FEATURE - A New Zealand Adventure!

by Rebecca Mugridge

It’s not every day your job takes you all the way from Yandina to New Zealand, but that is where Simone Binnert’s passion just took her.

As families turn more than ever to childcare for their children’s social and personal growth, and to allow both parents to work longer hours, early childhood education has been under a spotlight more than ever before, bringing in a time of growth, exciting developments and research. 

Local educator Simone Binnert recently had some very exciting recognition that came with an aeroplane ticket! 

“Last year I won Centre Manager of the Year,” she smiles, a huge achievement as the Centre Manager for Community Kids Yandina Early Education Centre.  

“It was just wonderful! Part of the prize was to go on the New Zealand Study Tour!”

And no one was more excited for her than the little children she works with.

“Being able to show them where it [NZ] was in the world, how long the plane ride was, what I ate on the plane,” she laughs, “that was wonderful.”

And the children had a lot of questions!

“How does a toilet work on a plane?”

“Did I get to fly the plane, did I go above the clouds, are clouds made of marshmallows and so many other great things. It was amazing.” The joy in Simone’s voice is palpable.

“I came back so inspired and couldn’t wait to share what I learned with the centre and the children, and just to share the experience.”

Simone was named G8 Education’s Centre Manager of the Year. The national award recognised Simone’s, ‘exceptional leadership and impact among nearly 400 centre managers, along with her consistently high performance across safety, team engagement, and learning and education outcomes’. 

As part of this recognition, Simone joined fellow high-performing leaders on a G8 Education study tour, visiting early childhood education and care centres in New Zealand. 

G8 Education Chief Education and Learning Officer, Ali Evans, shares, “Simone exemplifies the organisation’s values and commitment to excellence. Her commitment to children, families, and her team is both inspiring and deeply impactful. 

“Recognising team members like Simone with opportunities such as the New Zealand study tour ensures our leaders continue to grow.”

Simone says it was wonderful to know all her hard work had paid off. It inspired her to go for a new job, and she revealed she is now a new area manager. 

Her biggest tip for success? 

“Find a mentor along the way, I have worked with so many amazing mentors. Especially in early education, it’s not an easy industry and easy role and career path, but there are so many rewards and obviously the growth within yourself.

“I started as an assistant educator and now I have worked all the way up to an area manager.”

Simone says she has always been drawn to working with children, and when you relish your work, it shows. 

“I really enjoy working with children, they bring such light and love to our lives every day and I always really wanted to advocate for them too. I really wanted to hear their voices.

They are little human beings that deserve the same rights as adults.”

The training, experience and education that early education workers now undertake is a lot. 

“I think people might be surprised at how much goes into what we do every day,” Simone says.

“Not just how much effort and time educators put in but how much learning there is by us for the children. We are constantly learning; there is just so much training available to you. And we are reminded that 0-5 years are the most important years of a child’s life.”

Simone says winning the trip was a life-changing experience. 

“We went over to New Zealand, to Child Space, did a tour and attended workshops. It was such a mind-blowing experience. 

“In New Zealand, they take a child-led approach where educators’ step back and supervise, but allow children to explore and experiment with taking risks, learning their own capabilities and other important developmental behaviours.

“This is something we stepped away from a little bit in Australia for some time,” Simone continues. 

“To observe, not just jump in too quickly, and to allow risk and uninterrupted play, to see more children climbing trees and learning their own limits. This has been a really big learning curve for me.

“One of my key takeaways was also the importance of continuity of care and the strong relationships that build from this, both for children and families,” Simone adds.

“It ensures children always have a familiar, trusted adult as their ‘safe person,’ which significantly supports emotional security and helps ease transitions.”

Simone thinks it is invaluable to have life experiences, like the study tour. 

“Every country does things differently, and I really found we can learn so much from each other. Learning from other countries also means we are bringing back global skills and learning experiences to our own little communities”.