Why continuity of educators matters for your child’s wellbeing and learning.
At Dubbo Early Learning Centre, we know that strong relationships are at the heart of children’s learning and development. When children are cared for by consistent educators, they build trust, feel secure, and are more willing to explore, take risks, and learn. That’s why we prioritise continuity wherever possible—whether it’s supporting educators to stay with a group over time or quickly ensuring stability when changes occur.
Building Trust and Emotional Security
Children thrive when they are surrounded by familiar, trusted adults. Stable relationships with consistent educators give children a sense of safety and connection. In 2024, we moved a toddler room leader up with their group of children to the next room to maintain these relationships. This was especially powerful for two vision-impaired children, helping them feel confident and understood in their new space. For families, seeing their child with an educator they trust brings peace of mind and strengthens the home–centre connection.
Personalised Learning
The longer an educator works with a child, the better they understand that child’s unique strengths, interests, and learning needs. This allows us to tailor our teaching approaches to support each child in the way they learn best. Our Educational Leader helps support this process, ensuring all educators understand the children deeply and are equipped to adapt teaching methods to individual needs.
Strong Communication with Families
Continuity of educators also means stronger, more meaningful communication with families. When educators know your child well, they can share deeper insights into their development and support your family with practical, relevant suggestions. These trusted relationships create a consistent, supportive environment across home and care.
Support Through Key Milestones
Familiar educators play an especially important role during transitions—like moving from the nursery to toddler room, or preparing for school. Their presence helps children navigate change more smoothly. In our nursery room, we’re fortunate to have a Paediatric Nurse with over 30 years’ experience, bringing confidence to families and supporting our younger educators to deepen their understanding of infant care.
Flexibility and Team Commitment
Our educators work together to support continuity. They’re willing to move between rooms to ensure the right mix of strengths, experience, and cultural knowledge—especially when supporting new children or during excursions. They engage in training and adjust rosters to meet children’s needs. Our team understands that maintaining strong connections supports not just learning, but the emotional wellbeing of every child.
Reflecting and Improving
We reflect regularly on how to strengthen continuity. When past challenges—such as difficult behaviour—led to educator turnover, we used those experiences to make positive change. Our Educational Leader now supports all educators with training, demonstration, and guidance so they feel confident and capable when challenges arise. We’ve also introduced flexible hours and part-time options to better support staff wellbeing, which helps retain educators long term.
Working with Families
We believe families play a vital role in supporting continuity. We involve you in transition planning and seek your insights to support strong, stable relationships. When needed, we create personalised transition plans, including home visits, based on child psychology practices. These strategies have been highly successful in easing children—and families—into new rooms, while preserving a sense of familiarity and trust.