Building professional confidence across the team

“I am a born teacher. We are a family of teachers,” says Amandeep, an Early Childhood Teacher at Child’s Play Tarneit West. “I feel a connection when I’m around the children. I become a child myself.” It’s this passion that drew her - and many of her colleagues - to early childhood education.

But that passion was being undermined by a persistent challenge: documentation. At a centre where the majority of educators speak English as a second language, professional documentation was both time-consuming and stressful. Writing learning stories in a second language meant constant worry about grammar and whether observations sounded professional enough.
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Within weeks of introducing Mana, everything shifted. Documentation time dropped to less than five minutes. Educators who lacked confidence in their English were producing professional learning stories. The impact extended beyond just saving time - it rebuilt confidence across the entire team and reconnected educators with why they entered the profession in the first place.

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The challenge

Before Mana, documentation was a source of stress at Child's Play Tarneit West.

Picture this: An educator captures a beautiful learning moment with a child. They know exactly what happened and why it matters. But when it comes time to write it up professionally, anxiety sets in. Will the grammar be correct? Does it sound professional enough? They spend 30, 40, sometimes 45 minutes trying to get the words just right. By the end of the day, they're exhausted - and they still have documentation to finish at home.

This was the reality for many educators at the centre, where the majority of the team speaks English as a second language. The documentation burden was affecting wellbeing, confidence, and most importantly, taking time away from children.

What changed for educators

Documentation quality improved while time decreased

Documentation that previously took significant time now takes less than five minutes, without sacrificing quality. In fact, the quality improved. Educators write the observation, and Mana handles the professional formatting and structure. "Now we are writing with Mana, we are taking less time, less than five minutes. We just write an observation," explains Apurva, an educator at the centre.

The shift was immediate. Educators stopped taking work home. The stress of documentation lifted, allowing them to focus on what matters most. As Amandeep notes, "One of the biggest benefits is that the documentation has become more purposeful, more structured, more organised, and more meaningful."

Language support built professional confidence

For many educators at Child's Play, documentation wasn't just time-consuming - it was a source of anxiety. Writing professional learning stories in their second language meant constant worry about grammar mistakes and whether their observations sounded "professional enough."

Mana's grammar and formatting support changed that dynamic entirely. Educators could focus on capturing the learning moment without the stress of perfect English. The AI handled the professional formatting while preserving each educator's unique voice and observations.

Centre Manager Priyanka saw the transformation firsthand. "Mana has been a lifesaver for our team, especially for the team who are coming with English as a second language and they don't have that confidence when they make mistakes," she explains. The impact went deeper than just documentation - as educators became more confident in their written communication, that confidence spilled over into other areas. "When they started using Mana more, they got more confident in their personal life as well."

As Amandeep reflects, "As a human being, no matter how experienced you are, sometimes you feel like you need some help, you need some support. Mana is there to support you for that."

It's a reminder that technology's impact isn't just about efficiency - it's about how it makes people feel about their work and their capabilities.

More time with children during critical learning moments

With documentation streamlined, educators spend quality time with children during learning moments rather than rushing to write things up later or working from home.

“Now there is less time going in documentation and there is more time for them to engage with the children and to see the learning that’s happening. We are able to spend more quality time with the children where the learning is happening, and then we are able to transfer that learning into documentation.”

Amreen, Educational Leader

Families stayed connected through professional documentation

Professional, timely documentation helped families feel more connected to their child's learning journey. Families can access observations any time, seeing clear updates about what their child is learning and what comes next in their development.

“When we introduced Mana and educators were able to write their observations and put it out for families, families really appreciated it because they had access at any time of the day from home. It feels like a voice from the educators for the parents. The reaction from the families has been amazing.”

Priyanka, Centre Manager

The impact on centre operations

Documentation consistency improved across the entire centre. Every educator, regardless of English proficiency or experience level, now produces professional documentation that follows the planning cycle. As Priyanka notes, "Mana has actually helped everyone at every level in our service to go through every level of observation and to understand where to next, because that's what the children need."

The centre no longer worries about educator burnout from documentation workload or inconsistent quality across different rooms and educators. Educator Joel observed how this works in practice: the documentation was still his colleague's thinking and ideas, "but it helped her just format everything in a nice way. Make it look very presentable."

Looking forward

For the Child's Play team, Mana has become more than a documentation tool - it's become part of how they operate as a centre. The confidence it gave educators in their first few weeks has compounded over time. New staff members joining the team see documentation as manageable rather than overwhelming. Experienced educators who once doubted their English writing skills now mentor others with confidence.

The transformation was so compelling that Child's Play rolled out Mana across all 8 centres in Victoria. What started as a solution to a documentation problem became a way to support educator wellbeing, professional growth, and ultimately, better outcomes for children.

“There are a lot of features in Mana that help everyone in the service. It has been a lifesaver for us. Now everyone is very confident and very reliant on Mana. We don’t know what we are going to do if we didn't have Mana.”

Priyanka, Centre Manager

Key takeaways for early learning centres

For early learning centres with diverse teams or documentation workload challenges, the Child's Play story offers a clear lesson: the right technology doesn't replace educators, it amplifies their professional voice and capabilities.

Quality and efficiency aren't trade-offs. Child's Play reduced documentation time to under 5 minutes while improving structure and professionalism. Educators stopped working from home and families noticed the difference.

Confidence compounds over time. Supporting educators with grammar and formatting built confidence that extended beyond documentation. New staff see documentation as manageable, and experienced educators now mentor others.

Professional documentation drives family engagement. When families can access timely, quality updates anytime, trust builds. As parents told Child's Play: "Whatever you're doing is working for us."

Implementation success scales. What started at one centre worked so well that Child's Play rolled out Mana across all 8 centres in Victoria.

Technology's real impact isn't just saving time. It's allowing educators to focus on what drew them to the profession: nurturing children's learning and development while ensuring every learning journey is captured and shared with families.