Samantha Ahearn

CEO

Advanced Diploma and Diploma in Children’s Services, Certificate IV in Workplace Training and Assessment. Currently studying Diploma in .

Samantha founded Giggletree over 10 years ago to provide specialised support to Long Day Care and Outside School Hours Care services. She’s a passionate entrepreneur who has been working in the industry for over 24 years.

Early in her career she was instrumental in the founding, development, support and training of QikKids, now known as one of the most widely used software packages for childcare services in Australia. Samantha maintains her passion for improving the industry through her current involvement as a board member of Micare Global. She’s now contributing to the development of an exciting new platform that will invigorate the industry by streamlining the day to day aspects of childcare management and introduce amazing opportunities for learner and family engagement with the early childhood journey.

Samantha knows pretty much all there is to know about Long Day Care and Outside School Hours Care services, from start-up through to all aspects of day to day and strategic management. She is known for her personal service and support to her Centres, understanding that the difference between a good childcare service and an excellent childcare service is knowing that people are the key. People are complex beings and the ‘whole’ of the person is supported to allow them to provide the magic to their team, their children and their families. Work/Life balance is not just a remote concept for Samantha – but something that she engenders and supports in her centre managers.

Samantha genuinely inspires her team to be a “community of learners” and lives this through her personal commitment to ongoing learning and development. This is demonstrated with her ongoing ‘investment’ in her own personal and professional growth ranging from participation in a boot camp with “The Commando” (from The Biggest Loser TV show) through to attendance at the 2015 National Association for the Education of Young Children Conference and Expo in Orlando, Florida, USA.  Samantha is one of those unusual creatures – her work is her hobby – and she loves her hobby as well as her work! We haven’t even mentioned that she’s the mother of two gorgeous children.