Childcare has been in short supply in Lismore and the Northern Rivers for a number of years. The 2022 big flood exacerbated the problem to the extent that parents were driving long distances so their child/children could attend a childcare centre, asking grandparents to fill the void or delay re-entering the workforce.

There are some solutions in the pipeline, with the Rous Road Centre in Goonellabah being built and another at the Goonellabah Shopping Centre being approved. In South Lismore, the Explorers School of Learning Childcare and Preschool Centre reopened recently and is now accepting children.

Sean Cornell is the Approved Provider Management, Compliance and Operation for Explorers. Sean has plenty of experience in Childcare; he started the Learning Cottage on Keen Street in 2018.

The Wilson Street, South Lismore location was formerly the Possums Early Education Centre pre-February 28 2022. When the opportunity arose to lease the building and bring childcare back to South Lismore, Sean jumped at the chance to introduce Explorers to the community.

"I wanted to focus on bringing Explorers to life and use the opportunity to sort of reinvent the industry, or have a positive impact on the industry, by focusing on going back to basics of delivering food in the service.

"Secondly, focusing on the educators, making sure we have the most qualified and experienced educators available, and thirdly, creating the environment, especially the outdoor environment, for nature-based play."

The Childcare industry has been criticised for the low pay that qualified Early Childhood Educators receive. Last week, the federal government announced a 15% pay rise to alleviate the struggles to attract and keep good people in the job. Sean explained that Explorers is going a step further.

"It's an industry where the quality of the educators has such a large impact on the well-being of children, and it's very rewarding for children and families, and it can be very rewarding for educators. But what we've seen is that in the past, the pay hasn't matched the cost of living. So in order to have an impact on the industry, what we've done is raise salaries 25% above Award, which equates to $1,000 a month for experienced educators.

"We offer flexible benefits, so there are perks and discounts to lower the cost of living. Educators can have an additional four days annual leave paid, or they can invest in their own learning and development funded by us.

"The third one is we focus on continuous improvement and we invest in learning and development across the service, so we make sure that everyone is supported to achieve that next level of certification or qualification. And the fourth one is we focus on a great team culture, because we know that's what makes educators feel safe and secure in their environment so they can support children to learn and grow."

When asked why Explorers can implement higher wages while other childcare centres don't, Sean said they want to have an impact on the industry and lead by example.

"I couldn't comment on other services, but it's something that is our guiding philosophy. We really want to have that impact on the industry, so we lead by example. I think it could be replicated by others, but we have the advantage of coming in and seeing the industry afresh, seeing what's needed to serve the community and to serve children, and establishing ourselves on best practice."

For parents looking to place their child into a childcare facility, Explorers has four (4) rooms. A nursery room for children under two, a toddler room, a junior room and a preschool room.

"We engage more in a school readiness program to engage them in developmental milestones and to build and foster them to be curious and confident lifelong learners. So when they go to school, we find that they are prepared for that. For example, we encourage achieving certain development milestones, whether it be gross motor skills, fine motor skills, or social-emotional development. We look at every child holistically and support their development for that transition."

"We're really lucky to have a fantastic outdoor environment. We have an incredible, expansive outdoor playground with real grass, a fantastic sandpit for digging and exploring and we have garden beds. We find that we maximise that time outside so the children can build that connection to the environment, and it really helps balance the indoor learning activities as well. Basically, the more time a child can spend outside in a nice environment, the more settled they are."

"Our educators share that philosophy. We have a very clear routine where we're constantly going outdoors and indoors to make sure that they have a space to run and play and then come back in and have a nice, hearty meal and nice quiet time."

The hearty meal comment from Sean, leads to the point that Explorers has a full kitchen, so all meals are prepared on-site for every child.

"Nutrition is incredibly important. We focus on regular meals throughout the day. For the main meals, we have a nutritionally diverse and balanced list of menu items that can vary from mushroom stroganoff to healthy dahl to taco bowls and beef bolognese. All meals are made on-site by a qualified, experienced commercial cook who has also designed the menu to be appropriate for children's needs. And we cater to intolerances of gluten-free, lactose-free and vegetarian."

"We find providing food creates an incredible opportunity for children to share the food, so to serve it out themselves and to experience that. We find that it's better for families as well. You know, working families say that having the field food provided on-site saves them time in the mornings. It's one less thing to worry about; it's less stress. We can also ensure that the food is really high quality and safely prepared within a regulated setting, rather than having to transport food in."

Explorers have the capacity for 70 children. Currently, there are 20-25 children from two to five days a week, depending on parents personal circumstances.

"We do have the space, and we'll bring on more educators. We want to give every child an opportunity to come and settle in.

"We focus on only experienced staff with qualifications across early childhood. So, we have bachelor qualified, we have diploma qualified, and Cert III, and we'll grow the team in that way as well."

Kathleen Trickett is a Director of Explorers and an Early Childhood Teacher who has been in the industry for over 15 years. She said she is looking forward to mentoring new teachers.

(Kathleen Trickett and Sean Cornell on the balcony of Explorers in South Lismore)

"I think the years that I've had in the industry, I can mentor other teachers. I'm still inspired. By the time you get to my age, a lot of educators have often moved off or doing other things, whereas I've stayed in the industry. Most of the time, people get a Bachelor and they go off to primary schools, especially if they have the four-year degree. I haven't given up on inspiring other educators to teach, to scaffold learning, which is when children are playing, and you play alongside, but you also implement learning into that, which we do in our everyday context, but understanding what that means and what that looks like.

"Learning through play is not just watching children play; it's playing alongside, like I said, and teaching them and knowing what you're doing, rather than just watching or supervising."

Kathleen's education in what the industry calls 'long daycare' started with a Cert III, followed by a Diploma and a Bachelor of Education and a Masters in Play Therapy.

Alanna, is an Educator at Exlporers. She explained how she came about studying for her Diploma of Education.

(Alanna at play with the kids at Explorers. Photo: supplied)

"When I asked for support to complete a Diploma, Explorers made a call the next day and signed me up. We have a great culture. Everyone is invested in our service and our growth.”

Sean sums up Explorers philosophy.

"At the end of the day, a great educator will be a trusted advisor to families. We talk about how we work in partnership with families. We're not childminders for people who are after childminding services, that's not us. We engage in a developmental program for children to establish them right from the early years right through to when they go to school. And so educators really enjoy that role of being that trusted advisor, of getting to know the children, documenting their milestones, and helping through the challenging times, like the terrible twos."

"We support their upskilling here, and we provide traineeships so that the educators who are Cert III qualified can actually complete their studies to become Diploma qualified at the service. They're given time off the floor to complete their studies. Their assessor or supervisor comes in and watches their professional practice at the service. So we're constantly providing a platform for them to grow and develop as well."

Kathleen adds, "I think it's rather a growth journey, rather than a systemised journey. That's what we're trying to get with our educators, too is that consistency. They want to follow their journey, care about the children, and want to see the growth and know the growth of the children. There's nothing more rewarding. In my early career, I was able to follow a group of two-year-olds all the way up to the four-year-old room, and just watching that growth and those milestones was just amazing."

This leads to opportunities At Explorers for local people, perhaps fresh out of high school, when the HSC exams finish in early November.

"We're looking for experienced educators who want to engage in a fresh approach to the industry, and we're supporting new entrants to the industry as well. We find that there are many different personas of people that are engaging with us. Some people have had a whole career before they mature age. They've gone down a certain path, whether it's into nursing or into financial services, but they're identifying that at this stage in their life, they want to spend more time with children, so they're coming in as an entrant. Whereas others have been in services before, and they're wanting a service that they can grow with."

Explorers School of Early Learning is at 45 Wilson Street, South Lismore (not far from Lismore South Primary School).

They are looking for people to join the team, so you can apply here.

Parents looking to place their child into a childcare service as outlined in the story, can click here.