Darren Halim shares his story of promotion from casual educator through to manager

Building on a strategy of sucession planning, Affinity Education recently spoke with newly appointed centre manager, Darren Halim, about his move to an assistant centre manager position in the wake of the departure of Angela Benness, who moved into a role in the Quality Team, and about his trajectory throughout his early childhood education and care (ECEC) career. 

Mr Halim first worked with Affinity as a casual educator, and gained his management experience in the position of Assistant Centre Manager at Papilio Early Learning Ashburton.

He was drawn to working in the sector through a lifelong passion for being part of children’s learning and development. 

“Being able to see their growth in character day by day through educator’s guidance, love and support has been an incredibly rewarding experience,” he said. 

Having completed a Bachelor of Commerce, he quickly realised that education was his true calling, and started his journey in ECEC. 

While stepping into the assistant centre manager role from his previous position as an early childhood teacher was “a huge transition,” Mr Halim said he was given strong support from his centre manager, who he described as being the perfect role model.

“She is so supportive and full of love for her team and the children in her care. The network of support we receive from Affinity as well as the structure and guidance provided has also given me the confidence to step up into my new role,” he added. 

When asked what it was that he loved most about his job, Mr Halim said it was a mixed bag, but one of the highlights was “seeing team members being empowered and implementing learning activities with the children” as well as “seeing the children running happily into the centre ready for the day, the cuddles they give and the stories they tell us”. 

To learn more about opportunities with Affinity Education, please see here. To learn more about a career in the early childhood education and care sector, please visit the Big Roles in Little Lives campaign page, here.