Mark Woodland named CEO of TSG Education to lead QikKids and Xplor
Date: 17 April 2020
Dear customers,
COVID-19 is impacting everyone around the world and every aspect of our daily lives: our social interactions, our family lives, our communities, and of course, how all of us teach and learn. I would like to share some new information that was announced at our company town hall on Thursday, but before I do we want to express our deepest thanks to each of you for the creative and collaborative ways you have stepped up to support families and children during this crisis. It’s times like these that remind us that each of us has something to contribute and the importance of coming together as a community.
Like many of you, there have been times over the past few weeks where it has felt overwhelming and all-encompassing. We worry about the health and safety of our families, co-workers, and friends. Personally, my wife and I worry for our daughter and we see the struggle at our local Early Learning Centre, and in services around the country and the world. One truth that brings us comfort is we are all in this together as a global community. For me, the best way I’ve found to get past this anxiety is to focus on what I can do each day to make a small difference.
It is in times of great disruption and uncertainty that our ability to stay grounded in our sense of purpose and remain true to our identity is of the utmost importance. At the start of the year (which feels so long ago), we shared the news that QikKids and Xplor were now part of the same Transaction Services Group (TSG) family and how our companies’ visions aligned: to help make education great. This rings true now more than ever, as we all work to address the impact of COVID-19.
The first announcement we would like to share is that I have been humbled by being appointed the CEO of TSG Education to lead both QikKids and Xplor. This is an incredible privilege to bring our passionate and dedicated teams together to ensure we make things easy in your daily lives. Helping you and your service is something we are all laser-focused on.
There is no mistaking the challenge of this moment. The entire QikKids and Xplor family is indebted to the heroic first responders, educators, doctors, nurses, researchers, public health experts and public servants globally who have given every ounce of their spirit to help the world meet this moment. Right now the world is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise with the occasion. Have confidence that you are our highest priority, and we are meeting this big challenge head on.
We are taking a number of actions to support you through this period, here are a few.
Software Updates
We have been supporting the government in response to recent legislation changes that took effect last week. It’s important that we approach these changes with a sense of calm and responsibility—because we have many families and children counting on us. The combined teams have been working around the clock to get these changes to you quickly and make sense of it for you as well. I am happy to announce that we have completed this work and can meet the software changes required in both QikKids and Xplor.
More broadly, we will be offering a QikKids Cloud product to all QikKids customers who have expressed an interest in QikKids Next. For those people who would like to stay on their existing platform, you can. Going forward the talented teams from both QikKids and Xplor will be collaborating with all customers through workshops and product forums to build a platform for our sector that can help us all focus on what matters most: education.
Through other initiatives we are offering free access to services to use ‘Live Learning’, a new feature in Playground, allowing educators to provide education to children virtually into the home. Our hope is that the lessons, stories, and activities that you share through Live Learning will enable parents who are not enrolling due to concerns of safety, to re-enrol so they can still take part in the great education you deliver without having to physically attend your service.
In addition, to help services increase occupancy we have launched ‘Space’, providing you with a single location to collect, manage and accept enquiries and enrolments. We think now, more than ever, is a critical time to support you and help parents re-enrol or enrol for the first time.
Remote working
There’s no doubt that the critical workflow of our jobs is changing fast, with many of our teams doing their work remotely for the first time, some while also caring for children at home. I myself am learning, as I’m sharing a home office with my 3 year old daughter and juggling between her daily schedule and my team meetings. There is no playbook for this and having that empathy,understanding and appreciation for each others’ situations is needed now more than ever.
Although we are currently maintaining regular operations across Australia, we have modified our day-to-day with options that still allow us to serve you. We are working with customers through digital channels as much as possible. We’re postponing some of our in-person events while turning others into virtual events. You will still be speaking to the same experienced people who you have engaged with over the years, whilst meeting new ones.
Finally, we will continue to work with government groups to help them engage the sector, share guidance, and advocate for holistic solutions that support you.
Looking Ahead
Even as we deal with this pandemic, our team at QikKids and Xplor remains wholeheartedly-focused on your success. While all businesses are in uncharted territory, Xplor and QikKids were built to handle moments like this, and our combined relentless commitment to education is stronger than ever. Our companies were founded on core values that focus on supporting you, your educators and the families that attend your services.
On behalf of all of us at QikKids and Xplor, we’re committed to being your partner and persevering together in all the days and years ahead. As we go forward, we’ll be sure to keep you updated, and know that we always value your questions, ideas, and feedback.
Sincerely yours,
Mark Woodland
CEO | TSG Education