One of the things we are most proud of at Mother Duck is seeing early childhood professionals build long and meaningful careers within our organisation.

For some, that journey can ultimately lead to becoming the owner-operator of a Mother Duck service.

This matters.

Early childhood education is a highly skilled profession, yet career pathways within the sector have traditionally been relatively narrow. An educator may progress into room leadership, pedagogical leadership or centre management — but opportunities beyond this can sometimes feel limited.

Our franchise model creates another possibility.

It provides experienced early childhood professionals with an opportunity to combine their knowledge of children, curriculum, leadership and relationships with business ownership.

That means the person ultimately responsible for the service is not simply an investor.

They are an early childhood professional.

Many of our owner-operators have spent years working directly with children and educators. They understand what it feels like when an educator needs mentoring, when a family needs reassurance or when a child needs someone to slow down and really understand what they are communicating.

That experience influences the decisions they make as owners.

It also creates something else that is important to us — a genuine career pathway.

We want educators joining Mother Duck to be able to imagine a future here.

A trainee can become an educator.

An educator can become a leader.

And a leader can one day become the owner-operator of a Mother Duck service.

For us, this is another part of what being proudly independent and proudly local means.

It means creating opportunities for experienced early childhood professionals to become business owners while remaining deeply connected to the profession, the organisation and the communities they serve.

When that happens, years of knowledge, relationships and professional experience remain within Mother Duck.

That is good for our people.

But ultimately, it is children who benefit.

This Is Our Story & Why It Matters

Across Australia, small and medium-sized early learning centres have always been there. Independent-operators opened their doors because they care about children, about educators, and about the neighbourhoods they serve.

Today, 79% of government-approved early learning service providers operate just a single service. Many of these are small businesses. Real people. Real commitment.

Independent, locally-owned early learning services play a vital role in Australia’s early childhood education and care sector. They support children and families, employ local educators and contribute to the social and economic fabric of the communities they operate in.

Many have spent years – and in some cases generations – building trusted relationships with families, educators and local communities. They are deeply embedded in their neighbourhoods, connected with local schools and businesses, and understand the children, families and communities around them.

Yet too often, policy and funding frameworks treat independently operated centres as part of a homogenised sector.

The difference matters. Local centres operate differently. They think differently. And care differently.

Proudly Independent, Proudly Local is a campaign to change the conversation. We want policymakers, media, and families to understand what makes locally-owned providers special, and why they deserve to be seen, valued and protected.

Because when a local early learning centre closes, it’s not just a business lost. It’s a piece of the community gone.