Yann Tyng Kooi
- Apr 12, 2023
- 7 min read

TG's Child Care is Playing it Forward with a long term vision and sustainability

Updated: Apr 10

✦ Having brought Playing is Learning for Life to communities across Australia for the past 25 years, TG's Child Care is going strong into the next decade.

TG's Child Care is all about growing and seeding for the future. Playing is Learning for Life is a lifelong vision of TG’s Child Care where children are given the skills and tools they need for sustainable learning i.e. taking these values beyond Big School and continue Playing It Forward even after they leave TG’s.

This extends to TG's as a whole. They have been welcomed and seen as the nucleus of each community for the last 25 years, and hands-on owners and operators Trevor and Gayle Kee continue to keep TG's flying with renewed energy each year.

Taking a bold leap into the future at TG's!

Much thought has been given to TG's sustainability and long life through the years. In fact, TG's is the only early learning centre to have Environment Social Governance (ESG) as part of their business DNA. It's how they execute Playing is Learning for Life.

The world is in a constant state of flux, and TG's has really stepped up to thrive in the Next Normal World, with Connection and Community as their goals. How does TG's inject sustainability and long term vision into what they do every day?

Operations Readiness

If it's one thing we've learnt over the last few years of COVID, floods, bushfires, cyclones, agility is a necessary skill to cultivate to ensure businesses can continue to operate even through challenging times.

TG's is agile in responding and complying to regulations and recommendations of the government or implementation of strict hygiene, safety and recovery protocols, as part of their crisis management whether it’s for COVID, communicable diseases or floods and other emergencies.

This gives a strong sense of assurance to families and the children, that they are being kept safe and updated on what everyone needs to do for the wellbeing of all. Families know they can rely on TG's to do the right thing.

TG’s maintains constant communications with government agencies to better understand any changes or developments that may come up. TG’s management meets with State and Federal MPs to discuss industry challenges and guide future planning. TG’s also works closely with Early Childhood Australia and Australian Childcare Alliance to maintain best practice and keep up-to-date with trend and regulatory changes and with National Quality Standards the recently updated Early Years Framework.

With a little help from our friends...

Flexibility in services

With agility comes flexibility. TG's has never stopped being sensitive to and conscious of the needs of a changing society and demands of modern families.

With remote working now a common option, many regions saw an influx of young families moving back to their hometowns or to be closer to families. These families need childcare, and TG's not only stepped up to fill this need, but they also continued to keep up their high standards.

At TG's, nobody is left behind. Many families were involved in frontline services, and TG's demonstrated agility and flexibility (and much needed empathy) to provide immediate short term child care for these families. Their children needed TG's to be there for them. When daily routines get disrupted, it can be worrying for both the children and the parents who are torn between having to serve in their jobs and make sure their children receive care. Many families have really appreciated TG's simply being there for them, exactly like an extended family.

We learnt this at TG's! Let's do it at home too!

During COVID, something that TG's Educators did that went above and beyond was to prepare a creative care package for families to implement at home that included science experiences, mindfulness practices, cooking experiences, story times, music and movement activities. This was a big help for families, it meant that their children could engage in Playing is Learning for Life anywhere, they felt that TG's continued to be right by them, and it provided a sense of much-needed consistency.

Since the very beginning when TG's first started, families have always appreciated having a place like TG's in their community. Modern lifestyles make it difficult for families to have just one salary in the household, and families face the difficult decision of having to find a place to care for their children. Many feel that TG's is able to provide a home away from home for the children to grow to their fullest potential and provide peace of mind to families at work. Knowing that their children are in great hands, families can fully contribute to their work places. TG´s helps families with work life balance.

TG's Educators are Simply Playful!

Educators matter too

Flexibility is extended to the Educators as well. They have flexible working schedules so they can work around their family commitments and have a choice of maintaining or increasing income based on their individual circumstances. Having a long term vision for TG's also means having a long term vision for the career span of the Educators. Giving them a healthy work-life balance, reducing working hours, providing a 4-day roster instead of five, and allowing for child care for their children within TG's service all help Educators to fully thrive in their profession without sacrificing family commitments.

TG's also offers additional benefits and bonuses to encourage Educators to stay with TG’s as long term employees. TG's offers above award wages, extra bonuses and mental health and well-being payments and leave to support their team. TG's also provides incentives and spotters’ fees to those who bring in a new successful Educator employee.

Educators who have been with TG's can all attest to TG’s strong culture and how they value all the Educators' teamwork and mate ship. Constant internal and external communications, webinars, additional training and up-skilling allows Educators to feel extremely well looked after and they are given the resources and guidance to build strong career pathways.

Join TG's as an Educator

Embracing technology

Many of TG's families are young and tech-savvy. TG's has also learnt to step ahead in terms of technology to bring convenience to families. It is seen as another channel of communication that brings with it benefits. Platforms and apps such as Zoom, Facebook, Messenger and Xplor all help TG's and families to stay connected. The Xplor app is a new contactless sign in and out system to allow families to connect with their children's learning journeys, daily activities, wellbeing, health information, calendars, financial details.

Technology is a boost, and TG's also continues to highly value face to face communication with families around their children’s growth and development and to ensure the children feel safe and well cared for.

COVID certainly pushed many businesses to step into technology. Digitization has now become the norm, and more will come. For TG's, it makes sense to welcome the appropriate tools to help boost their Connection and Community goals.

Growing leaders

It's not just the children that are lovingly cared for at TG's. The same care, kindness and respect is given to the Educators too. They are nurtured in a loving environment where their voices are heard.

At TG's, Educators are loved, trusted and respected and that motivates and empowers them to go above and beyond for the children, families and communities.

TG's is seeding new Educators and providing fertile ground for new Leaders to grow and thrive. Each TG's leader plays it forward and lifts up their team. TG's develops Centre Managers and Team Leaders with leadership skills and empowerment to make important decisions with TG’s business and management. This helps to make their business operations and management more robust and sustainable. TG's has a strong sense of paddling the canoe together, because here, everyone's voice matters.

Meet the amazing women leaders at TG's Child Care

At TG's we paddle the canoe together!

What is interesting about TG's magic is it doesn't just stay within the confines of TG's playspaces. The TG's Way radiates and touches everyone who comes into contact with the TG's Family. Educators take on the TG's Way as a natural way of life in their own families and communities.

For the larger community

Wherever TG's is, the community thrives along with it. This is part of TG's business sustainability framework.

In just Wauchope alone, the three TG's campuses are each licensed for a maximum of 47 places each providing 37,440 sessions of long day care each year to support the children, families and local community. This allows families to work and study and develop their careers. On top of that, TG's provides employment and career advancement opportunities for 70 educators in Wauchope - this has a flow on effect supporting the local economy.

Whenever possible, TG's supports local services and tradespeople in their communities to supply what they need across our centres. Their latest centre was in Urangan, and having the locals step in to get TG's playspaces ready meant that even before operation, TG's was already nurturing strong relationships in the community!

Many families that TG’s supports have their own businesses and TG's in turn promotes and supports them. For example, children may go for a walking tour to a nursery, learning about plants and that is a way of promoting that family’s business. Sometimes TG's also invites families and/or their business to come chat to the children about what they do so they can learn.

We are all paddling in the same sea, even if we are all in different boats, and TG's has a strong sense of sustainability and long term vision where they know that when one thrives, everyone benefits. It's about lifting each other up. When there is someone in need, TG's is there to step up and raise funds e.g. to support farmers in crisis, or the Lemonade Crew in their fight against MND (Motor Neurone Disease).

Exceeding into the Future with TG's Child Care

Wellbeing for life with Healthy Harold the friendly giraffe

Playing it Forward

It is no wonder TG's Child Care is seen as the stewardship of the children's future. With all that they are doing, families and children know they can count on TG's like a rock to always be there for them. The children have Healthy Harold visit them to learn wellbeing tools and their beach and bush kindys for a boost of indigenous wisdom. In a child's eyes, these are great fun.

For families, they can see that TG's is really setting a strong foundation for each child to give them everything they need to grow to their fullest potential, not just at TG's but beyond. Nothing that TG’s does is ever just random. Everything has its place, and are stepping stones to take the children, families, communities, Educators and TG's way into the future.

We know there'll be many more 25 years of Playing is Learning for Life to look forward to.

Join TG's as an Educator