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How centre leaders can be present and prioritise what matters most
Fiona Alston
May 15, 2025
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In the fast-moving rhythm of early learning services, centre leaders wear many hats including compliance officer, team coach, family liaison, admin manager, and crisis responder, often before 10am. But among the daily demands, one leadership truth remains constant, being visible.
Being a visible, connected leader on the floor isn’t just about oversight, it’s about modelling what matters.When leaders prioritise engagement, care, and nurturing in their own practice, they create a ripple effect that shapes the entire culture of a service.
Presence over paperwork
While administrative responsibilities are an important part of leadership, maintaining visibility and connection with children and staff is also essential.
The National Quality Framework (NQF), Quality Area 7: Governance and Leadership, places strong emphasis on effective leadership that inspires and builds a culture of reflective practice and continuous improvement.
Leadership that is relational, not remote, are essential for maintaining the quality of:
- Child engagement
- Program delivery
- Team morale
- Compliance and care practices
Five strategies for purposeful presence and practice monitoring
1. Walk with intention, not interruption.
- Make floor time part of your schedule.
- Aim to be present in every environment up to five times a day, including the nursery, toddler, and preschool rooms, as well as outdoor environments and shared transitions like meal times.
- Each visit doesn’t need to be long, sometimes just five minutes of observation and connection is enough to set the tone and build trust.
- Being present consistently helps educators feel supported and seen, and ensures leadership is attuned to what’s really happening across the service.
2. Use mini observations as leadership tools.
Develop a habit of short, strengths based notes:
- “I loved how you used open-ended questions during story time.”
- “Noticed lots of peer collaboration during outdoor play, what sparked that?”
These notes become feedback, prompts for reflection, or Quality Improvement Plan (QIP) evidence without the formality of an appraisal. Utilise and draw on reflection templates and tools from ACECQA to support this practice.
3. Prioritise meaningful conversations
Take five minutes each day for intentional connection, not just task direction with educators.
Ask:
- “How are you feeling about your program this week?”
- “Is there anything you need from me today?”
- “Do you have any challenges that I can support you with?”
Educators and centre support team members who feel heard are more likely to be accountable, confident, and motivated.
4. Balance trust with accountability
Empowering educators doesn’t mean stepping back entirely.
Strong leaders set clear expectations, follow up with constructive feedback, and act quickly when care or programming falls short of expected standards.
Use the Child Safe Standards and NQF Quality Areas 1 and 5 as anchors in conversations around:
- Consistency in relationships with children
- Responsiveness to children’s cues and needs
- Engagement levels and intentional teaching strategies
5. Model nurturing leadership
The care expected from educators must begin with the care extended to them.
Be a role model for empathy, encouragement, and emotional regulation. Nurturing doesn’t mean soft leadership, it means strong leadership grounded in values and human connection.
Leadership theorist Dr. Bill Rogers has long advocated for relational approaches to behaviour guidance and leadership. His work demonstrates that respectful, responsive leadership fosters calm, capable teams.
In a compliance heavy system, it’s easy to be consumed by policies, ratios, or checklists. But as a centre leader, your presence tells the story of your leadership.
Are you:
- Showing that relationships come before paperwork?
- Promoting environments where engagement is celebrated?
- Leading with both heart and purpose?
When you are consistently present in all environments, up to five times each day you’re not just observing.
You’re influencing culture, modelling values, and protecting the quality of care and education at every level.
Being present isn’t about being everywhere, it’s about being where it matters most.
It’s the:
- Quiet nod to a new educator doing their first nappy change.
- Warm eye contact made with a child struggling with separation.
- Shared laughter during a messy art session.
These are not small moments, they are the essence of quality, and they begin with you.
Leadership in early learning isn’t just about running a centre. It’s about shaping a culture where every child and educator is seen, supported, and inspired to thrive.
Tools for observation, feedback, or reflective leadership?
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