Chloe's Experience at Gems A Reflection of The Culture at Their Childcare Centres

Gems’ founder, Gemma Smith believes that an indicator of the health of a culture is the degree of churn (staff turnover) in an organisation, and Gems have been very fortunate to have low churn in the past five years, which they attribute to their culture of sharing their vision with their team.

In this December article we hear from one of their team, Chloe on her experience at Gems, as follows. “As I reflect on the past four years, I feel a sense of inner fulfilment. It’s quite remarkable how time carries us on a journey and how reflection is a beautiful representation of gratitude and growth. 

“Gems couldn’t have been a better fit for me. I knew the moment I had my interview I had found motivated women with a vision in mind. We shared a common passion and I walked around the centre seeing and hearing everything I aspired to be. Unforgettably, I remember how they made me feel that day. I felt included, heard and empowered. I left the interview and thought ‘I’ve found them!’.

“I worked alongside such a close team of dedicated professionals and it didn’t take me long to figure out the children came first. It made me so personally satisfied to be in an environment where children could be who they were. This raw, natural, powerful way of seeing and being with children. The love oozed out of every single teacher, the care was painted on the walls, the relationships were alive everywhere you looked, the dedication to authentic, natural resources were in every nook and cranny. This was quality in action!

“Being surrounded by such passion and integrity, my spark was ignited. I was uplifted by those around me to continue learning respectful care practices with infants and toddlers. My growth in this area is a true testament to the Gems family. Most importantly they created a genuine atmosphere of the learning culture I so desperately had been seeking. A culture where each individual child and teacher is celebrated for their uniqueness and nurtured to flourish

“Gems has been a genuine space for growth and unfolding, whether that’s professionally, personally, for children, for parents and families, for the next generations and for the education sector as a whole. They welcome, nurture and encourage each teacher and see the big picture of the impact we can create as a collective”.

For more information on  Forest school Queenstown, early childhood education teachers and childcare jobs please go to http://www.gems.net.nz .