Everything Early Childhood

Culture Is More Than a Checklist with Jessica Staines In this week’s episode of the Everything Early Childhood Podcast, I sit down with the incredible Jessica Staines from Koori Curriculum for a deeply important conversation about what it really means to embed Aboriginal perspectives meaningfully in early childhood. This isn’t a conversation about ticking boxes, adding a few cultural experiences during NAIDOC Week, or “getting it perfect.” It’s a conversation about relationships, curiosity, identity, belonging, and moving beyond tokenistic practice to create environments where culture is genuinely lived, reflected, respected, and celebrated every single day. Together, we unpack: Why many educators feel nervous or unsure about where to begin The fear of “getting it wrong” and how that creates paralysis in practice The difference between performing culture vs embedding it meaningfully How culture extends far beyond ethnicity and exists within our communities, environments, stories, values, interests and everyday life The powerful concept of “windows and mirrors” in early childhood environments Why slowing pedagogy down creates deeper and more meaningful learning How educators can start their journey with confidence, curiosity and humility The role of relationships, mentoring and community in meaningful cultural learning Why anti-bias approaches matter more than ever How we can create environments where every child, family and educator feels seen, valued and reflected Jess shares practical examples, powerful reflections, and honest insights from over 20 years of experience supporting educators to move beyond surface-level inclusion and into truly embedded practice. This episode is reflective, practical, honest, and incredibly grounding for any educator or leader wanting to create more culturally responsive environments without fear, overwhelm or perfectionism. Because culture is not a checklist. It’s a way of being. About Jessica Staines Jessica Staines is a Wiradjuri woman, early childhood teacher, and the founder of Koori Curriculum. Jess is passionate about supporting educators to embed Aboriginal perspectives authentically within early childhood environments through mentoring, professional development, resources and community connection. You can connect with Jess here: Website: https://kooricurriculum.com Instagram: @kooricurriculum Facebook: Koori Curriculum Loved this episode? If this conversation resonated with you, please share it with your team, community or another educator who needs to hear it. And if you haven’t already, make sure you subscribe to the Everything Early Childhood Podcast so you never miss an episode. Keep making every moment count

PODCAST SHOW NOTES

Q&A: You Don’t Need More Time… You Need a Different Way of Leading

This month’s Q&A episode is built completely from your questions — real challenges coming from the floor, your teams, and your leadership right now.

Firstly, thank you to everyone who took the time to submit a question. I know how busy you are, and these episodes are designed to support you in real time — not just in theory, but in what you’re actually navigating every day.

What We Covered

In this episode, we unpack:

The growing pressure around planning and documentation — and whether it’s actually serving a purpose anymore

How to lead as an Educational Leader when you’re constantly on the floor

Mentoring your team in real time when you feel like you don’t have capacity

Making compliance and QIP feel simple, clear, and connected

Occupancy — why some services are thriving and others are starting to feel the pressure

The Big Insight

While these questions look different on the surface… they’re not.

They all point to one core challenge:

👉 How do I lead when I don’t feel like I have the time, space, or capacity to lead?

This episode unpacks the patterns behind the overwhelm — and why it’s not about doing more, but leading differently.

Key Takeaways

Planning should support understanding — not just prove compliance

You can’t deeply lead pedagogy without space to think

Mentoring doesn’t require more time — it requires intention in the moment

Compliance feels overwhelming when systems are unclear or scattered

Occupancy isn’t just a marketing issue — it’s a leadership and alignment issue

Occupancy Framework (Simplified)

Occupancy doesn’t sit in one area — it flows across three key stages:

Marketing — How clearly you communicate what makes your service unique

Sales — The experience families have when they first interact with you

Experience — Whether your service delivers on what was promised

And underpinning all of it?

👉 Your philosophy — your vision, mission, and values.

A Question to Reflect On

At some point, every leader needs to ask:

Am I ready to actually lead this service…
or am I more comfortable staying in the fire?

Final Thought

You don’t need more time.

You need a different way of leading.

Want Support With This?

This is exactly the work we do inside the Directors Academy — helping leaders step out of the day-to-day overwhelm and into clear, confident leadership with structure and support around them.

If this episode resonated with you, you’re not alone — and you don’t have to figure it out on your own either.

Submit Your Question

This is part of our monthly Q&A series, and we’d love to hear from you.

We share question prompts via email and inside the Everything Early Childhood Facebook group — or you can reach out anytime.

Next Episode

We’re unpacking one of the biggest questions facing our sector right now:

👉 Is long day care dying?

We’ll explore what’s actually changing, what it means for you, and where the opportunities are moving forward.

Stay Connected

If this episode resonated, share it with someone in your team or another leader who needs to hear it.

Because every moment counts — and leadership matters more than ever right now.

“I feel like I’m holding everything together… and I don’t know how much longer I can keep doing it.”



In this month’s Director File, Leeza shares a powerful and deeply relatable letter from a director who is caught in the cycle of supporting everyone else… while slowly burning out themselves.



This episode explores:



• The blurred lines between connection and over-supporting your team

• The emotional load of being “the one everyone goes to”

• Why creating a safe culture can sometimes go too far

• The hidden leadership patterns that create dependency

• The shift from rescuing → leading



This is a raw and honest conversation that so many leaders will resonate with.



💛 If you’ve ever felt like you are carrying everything… this episode is for you.



👉 Share this with another director who needs to hear: “It’s not just you.”

What does a Centre Director actually do all day?



This episode answers that question… honestly.



In this powerful and deeply relatable episode, Leeza walks you through the real, unfiltered reality of a director’s day, from the 5am phone calls, to compliance pressures, to emotional leadership, to the invisible load that is carried every single day.



This episode is for:



• Directors who need to feel seen, validated, and proud

• Educators who want to better understand the role

• Families who may not realise the responsibility behind the scenes Inside this episode, you’ll hear:

• The true start and end of a director’s day

• The balance between leadership, compliance, and care

• The invisible mental and emotional load directors carry

• Why a “smooth day” is actually a sign of strong leadership

• A powerful reframe on what it means to be a director



This episode is one to share.



💛 If you’ve ever wondered what your director really does… or you are the director, this is for you.



👉 Send this to your team, your families, or anyone who needs to understand the reality of this role.

You say you’re overwhelmed.

You say you’re burnt out.

You say you can’t keep going like this…



But when the opportunity comes to do something different…

You stay in the fire.



In this bold and honest solo episode, Leeza challenges one of the biggest patterns she is seeing across early childhood leadership right now, directors and owners who are stuck in reactive cycles, constantly putting out fires, even when they are given the tools to step out of them.



This episode dives into:



• Why leaders stay in reactive mode (even when they know better)

• The hidden comfort of chaos and “feeling productive”

• The difference between managing problems vs solving them

• A powerful real-life client story (Katie) and what changed everything

• Why leadership requires a different version of you



This is not a comfortable episode. But it is a necessary one.



If you’re ready to stop surviving your role and start leading forward… this one is for you.



💛 Want support to step out of the fire and into leadership? The Directors Academy mid-year intake is opening soon. Keep an eye out for more details.



🎧 Don’t forget to share this episode with another leader who needs to hear it.