Goodstart Learning Environments lead Peta Hyde shares her career story 

Peta Hyde has had an interesting journey through the field of early childhood education and care (ECEC), moving from working directly with children as an educator through to working as Goodstart Early Learning’s Learning Environments Lead at support office level. 

She recently shared her story with Goodstart, a version of which appears below. To access the original coverage of her story please see here. 

Peta’s career in the ECEC sector began in the classroom, as an educator at a Goodstart centre in Brisbane. From here, she progressed to Senior Educator, Contact Director (Centre Director and teacher), Centre Director, Area Manager, State Operations Manager and Regional Manager. 

Reflecting on her journey, Peta shared, “for me, it’s about making a difference. Initially, making a difference in my centre. Then when I became an Area Manager, it’s like your centres are your little family. Then as Regional Manager, with 100 centres, they become your bigger family.”

Over the course of her (continuing) 30 year career, which began with Goodstart in 1994, she has held roles both in centres and at Goodstart’s Centre Support Office (CSO) in Brisbane. Each position has contributed to the development of her leadership skills and in deepening her expertise in early childhood education.

Peta’s advice to anyone thinking about progressing their career is to “pursue what you love, act with integrity and kindness, and just give it a go. Voice that you’d like to give something a go and tackle an opportunity when it comes.”

Since becoming part of the CSO, Peta has held a variety of positions in Quality Assurance, Policies and Procedures, and the Enrolments Team. In 2011, she transitioned from an operational role to a focus on HR and People, taking on the position of Learning Environments Lead, where she has continued to thrive for the past 11 years.

In this role, Peta manages the online Learning Management System (LMS) which serves as a central hub for all adult learning resources with Goodstart.

“When we started, the LMS had fewer than five learning modules: now, it’s grown to include over 1,500 resources. This year, I’ve been working a bit more in the development of the online programs, so I’ve been able to continue to develop my skills,” she explained.

“No matter what role I’ve had at Goodstart, I always come back to my operational brain. How does this affect the centre? How does it help the team that uses it in the centres? Is this going to work in the reality of the centre?” 

Although Peta is no longer working directly with children, she leverages her experience and knowledge from both her centre and CSO roles at Goodstart to make a positive difference. Her focus is on supporting Centre Directors “so that they can be their best, which ultimately comes back to providing the best for the children.”

Peta’s journey through these roles at Goodstart reflects her commitment to continuous learning, growth, and making a lasting impact on both her team and the children she works with. Each position she held helped her develop a well-rounded skill set that prepared her for leadership at the highest levels.

Peta’s advice is “just keep learning and giving it a go. Make the difference in your role, no matter what it is. Every role can make a difference, no matter what.”

Find Peta’s original story here.