Newsletter – June update

Yuma Everyone,

As the days start to get longer, and the financial year comes to a close, I wanted to share a few reflections on the quarter that's been, and to say thank you, properly, for the work, care and energy that's gone into it.

It's been a full one. Plenty going on behind the scenes with our systems and governance, but also some really lovely moments across both centres that remind me why this work matters.

Strategic Plan – Quarter 2 snapshot 

Excel in our Centres

Our teams at Flynn and Cooinda have continued to do what they do best -show up for children and families, day in and day out. We've farewelled some valued team members, welcomed new colleagues, and kept a strong focus on stability and continuity for the children in our care.

The staff engagement survey earlier this year gave us a clear steer on what matters most to our people: communication, workload and feeling valued. In response, Flynn has started Connect and Reflect sessions to make space for those conversations, and Cooinda has shifted to a more flexible rostering approach to help share the load. Small changes, but meaningful ones, and we'll keep building from here.

Wellbeing remains a constant thread, through our EAP (also available to our families), regular check-ins, and the quieter, everyday ways our leaders look out for their teams.

Engage Meaningfully with our Community

This is the part of the quarter I've loved most.

Reconciliation Week was a beautiful time at both centres, children engaged in thoughtful, age-appropriate ways with culture, Country and connection, and our educators' created experiences that will stay with them.

Mother's Day Breakfast at Flynn: brought families into our spaces for shared moments that were warm, busy and full of joy, exactly as they should be.

At Flynn, families embraced the MyOT program wholeheartedly, every family invited chose to take part, which speaks to the strength of our partnerships.

We also continued our work alongside Karinya House, supporting their Home Hope Horizon luncheon in May and sharing our Flynn Hearts video as part of their campaign. It's a partnership that means a lot to us, and I'm proud of the way we keep showing up for the broader Belconnen community. 

To the families who participated in feedback, provided clothes donations for our clothing swaps, came to events, or simply stopped for a chat at pickup, thank you. That connection is the heart of what we do.

Beyond family engagement, this pillar is also about ensuring we are communicating efficiently and effectively internally, and I’m proud to say that we have successfully implemented Employment Hero and individual NBCA email for all staff to support ongoing data and information security. 

Elevate Our Sector

We were proud to be invited to speak at the CECA Symposium held at the National Museum on 24 June. Our Flynn team shared how we deliver a child‑centred approach across our services, bringing together values‑led governance, a strengths‑based team, and close collaboration across disciplines to provide consistent, high‑quality experiences for children and families. 

We also spoke about the importance of building genuine relationships with children and working closely with families, particularly when extra support is needed. It was a valuable day, and we appreciated the opportunity to connect with CECA and others across the early childhood sector, and to share and learn together. 

Our presentation was well received and provided a meaningful opportunity to share our approach, our direction, and what we believe are the special ingredients to support elevated early childhood education and care. 

Looking ahead   

Quarter 3 promises to be another big quarter for us.  

Our Committees will continue their good work across procurement, finance and quality, and we're well into preparations for our Special General Meeting coming up in July for Members. Where Members will be asked to consider our move to a company limited by guarantee, and a new name to go with it. We can't quite share this one just yet – but we expect it to start with a T. More soon. 

This quarter promises to continue what we've started, and about embedding the engagement actions, settling our new systems, and landing the SGM well. There's change in the air, but it's the kind of change that comes from a strong foundation, and I'm genuinely optimistic about where we're heading. 

Thank you, as always, to our educators, leaders, families and community. None of this happens without you. 

Jocelyn Cronin 

Executive Director