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Starting her journey as an Early Childhood Educator and School Chaplain while pursuing her teaching degree, Chey witnessed firsthand the urgency for schools to collaborate with families in supporting the needs of young individuals. With experience as a Children’s Ministry Director at her church, Chey honed her ability to unite teams and motivate them towards shared objectives, overseeing children’s programs, outreach initiatives, and camps.
 
Upon graduating, Chey immersed herself in a teaching role at a socio-economically disadvantaged school, confronting the multifaceted challenges of trauma, abuse, and neglect affecting her students, in addition to learning challenges and disabilities. This experience propelled her towards further education in Psychology, recognising the potential for integrating theories of child development and neuroscience into educational settings to foster more supportive environments, and ultimately better outcomes for kids.
 
So, her mission began. Transitioning into a role as a Social Emotional Learning Coordinator at another school, Chey collaborated with a dedicated team to implement Restorative Approaches and instill a whole-school approach to social-emotional learning. This journey afforded her the opportunity to engage with students and educators across all year levels, from ELC through to Year 12, refining her skills in connecting social-emotional learning with developmental understanding and trauma-informed practice.
 
As Head of Inclusion (Foundation to Year 12), Chey worked closely with students, staff and families to support the complex needs of children with learning or behavioural challenges, applying her diverse expertise to create inclusive and nurturing educational environments.
 
Taking on the role of Deputy Principal (Primary) of an ELC to Year 12 College, Chey continued her commitment to embedding Restorative Approaches and Social Emotional Learning while employing developmentally informed strategies and building team culture. At this level of leadership, Chey also had the opportunity to step into several different teaching roles across the school, teaching from Early Years through to Secondary School. Here she gleaned a breadth of understanding in how to practically apply theory into the diverse classrooms settings that evolve at different developmental stages.
 
And then came along her daughter, and a moment to stop, reflect and consider what her next steps might be on this mission she was on…
 
It was here that The Culture Collective was born. An opportunity to take what she had seen work so well in the various settings she had worked in, and share it with others. All in the hope that they too could see a culture that allowed for flourishing and success.