The first 100 days: building a culture before filling the centre

I've worked in early childhood for more than 25 years, as an Educator, Educational Leader, Nominated Supervisor, Centre Director and Area Manager. Even with all of that experience, nothing quite prepares you for walking into a new service where you're responsible for every decision, every family, every child, every educator, and ultimately, the culture that will shape the future of the centre.

If I had to sum up my first 100 days as Centre Director, they've been the most challenging and rewarding months of my career. And the biggest decision I made came early: my priority wasn't filling the centre. It was building the culture.

Occupancy follows culture,  not the other way around

It's easy to focus on enrolments because they're measurable. But I believed that if we built a strong culture first, clear expectations, consistency and accountability, sustainable growth would follow.

So the first things I implemented weren't growth initiatives. They were structured weekly staff wrap-ups, clear operational systems and checklists, stronger documentation expectations, new risk assessments and emergency procedures, and consistent, meaningful communication with families. I wanted educators to understand not just what we do, but why we do it.

Child safety became the foundation

One thing that surprised me was how many opportunities there were to strengthen everyday supervision. Rather than waiting for incidents to happen, we started building conversations around real-life scenarios:

• What happens if a child walks inside while everyone else is outdoors?
• Who is supervising the bathrooms?
• What does active supervision actually look like?
• How might our decisions be perceived by someone observing from the outside?

These discussions have become part of our everyday culture rather than something we only revisit during audits. That, to me, is the difference between compliance as box-ticking and compliance as critical thinking.

Because good compliance isn't about passing Assessment and Rating — it's about creating systems that protect children and support educators. Over the past few months we've reviewed everything from medication management, emergency bags and risk assessments through to medical plans, authorised contacts, enrolment records, excursion procedures and supervision practices. Much of this work happens quietly behind the scenes and families rarely see it, but it's what allows a service to operate safely every single day.

People don't resist change,  they resist uncertainty

That was the lesson I learnt fastest. Before introducing any new system, I spent time explaining why we were changing. Whether it was reviewing medication procedures, introducing community excursions or refining our learning environments, I wanted educators to understand the purpose behind every decision. When people understand the “why”, they're far more likely to embrace the “how”.

That doesn't mean every conversation was easy. There were difficult performance conversations, changing expectations, staff turnover to manage and new educators to recruit who aligned with the vision of the service. Leadership isn't about avoiding uncomfortable conversations,  it's about having them respectfully, honestly and consistently.

Don't lead from the office

I made a conscious decision early on to be visible. Some of the most valuable conversations I've had haven't happened in meetings, they've happened in classrooms, on the yard, walking to the local supermarket with children, or chatting with families at drop-off and pick-up. Being present helped me build relationships, understand the day-to-day realities of the service, and make decisions based on what was actually happening rather than what I assumed was happening.

Families needed confidence as much as children

Rebuilding confidence with families was a priority, and communication became one of the biggest changes. Rather than only contacting families when something went wrong, we started celebrating learning, sharing excursions, observations, emergency practice drills, school readiness experiences and the educational thinking behind everyday moments. Parents don't just want updates; they want to understand the value of what their children are experiencing each day.

Leadership isn't always neat

Not every day went to plan. There were staffing shortages, illness outbreaks, compliance audits and countless competing priorities, and moments where I questioned whether I'd get through everything that needed to be done.

I also underestimated how much emotional energy leadership requires. You're supporting families, coaching educators, managing compliance, responding to incidents and making hundreds of decisions every day, all while staying calm, because your team looks to you for confidence. I've learnt that leadership isn't about having every answer. It's about creating an environment where people feel safe to ask questions, keep learning and keep improving together.

You can't build a centre alone

What made the difference through all of it was knowing I wasn't leading in isolation. Having experienced mentors and operational leaders available to challenge my thinking, share their experience and offer a second opinion gave me the confidence to make informed decisions while continuing to develop my own leadership style.

A Centre Director leads the service, but the strongest outcomes come when there is genuine trust, support and collaboration across every level of an organisation.

If I could give one piece of advice to a new Centre Director…

Don't try to fix everything at once. Choose your non-negotiables. Build relationships before making sweeping changes. Communicate more than you think you need to. Be visible. Celebrating progress, the small wins matter as much as the milestones: toddlers confidently completing their first community excursion, educators growing in confidence leading learning, families telling you they feel informed and connected.

And remember that culture is built in the small decisions you make every single day,  not just during Assessment and Rating.

After 100 days, there's still plenty to improve. But we've built a service where children are safer, educators are growing, families are engaged and everyone understands where we're heading. Successful centres aren't built by one person — they're built by educators who care, families who trust you, children who inspire you, and an organisation that backs its leaders.

That's a foundation worth building on.

Author:

Eve Valencia, Centre Director, Early Learners of Botany Bay