What keeps experienced leaders inspired after a decade or more?

Ingrid Grassy and April Zhu, two Only About Children campus directors, reflected on what has inspired them during their careers. Both Ingrid who celebrated 14 years with the organisation this November and April celebrating 10 years started out as educators.

Both highlight the importance of having the opportunity to grow, learn from your peers and build strong relationships with families and children.

“The opportunities to learn, grow and take on new challenges have been a big part of why I've stayed,” Ingrid said.

April was inspired by Professor Iram Siraj’s work in equity within early education. “One message that has always stayed with me is that children aren't born with equal opportunities, but high-quality early learning can help create a fairer start in life.”

Growing with children, families and teams

Ingrid began at Only About Children as a casual educator with a Diploma. She has now grown to be an assistant director and campus director within Neutral Bay. One of the most rewarding aspects of Ingrid’s role has been watching children grow. Some families will form a relationship with the service from before their child is born.

Being greeted by families each morning keeps Ingrid connected and provides her with a sense of achievement. Being there to guide parents and celebrate both the good and challenging times has reminded Ingrid why she loves her role.

As an acting director since 2019, Ingrid found that she had to adapt when moving to a role where she was following someone who had been in the role for over a decade. Ingrid says that her team have helped her to grow and during the tough times of the pandemic she built a strong relationship with her team and families.

Her leadership style has evolved to focus on culture. It is important to acknowledge staff achievements, celebrate small successes and ensure staff feel supported. This leads to a positive environment for staff and Ingrid feels it trickles down to benefit the children and families.

Learning to support a whole team

April has grown throughout her career from an educator to nursery manager, educational leader and now campus director at Highett. She has learnt how to look past her own practice as an educator and support a whole team.

Having leaders who have challenged, supported and inspired her has made her feel confident. She has been guided to think about her role in a different way.

One of the most rewarding parts of her career has been developing the Bush Kinder program. It has been amazing to watch children grow in confidence, curiosity and independence due to their connection with nature. She also enjoys seeing educators grow from shy members of the team to confident practitioners or leaders.

April now feels much more comfortable with uncertainty. Early on in her leadership role she felt like she needed to know everything and please everyone. However, she has learnt the importance of asking for help, having difficult conversations and setting a high standard whilst being kind.

Supporting educators to take the next step

Encourage educators to believe in themselves and be open to learning. Ingrid has grown throughout her career due to the opportunities to take on new roles and the people around her.

Find your vision, look for inspiration and be curious! April recommends finding your purpose so you can stay focused during challenging times. Having a supportive team culture has helped her to implement her purpose.

Both stories show the importance of supporting people. Ingrid remembers how her team supported her to settle into her role as director. April acknowledges the leaders who have inspired her to move into unfamiliar roles.

Both Ingrid and April still enjoy watching people grow after 14 and 10 years with the organisation. Ingrid enjoys watching children grow from day one until they graduateApril enjoys watching an educator gain confidence to become a leader.