June O'Sullivan, OBE, is an Irish social entrepreneur, campaigner and author best known for her work in early childhood education. Since 2004, she has served as chief executive officer (CEO) of the London Early Years Foundation (LEYF).[1] She is also a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, director at Social Enterprise UK, and trustee at London-based children's reading charity BookTrust.[2]
June O'Sullivan | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Irish |
| Alma mater | University of Roehampton London South Bank University |
| Employer | London Early Years Foundation |
Career
editO'Sullivan first joined LEYF in 1996 after obtaining a master's degree in Primary Education from the University of Roehampton, before taking over as CEO in 2004.[1] Her work at LEYF has been recognised as helping "the educational development of socially disadvantaged children in their early years."[3] Under O'Sullivan, LEYF has grown to become a network of 42 nurseries employing over 800 staff across London, making it one of the city's largest charitable social enterprises.[4] Recognition of LEYF has included winning Transformational Change of the Year at the 2012 National Business Awards, Nursery Chain of the Year at the 2014 Nursery World Awards, and Group of the Year at the 2015 Nursery Management Today Awards.[5]
In conjunction with her work at LEYF, O'Sullivan has campaigned on a number of early childhood education issues. In 2013 she founded the Ofsted Big Conversation, which works to establish mutually beneficial dialogue between early years childcare providers and Ofsted.[6] Working with the University of Wolverhampton, she led an initiative to create a new degree for nursery teachers, known as the LEYF Higher Education Staff Development Programme, which was launched in September 2018.[7] O'Sullivan also formed Men in Childcare London, campaigning to recruit more men into the sector.[8] In 2018 she was appointed by the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan to the board of London's Child Obesity Task Force,[9] and in 2019 launched the Chef Academy to provide training and an accredited qualification to chefs working in nursery settings.[10]
Works
editO'Sullivan has published and contributed to a number of books on early childhood education.
Her own books include:
- Early Years Managers Handbook (2003)
- Successful Leadership in the Early Years (2015)
- 50 Fantastic Ideas for Nursery Gardens (2018)
- 50 Fantastic Ideas for Engaging Dads (2018)
- The A–Z of Early Years (2020)
- 50 Fantastic Ideas for Sustainability (2021)
Works to which she has contributed include:
- Wellbeing in the Early Years (2013)
- Sage Handbook of Early Childhood Theories (2018)
Awards
edit- 2013: MBE for "services to London children"[11]
- 2014: NMT Childcare Power 20 (runner-up)
- 2014: Social Enterprise Awards: Women's Champion of the Year
- 2015: Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year (regional finalist)
- 2015: NMT Childcare Power 20 (runner-up)
- 2017: NMT Top 20 Awards: Most Influential Person in Childcare
- 2018: Veuve Clicquot Social Purpose Business Woman of the Year Award (finalist)
- 2023: OBE for "services to Education"[12]
References
edit- ^ a b Hill, Jo (21 November 2011). "Big Venture Challenge winners: June O'Sullivan, chief executive of The London Early Years Foundation (LEYF)". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
- ^ Davies, Juliette (31 May 2020). "In Conversation with... June O'Sullivan". EY Matters. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
- ^ Johnson, Jamie (8 March 2018). "Meet the women who opened the Stock Exchange this morning". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
- ^ Albert, Angeline (8 December 2020). "Nursery boss pens 'plain-speaking' A-Z guide on early years". daynurseries.co.uk. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
- ^ "Awards". LEYF Nurseries. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
- ^ "The Ofsted Big Conversation #OBC". EY Matters. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
- ^ "Innovative nursery teaching degree to be launched". University of Wolverhampton. 26 July 2018. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
- ^ Lake, Howard (11 April 2018). "Interview with June O'Sullivan MBE, CEO of London Early Years Foundation". UK Fundraising. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
- ^ "London's Child Obesity Taskforce". Greater London Authority. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
- ^ "LEYF opens the country's first early years chef academy". Nursery World. 11 July 2019. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
- ^ "Interview with LEYF's June O'Sullivan MBE". First Discoverers. 22 February 2016. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
- ^ "Honorary awards to foreign nationals in 2023". Gov.UK. 2023.