Because I thought that there'd be lots of learning and it's a great opportunity to network with other directors from around New South Wales.
The community
The Forum is where directors meet. The ECEC Governance Network is where the conversation continues.
Running a service can be a lonely job. The night before your session, you can meet the other directors at the networking evening. The evening is a genuine chance to build relationships with people who do the job you do. At the Forum the next day, you work through governance, HR, safety and financial management together. The two groups below keep the conversation going for the rest of the year.
ECEC Governance Network
A closed email list for the people who lead NSW community preschools: directors only.
It launched in 2026 and is hosted by Employment Compass and Catherine Chen. It is an open networking space where directors share resources and support each other. It covers governance, HR, safety and financial management. It is for peer support, never a sales channel.
For directors only
The list is closed, so the conversation can be open. Everyone on it leads a NSW community preschool, so the people you ask do the job you do. Each service has one voice: one director-level person per service.
Not the director? Pass this page on to yours.
How to ask to join
- Fill in the form with your name, your role, your service and your email, then send it.
- The Forum team reads your request and accepts each new member.
- The team replies by email within two business days. You'll get a short welcome email explaining how to post and how the list works. Then the Network's emails start arriving in your inbox.
ECEC Directors Australia
A private peer community for early childhood directors across Australia. It is the wider, more informal circle around the Forum, where directors share ideas, questions and encouragement between sessions. Ask for the link when you hear back about the Network. You can also ask a director you meet at the networking evening or on the day.
Presented by
The same two people host the networking evenings, the Forum and the Network. The advice you get on the day and the conversation that follows come from the same place.
Kristian Inglis
Facilitator, HR and workplace health and safety
Employment Compass
Kristian leads Employment Compass and works alongside community preschools across NSW on contracts, the award, performance and the conversations directors find hardest. He facilitated all four 2026 sessions.
Catherine Chen
Co-host, governance and financial management
CC Consultancy
Catherine has spent more than 20 years in early childhood education. She works with NSW community preschools on governance and financial management, and co-hosts the ECEC Governance Network with Employment Compass.
Directors who came in 2026
Filmed on the deck between sessions in May 2026. Here are their words and a photo.
I think it's so important for us to have up-to-date industry-specific advice. And I think there's a real gap for that at the moment. So it's great to ask complex questions and actually be able to receive an answer.
Fantastic location, great company, and I'm looking forward to the rest of the information that we get today.
And so far, I've found it very informative, very work-specific as to what's happening in our field.
I am looking forward to the difficult conversations and the performance management side of things today. I find myself probably not doing that as well as what I probably should.
So first five minutes had me hooked and yeah, so much information, like just all the little things that you like have kind of gone by the wayside with all the new changes.
Leadership is better together.
Book a date and meet the other directors at the networking evening the night before. Work through the hard parts together on the day, then carry the conversation into the Network. Tickets are $500 + GST ($550 total) per person.