The first service Melissa Messina worked in as an early childhood teacher had 55 children under the age of 3. Today, as Executive Manager of Early Learning at the Northern Beaches Council, she oversees 14 services supporting nearly 3,000 children.

In her career spanning 30 years, Melissa has held diverse roles - director, policy advocate, service leader, manager of a national team of validators and more.

“I now spend most of my time working in an office, and when I’m feeling too disconnected, I like to visit a service and interact with the children and staff," Melissa said.

Collaborative leadership

Melissa believes strong leadership and governance is important in any early childhood education and care (ECEC) service – and keeping children at the centre of decision-making is key.

“As a local government we developed a children's services strategy with input from the community. This resulted in a vision for our services which is about being accessible, equitable and flexible and that enables us to have really strong community values,” she said.

Recognising the importance of establishing a culture of accountability, collaboration and continuous improvement across their services, the strategy also included actions to support professional development for early childhood educators, opportunities for industry connection, networking and advocacy, and reviewing and refining employment policies to strengthen the delivery of accessible and integrated services for families.

Supporting leaders

Encouraging learning and development for all team members is a key priority for Melissa. Acknowledging that while finding time can be challenging, Melissa shared the important role ECEC leaders play in dedicating time and resources to continuous learning and reflection, and to supporting their staff.

“We put in the time, with regular one-to-one meetings with Educational Leaders, so educators feel heard and understood. We need to give educators the support they need to be able to do their job well,” Melissa said.

"Our leaders get together regularly to ensure we are meeting the needs of children and families, National Quality Framework requirements and the professional development needs of staff."

Championing access to quality ECEC

Melissa believes every child deserves the same access to quality early learning, regardless of their postcode, income or abilities.

“We had a child in foster care with additional needs enrol in one of our services, which was the third service he’d been to that year," she said. “He ended up staying with us for 2 years”.

“The director worked hard with the team, the teacher in the room worked hard with the child and the family, and we worked collectively to give everyone the training and support that they needed. I’m proud of the work of the educators, and of the inclusive system we’ve created for that family.”

Melissa is a member of the Apiary Fellowship – a national network of ECEC advocates working to drive positive change in the ECEC system.

“If you think the system is broken, the challenge back to the sector is, well, we are a part of the system – we have the power to help fix it,” she says.

Fighting for the voice, rights and safety of children in ECEC has given Melissa’s work a strong sense of purpose. And her dedication has been recognised, most recently as a finalist in the Australian Childcare Alliance’s State of Our Sector awards for her advocacy and work in uplifting the teachers and educators in her charge.

“Being in an office can make you forget that all these documents and policies and budgets are ultimately about children’s wellbeing,” she said.

“But knowing that we can change the system and make a real difference to the lives of children is what keeps me going.”