Belonging, Being and Becoming: Interview with Shruthi Tikare

Belonging, Being and Becoming is a LinkedIn interview series which shares the career journeys of early childhood and oshc professionals currently working in the education industry.

Today's interview features Shruthi Tikare, Service Manager at Petit Early Learning Journey Barton. Thank you Shruthi for participating in the latest Belonging Being and Becoming interview!

Interview with Shruthi

When and why did you start a career in childcare? 

I moved to Australia is 2011 with my family. Being an international migrant, I  started working as a casual Educator. My interest started to grow as I understood the sector better and this was the starting point for me to begin my journey of  learning. Since then, my passion for learning more hasn’t stopped. I craved for  knowledge within the early childhood education and this attitude has allowed me  to grow in my career from being a casual Educator to Centre Director. This is my  5th year of being a Director and I absolutely love advocating for children and  providing high quality service to families.

What's your philosophy on education and care?

I find joy in providing genuine care, warmth and support to children, families, and  Educators I work with. As an Educator and a mother of two children I believe  strong relationships form the basis of children’s learning and wellbeing; my  personal ongoing focus is valuing children’s voices, their holistic development, nurturing critical thinking, and creating open-ended opportunities of learning for  children. Petit’s philosophy of “Inspiring children in their unique potential for  learning everyday” reflects my personal beliefs.

How would you describe your career journey?

My career in Early childhood has been rewarding and beautiful as it involves  shaping foundational developments of young children. My love for learning has  made the journey in Early childhood fulfilling as I was given an opportunity to  grow at every stage of my career.

What do you love most about your job and working for your current organisation?

The most favourite part of my role is building strong connections with the  community within and outside of our service. It fills my heart with joy to see  precious smiles of children, cheerful team and happy families engage in a positive  environment at Petit ELJ Barton.

I appreciate the autonomy and trust Petit has allowed in me to make decisions  that are in the best interests of children, Educators, and families at our centre. I  am so grateful to be part of Petit organisation as they value employee professional  development and conduct various learning opportunities through online Educator portal, encourage partnerships with sector leading experts, provide regular  coaching and support from our Education and Practice Advisors, conduct  wellbeing and support programs actively throughout the year for the team.

Who is your role model / who do you look up to in the early childhood sector in  Canberra?

I was very fortunate to work under Lisa Syrette’s leadership at the beginning of my  career at AIS Caretaker’s Cottage, where I was introduced to great insights of early childhood practices and reflections which has stayed with me throughout my  journey, and I am truly grateful to her and the team for helping shape the start of  my career.

I have had so many inspirational mentors and experts in the industry throughout my career who have made a difference and created an opportunity for  me to learn something new and special each time from varied lenses and different  perspectives. I value every person I have worked with in the past and present and  love being challenged and motivated to serve our community.

What is your proudest career achievement?

Going through A &R process at our centre which was working towards overall and  achieving Exceeding rating in two quality areas and overall Meeting quality  standards was a great success to our team. Also being recognised by CECA in their  Talking quality article about it was a YAY! moment for myself & my dedicated  team. https://bit.ly/3sXWL05 (Page 6 &7).

Ongoing recognition in the form of small gestures of appreciation from families & team members to express their gratitude makes me feel happy to have been part  of their journey. It makes me proud seeing children and Educators grow and  flourish each day.

What has most contributed to your career success?

Being part of a diverse multicultural country of knowledgeable experts has been  significantly inspiring to continuously allow myself to succeed. Staying updated  with the trends and changes in the Early childhood sector has most contributed in  keeping my ongoing journey of learning alive.

I do this in various forms like engage in online communities & forums; follow influential people and organisations on social media platforms; networking with other professionals in this field; attend  conferences; participate in professional development activities and workshops &  webinars.

What advice would you give someone looking to pursue a career in early  childhood education?

I would surely encourage them to give it a shot. Early childhood sector is often  underappreciated but, I would like to highlight that there is a lot of skills you can  gain being in the sector including communication, interpersonal, decision making,  organisational, analysing, connection building, behaviour management, ability to  work with various learning styles in children, leadership… the list can go on  You will mainly require passion to work in the sector which cannot be taught and  comes from within to work with children.

Do you have any projects or upcoming events coming up you would like to share?

We are currently focusing on our team’s wellbeing by using the Phoenix Cups  model in understanding their needs and their team’s needs. In the upcoming   months, we will also participate in a 28-day well-being challenge as a whole Petit organisation.  We have our regular ongoing centre projects like Sustainability challenge, Bush  walks & community strolls & Pen pal program. We are looking forward to  celebrating Early Childhood Educator’s Day in September. 

Thanks for reading this interview.

Want to be featured in the next Belonging Being & Becoming interview? Get in touch by emailing madeline.farrell@randstad.com.au or calling 02 6132 3886.