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Elizabeth Graham is from Bubs & Boardrooms a new concept centre in Sydney's Inner West
What is your full name?
My name is Elizabeth Graham - Just Liz at this stage but I'm sure the nicknames will come.
Which centre do you work in? How many staff and children are in the centre?
We have started a new concept centre called Bubs and Boardrooms and currently have five staff. Bubs and Boardrooms is a shared work space in Sydney's Inner West specifically for parents AND it's the first of its kind in Australia.
What is your professional background and career experience?
I have a background in marketing and sponsorships for over 13 years in banking, telco and media.
What attracted you to a career in child care?
We are two first time parents that saw a huge gap when it came to balancing the needs of going back to work and being there for our kids. We were struggling to get appropriate daycare, not a family member in sight, and although our employers were happy for us to work from home, our crazy hands on baby boys were always underfoot making it difficult.
We were desperately searching for a solution that allowed us to be there for our kids, but at the same time progress our careers as working professionals. And so we created Bubs and Boardrooms.
What does a 'normal' day look like for you?
At the moment I'm still on maternity leave so it involves the usual wakeup call when Gus my little man child is hungry and away we go. Breakfast making in one hand, coffee making in the other, second breakfast, a quick shower and change of clothes (if it hasn't been a rough night!!) and off we go to Bubs and Boardrooms to open up and get ready.
Once there we welcome all the kids and parents, make sure everything is settled and then get some work done. I try and take a break so that Gus and I can have lunch together and I also try any make it back into the playspace for story time in the afternoon. Then its home time, pack up , lock up, say our good byes and get home for dinner bath and bed.
What makes your centre unique?
We have a great little centre. In addition to a fully equipped working space, Bubs and Boardrooms provide an onsite playspace, so that parents are readily available to children, when they need it. You get quality time with your kids throughout the day.
When it suits parents or when they have time between work tasks or when they just need a "bub" fix, they can pop across the hall for a cuddle and have a play, they can pop out for lunch at a local park or cafe, they can participate in the scheduled activities we run throughout the day like baby bounce and just be there for quality time without sacrificing what they need to do work wise.
What are some of the advantages of working in the child care sector?
Well for us it's being able to witness milestones of kids WITH their parents. Just last week two of our members witnessed their baby crawl for the first time and wave goodbye for the first time. Both would have missed it if they were at the office.
What are some of the biggest challenges facing the child care sector?
For us it was actually finding the right child care option for your family. Finding the right balance. With child care spaces being few and far between, attached to two year waitlists and some upwards of $160 per day, flexible working is the way of the future, and most small business owners and corporates are using flexibility as a major draw card to keep talented workers. And for working parents it's the ultimate juggle balancing the demands of your career with the needs of your family.
Working from home though, is not as easy as it sounds. It's not all about pounding out a few emails in your PJs. With young children it can be hard to juggle, not to mention sometimes lonely and distracting. Whether you are building a business or working for an employer you need flexibility in order to juggle the complexities of being a working parent.
How has your centre accommodate these challenges?
Our philosophy is about flexibility. We offer casual sessions that you can pay as you go, we offer completely flexible month to month memberships, and we offer make up sessions if your child is sick or your situation changes and you can't come in.
How does the industry need to change to adapt to these challenges?
We need to provide parents with not only more readily accessible child care but different solutions to child care.
What advice would you offer someone thinking about a career or looking for a promotion in child care?
It's a great career with some wonderful benefits, its hard work, but a child's smile or laugh is well and truly payment enough.
Visit the Bubs & Boardrooms website for more info. |
