Great Beginnings Gregory Hills

I’m honestly extremely disappointed and disgusted by the behaviour I witnessed from the new Centre Manager when I came to pick my nephew up. I overheard the way an educator was being spoken to, and it was completely unprofessional, disrespectful and honestly hard to listen to. The educator looked visibly uncomfortable and upset, and no staff member deserves to be spoken to in such a degrading and belittling manner, especially in front of other people. As a family member walking into the service, it left an incredibly negative impression on me and raised serious concerns about the environment staff are expected to work in every day. Leadership sets the tone for an entire centre, and from what I witnessed, the way staff are being treated is unacceptable. There is a massive difference between managing staff and humiliating them, and what I overheard crossed that line completely. It also makes a lot more sense now as to why there has been such a huge amount of staff turnover recently. My nephew has already had some of his favourite teachers leave, and it has been upsetting watching him lose educators who were his safe people and who made him feel comfortable and secure at daycare. Children build strong emotional bonds with educators they trust, and when those people are constantly leaving, it absolutely impacts them emotionally. Quite honestly, if this is how educators are being treated behind the scenes, I am not surprised staff do not want to stay. Educators deserve respect, support and professionalism from management, not to be spoken down to or made to feel small while simply trying to do their jobs. Families notice these things, and hearing a Centre Manager speak to staff in such a disgusting way completely changes how people view the service. I think the way this situation was handled reflects very poorly on the leadership within the centre, and I truly hope something is done about it because from a family perspective, it was genuinely shocking and uncomfortable to witness.