabi Ponds by Busy Bees. located in the Australian Capital Territory.

To mark the achievement, Ms Mackay recently prepared some reflections not only on the journey to Exceeding, but also on her early childhood education and care (ECEC) career as a whole. 

An extract of her thoughts appears below, with the full transcript available here. 

Her career working with young children started more than 20 years ago, when Ms Mackay started working as a nanny to five children who soon became an extension of her family. Whilst nannying, her employer convinced her to study a Diploma in Early Education and Care which then ignited her thirst to learn more and put the theory into practice.

From there, she took on a role at her children’s school, and continued her studies, completing her Bachelor of Teaching in 2011 through Charles Sturt University. 

“The knowledge gained at university has been pivotal in shaping my understanding, views and opinions about early childhood and what it can offer in terms of children’s future,” Ms Mackay said. 

“I strongly believe that early education houses the strength and motivation to guide a child’s learning in a positive way and to set children up for success at an early stage,” she continued. 

When asked how she goes about building strong partnerships with families, Ms Mackay said “everyone at Yerrabi Ponds shares the same vision to give our children the best start in life. We believe that supporting a child’s development should be a collaborative partnership between the family, the child and their Educator and this is discussed with the families.” 

“We love getting to know our families, our community. We always value their feedback and use it to inform updates to practices at the Centre. My varying experiences in the workforce have taught me to be very flexible, adaptable and approachable towards individual children’s and family’s needs and I am very proud of the strong partnerships we’ve built with our families.”

Successful leadership is an integral aspect of gaining an Exceeding rating, and for Ms Mackay, successful leadership has its origins in the work of other leaders. 

“I have become the leader that I am today thanks to the support of many strong mentors and leaders that I have had the privilege of working with and learning from throughout my years in early childhood education,” she said. 

“My leadership has evolved over many years and will continue to evolve as I become more proficient and find different ways of doing things. I also believe that leadership is a combined effort and collaboration between families, educators, children and the leadership team.”

One such opportunity to lead came when Ms Mackay was offered the opportunity to step in as an Assistant Area Manager. 

“I enjoy the added responsibility and different set of challenges that this role offers me. This wouldn’t be possible without the peace of mind that I have a strong team here at Yerrabi Ponds by Busy Bees that will not falter in my absence.”

Throughout her three year term as centre manager Ms Mackay has supported her team through regular training and by building strong partnerships with the families attending the Centre. By strengthening and empowering the people in her team, the service now has a robust philosophy which can be seen in action daily. 

Beginning with the image of the child, and the role of the educator in a child’s journey, the team has been on a journey of inspiration and growth. 

To learn more about Yerrabi Ponds by Busy Bees please use the link provided. Ms Mackay is pictured on the right, along with the Regional and Area Managers of her service.