Explore & Develop

We recently attended The Sector's Workforce & Wellbeing Forum in Melbourne, joining sector leaders, policymakers and providers to discuss one of the most important issues facing early childhood education and care: how to build a sustainable, thriving workforce.

Thank you to The Sector for facilitating these important conversations about wellbeing, sustainability and leadership. It was a very valuable event and we are proud to be part of a sector that is committed to building a strong future for children, families and educators.

We look forward to sharing key learnings from the event with our owner-operators across the Explore & Develop group.

Delighted to announce the opening of Explore & Develop North Richmond.

The service is owned and operated by Diane and Rachael, two early childhood professionals with a combined 20+ years of experience in the sector.

We know just how lucky their new community is to have them and look forward to seeing the incredible learning experiences and nurturing care they will bring to the children and families of North Richmond, supported by their very strong team of professional educators and teachers.

What does the next level of leadership look like in early childhood education and care?

This was the focus of Michelle Rushton’s brilliant session at our recent Franchise Conference, where Explore & Develop owners explored how to bring people together, adapt their approaches when required and ultimately continue to thrive.

Through practical frameworks, research and discussion, we were challenged to consider various styles of leadership from different perspectives and translate the ideas into everyday practice.

Thank you Michelle for guiding us through an engaging yet practical session. Always a pleasure to learn from you.

Thrilled to have the inspiring Kelly Goodsir of KGlearning come along to our 2026 Franchise Conference to talk about purpose-driven leadership.

The session explored how leaders can stay aligned to their values while balancing the many demands of leadership and how leading with purpose helps to create the right conditions for educators and teams to continue thriving.

Thank you Kelly for the thoughtful discussion - as always it was a pleasure to have your insights and knowledge in the room with us.

Pictured: Kelly with Explore & Develop Founder Jenny Mays and CEO Belinda Ludlow.

We had an excellent day at the Semann & Slattery Infants & Toddlers National Practice Conference in Sydney this week.

The conference brought together a brilliant line up of keynote speakers, including of course the wonderful Su Garrett, who spoke about how genuine, safe relationships enable learning.

Thank you to everyone involved in the conference. We left feeling inspired and proud to work in our sector.

Very happy to share the news that Ella de la Motte - Early Childhood Consultant has joined our team in a consulting capacity as Trainee Support Manager.

Ella brings extensive experience from her many years in the early childhood sector and in this newly established role, will support ICCC trainees across our group of independently owned and operated services.

All of the owners of Explore & Develop services share a common commitment to giving the next generation of educators a strong, quality-driven start in the sector, learning to be the best educators they can be. This role is a key step in ensuring trainees receive consistent, personalised support throughout their journey.

Welcome to the team, Ella!

Explore & Develop - Where curiosity leads to learning We believe that children learn as they explore, discover, make, create and imagine. Welcome to Explore & Develop, where curiosity leads to learning.

We are thrilled to announce we are a 'Franchisor of the Year' Finalist for the 2026 Franchise Industry Awards to be held in June 2026.

We are so proud of this achievement, which is a reflection of 20 years of hard work, dedication and professionalism.

Thank you to our incredible Support Office team, our franchisees and their teams, who all contribute to making Explore & Develop such a special organisation to be a part of.

The annual awards program is hosted by to recognise and celebrate excellence within the Australian franchise sector.

Are you taking time to care for yourself?

In a sector built on people, educator wellbeing matters.

Beth Borowsky from shares some simple wellbeing practices for educators to try incorporating into their every day:

🧘‍♀️ Start your day with positive energy by taking five slow, deep belly breaths when you get up and then whispering three things you are grateful for

💦 Nourish yourself with healthy, fresh food and drink enough water - it makes a big difference to your energy levels and overall health

🏃‍♀️ Find a physical activity you love - walking, swimming, yoga, pilates, gym - and try to exercise at leas tthree times a week

🥰 Surround yourself with people who lift you up and support you, not drain and deplete you

🫶 Remember that self-care is essential, not selfish

Our regular Nominated Supervisor meetings allow leaders from across our group of independently owned and operated services to come together to reflect, challenge thinking and learn from one another.

At our latest meeting, we were very fortunate to have the brilliant Rod Soper join us to host a workshop on leading diverse, intergenerational teams. His insights into building strong, effective teams really resonated and sparked meaningful discussion among our group.

High quality early childhood education and care doesn’t happen on its own. It’s built through connection, shared knowledge and a commitment to continuous improvement. Having the opportunity to collaborate with peers and learn from each other is a critical part of how we achieve this at Explore & Develop.

We’re proud to be the official name tag sponsor at this year’s Early Childhood Australia National Conference in Melbourne.

It always feels uplifting when our sector comes together to share ideas, strengthen practice and celebrate all of the incredible educators making a difference in their communities.

The ECA Conference is always a valuable event on the calendar and we are proud to be an official supporter.

If you haven't got your tickets yet, they are available at ecaconference.com.au/2026. We look forward to seeing you there!