DrJessica Ciuciu

I am a Lecturer in Early Childhood Education in the School of Education at Deakin University. My research centres on the lived experience of being an early childhood professional and how they can access and sustain a teaching life of value. Areas of interest include sustainable workforce development with current attention being paid to early childhood teacher retention, agency, job satisfaction, wellbeing, and relational leadership. My research approach privileges the experiences and perspectives of early childhood professionals while accounting for the interconnected systems that influence their capability to pursue a career that is satisfying and sustainable.

I completed my PhD in 2024 through which I explored the relationship between early childhood teacher agency and retention. In 2023, I worked as a chief investigator on a national research project, Research into mentoring, induction and professional networks in early childhood education and care, which forms part of my commitment to ensuring that early childhood professionals are supported to sustain a teaching life of value. As a lecturer, I enjoy fostering learning communities of pre-service teachers who think critically about their professional practices, who nurture their emerging professional and collective identity, and who reflect on their role in advocating for socially just child-centred practices.