Growing Educators, Strengthening Families: Laura Bull’s Journey at TG’s Child Care
At TG’s Child Care, great early learning starts with great Educators. And great Educators need people who believe in them, guide them and give them opportunities to grow.
Laura Bull, Area Manager at TG’s Child Care, understands that journey personally.
Laura began her own TG’s journey as an Educator. While building her experience in early childhood education, she continued her professional learning, completing her Diploma and Early Childhood Teaching degree. She progressed to Centre Manager and today, as Area Manager, helps guide and support Centre Managers and Educators across TG’s.
Her journey reflects something deeply embedded in the TG’s Way: Playing is Learning for Life applies to our Educators too.
From Educator to Leader
Laura knows what it means to be an Educator because she has been one. She knows the responsibilities of leading a centre because she has been a Centre Manager. Today, she brings those experiences together in her role as Area Manager.
For Laura, leadership is not about sitting above the people she leads. It is about working alongside them, sharing knowledge, maintaining high standards and helping others become confident professionals themselves.
As Laura explains:
“What inspires me most about being an Area Manager at TG’s is the privilege of collaborating with our exceptionally gifted and dedicated Centre Managers and our passionate and highly skilled educators.”
She takes particular pride in supporting people at the beginning of their early childhood careers and encouraging Educators to continue developing professionally.
“I take great pride in guiding and supporting emerging educators as they embark on their careers in this deeply rewarding field.”
It is an approach that can also be seen in the way TG’s welcomes trainees.
Laura believes people need an opportunity to begin. Through relationships with local training providers and schools, TG’s gives emerging Educators opportunities to learn within its centres and develop their qualifications.
Her philosophy is beautifully simple: give people a goal and have belief, trust and faith in them. With the right support, they can learn, grow and become qualified Educators.
Laura's own career is evidence of just how far that growth can lead.
Leadership That Families May Not Always See
There is another side to Laura's role that families may not see when they arrive at their TG’s centre each morning.
Behind the play, relationships and everyday experiences of children is considerable work to make sure TG’s practices, procedures and expectations are understood and consistently implemented.
Laura is involved in TG’s regular policy review process, working with other leaders to review policies and practices throughout the year.
The work can cover areas such as child protection, Child Safe Standards, safe sleep, food allergies and intolerances, medical conditions, evacuations and emergency procedures.
TG’s also seeks information and input beyond its own leadership team, including external agencies, Educators and families, to help ensure its policies and practices remain relevant and informed.
As Laura explained during a discussion with TG’s Centre Managers:
“Everyone has feedback and input into the policies.”
Importantly, having policies is only part of the work. Laura emphasises the need to translate requirements into actual practice.
Forms, templates, checklists, rehearsals and safety checks help teams demonstrate not simply that they know what is expected, but how those expectations are being implemented.
For Laura, staying informed is an ongoing responsibility.
“We’re always looking at what regs have changed, staying up to date with the latest information.”
Consistency the TG’s Way
Laura also sees consistency as an important part of the TG’s Way.
TG’s centres have their own children, families, Educators and communities, but they are connected by shared expectations and practices.
As Laura explains:
“Any centre, any of the seven centres that you walk into under TG’s, the same practices and procedures apply. It’s that consistency. It’s the same standard and expectation, which is the TG’s Way.”
Centre Managers and leadership teams are crucial to making that happen.
Laura believes leaders need to model the practices they expect from their teams. When Centre Managers understand and demonstrate those expectations themselves, they can identify when an Educator needs guidance and provide the appropriate support.
It is leadership through example rather than leadership by title.
Why Supporting Educators Matters to Families
All this work ultimately comes back to children.
For families, confidence in an early learning service is not built by a policy sitting in a folder. It comes from knowing that the people caring for their child are supported to understand their responsibilities, continue learning and put good practice into action every day.
Laura summed up why this matters when discussing the work involved in maintaining TG’s policies and practices:
“It’s a huge job, but when you genuinely care about it, and when you genuinely show interest, it’s easy. It’s time consuming, but it’s very rewarding.”
That genuine care extends to the culture TG’s creates for its Educators.
Laura describes a workplace where Centre Managers support one another, Educators are encouraged to contribute their interests and strengths, and people are given opportunities to learn and progress.
And she believes that culture ultimately filters through to the children.
Love, Trust, Respect, Compassion and Fun
Laura's leadership reflects the values at the heart of the TG’s Way: Love, Trust, Respect, Compassion and Fun.
Trust and Respect are particularly important to her.
“Trust and respect are deeply held personal values of mine, and I see them as vital foundations for building a positive and collaborative workplace culture.”
Fun matters too.
During the Centre Managers' discussion, Laura pointed out that children themselves make TG’s fun. Their enthusiasm is contagious, encouraging Educators to become involved, extend their play and share their joy.
That same positivity contributes to an environment where people enjoy coming to work.
“I genuinely believe that fun and positivity are essential in our profession, and I love bringing fun and enjoyment to the workplace — creating moments of laughter, smiles, and genuine connection among our teams, children, and families.”
Growing People the TG’s Way
Perhaps the most powerful part of Laura's story is that she represents the career journey TG’s wants other Educators to be able to experience.
She began as an Educator.
She continued learning.
She gained her Diploma and Early Childhood Teaching degree.
She became a Centre Manager.
And today, as Area Manager, she is helping another generation of TG’s Educators and leaders to grow.
Laura sees professional development as an important part of her role:
“My role allows me to challenge and encourage teams to further their professional development and enhance their understanding of early childhood education.”
And she sees sharing her experience across TG’s as a way of strengthening the organisation as a whole:
“Above all, I value being able to share my experience and knowledge across TG’s to foster growth, consistency, and excellence throughout our services.”
That is why growing Educators matters.
When Educators are trusted to contribute, encouraged to learn and supported to become leaders, children benefit from confident and capable people around them. Families benefit from teams backed by experienced leadership. And the next generation of TG’s Educators has people like Laura showing them what their own career could become.
At TG’s, learning never really stops, whether you are six months old, preparing for Big School, beginning your career as an Educator or leading others after years of experience.
That is Playing is Learning for Life.
That is the TG’s Way.
TG's Child Care locations and contact details:
Urangan QLD
+61 (07) 4184 2282 | urangan@tgschildcare.com.au
61 Miller St, Urangan, QLD 4655
Armidale NSW
+61 (02) 6772 7810 | armidale@tgschildcare.com.au
11 Samuelson Crescent, Armidale NSW 2350
Armidale - Kirkwood St NSW
+61 2 6772 7810 | meg@tgschildcare.com.au
53 Kirkwood St, Armidale, NSW 2350
Uralla NSW
+61 (02) 6778 3369 | uralla@tgschildcare.com.au
23B John St, Uralla NSW 2358
Wauchope - Hastings St NSW
+61 (02) 6585 1033 | HastingsStreet@tgschildcare.com.au
33B Hastings St, Wauchope NSW 2446
Wauchope - High St NSW
+61 (02) 6585 3331 | HighStreet@tgschildcare.com.au
223A High St, Wauchope NSW 2446
Wauchope - Riverbreeze NSW
+61 (02) 6585 2981 | riverbreeze@tgschildcare.com.au
3 Riverbreeze Drive, Wauchope NSW 2446
About TG's Child Care
At TG's Child Care, we believe children begin preparing for life from the moment they walk through our doors.
Guided by TG's Way — Love, Trust, Respect, Compassion and FUN, we create meaningful relationships and purposeful learning experiences that help children grow into confident, capable and compassionate people.
As one of Australia's leading providers of Preschool and Long Day Care, our philosophy, Playing is Learning for Life, recognises that every moment of play, discovery and connection builds the skills children need for school, for life and for the future. Through our commitment to the Stewardship of Children's Future, we partner with families and schools to ensure every child continues their learning journey with confidence.
At TG's, we acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land where we work and live. We pay my/our respects to Elders past, present and emerging. We celebrate the stories, culture and traditions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders of all communities who also work and live on this land.
