The Story of Sanctuary

Quite often, I am asked the question:
“What inspired you to get into early childhood education?”

Sometimes it’s followed by:
“Were you a teacher?”

For a long time, I used to hesitate when answering that question. If I am completely honest, there was a part of me that felt uncomfortable explaining my place within this incredible sector.

Deep down, I think it came from moments of imposter syndrome creeping in, those words we hate to admit out loud, but we all feel them at some point – “Who am I to be the Approved Provider and help lead such an incredible organisation as Sanctuary?”

What I have come to realise over the past twelve years is that early childhood education needs many different kinds of people to create something truly exceptional for children and families.

Some people bring deep pedagogical knowledge.
Some bring operational excellence.
Some bring leadership and mentoring.
Some bring advocacy.
And some, like me, bring vision, connection, culture and a relentless passion for people.

I have learnt that I do not need to be everything. Instead, my role is to surround myself with the most skilled, knowledgeable and values aligned people possible and then create the conditions for them to thrive.

And that is exactly what Sanctuary was built on.

Anyway, I digress… and if you know me personally, you will know I absolutely love to have a chat and tell a story, and sometimes my stories tend to take us on a little adventure of their own before finding their way back home.

So let me take you back to where this all really began.

When I was a little girl, I always knew I wanted to be a mum.

Then, when I was eleven years old and my brother was eight, my parents received a beautiful surprise, they were expecting another baby.

When my youngest brother arrived, something shifted in me. In many ways, I became another parent, a mini mummy. I absolutely adored my brother. I loved caring for him, helping him learn, comforting him, playing with him, and being part of his world.

Looking back now, I can see that those moments planted the very first seeds of what would eventually become Sanctuary.

Not a business.
Not a strategy.
But a deep understanding that childhood matters.

The way children feel matters.
The way families are supported matters.
The environments children grow within matter deeply.

Before Sanctuary, I spent fifteen years working in corporate roles within a large organisation. It was fast paced, high performing and incredibly valuable in shaping my leadership and strategic thinking.

Then in 2012, my husband Damian introduced me to a couple who would completely change the direction of my life and career.

Over the next two years, we built a friendship, and through that friendship I was introduced to the world of early childhood education in a completely different way. I watched the impact this sector could have not only on children, but on families, educators and entire communities.

I saw the enormous responsibility carried by early childhood professionals, but I also saw the incredible opportunity.

In 2014, after fifteen years in the corporate world, I took what felt like a giant leap of faith and resigned to join the early education sector.

It changed my life.

Over the following years, I immersed myself in learning everything I possibly could. I learnt about operations, compliance, leadership, family relationships, occupancy, educational environments, and most importantly people.

During my time as National Acquisitions and Integrations Manager, I supported the growth of a national early learning organisation from 57 centres to more than 130 centres across Australia. It gave me invaluable insight into how systems support quality, and the profound impact leadership has on the daily experience of children and educators.

But somewhere along the way, another dream quietly started taking shape.

At the same time, I had also fallen pregnant with our first son. And becoming a mother changed everything. It deepened my understanding of just how much trust families place in the people caring for their children.

A dream to create something more personal, more connected, more meaningful and deeply intentional lit a fire within me.

A place where children felt deeply known.
Where educators felt valued and inspired.
Where families felt genuine belonging.
Where relationships came first.

A place that felt like Sanctuary.

In 2017, my husband Damian and I founded Sanctuary Early Learning Adventure.

As new parents, and seeing the world through our son’s eyes, we wanted our son to feel safe, loved, included, seen and celebrated for exactly who he was. We wanted him surrounded by educators who genuinely cared, not just for his wellbeing, but for his safety. We wanted him to experience joy, wonder, belonging and connection in his earliest years.

That experience deepened my understanding of what families are truly searching for when they choose an early learning service.

Families are not simply looking for care.
They are looking for trust.
For partnership.
For emotional safety.
For people who will love and protect their child alongside them.

That understanding shaped Sanctuary from the very beginning.

When Damian and I opened our first Sanctuary centre, we knew we wanted to create something different.

Of course we wanted beautiful environments, strong systems and high quality education. But more than anything, we wanted people to feel something when they walked through our doors.

We wanted families to feel welcomed.
We wanted children to feel a sense of belonging.
We wanted educators to feel respected, supported and inspired.
We wanted our centres to feel warm, calm, relational and deeply human.

Today, Sanctuary has grown into six centres across Queensland, but the heart of what we do has never changed.

We are still family owned.
We are still values led.
We still believe relationships are everything.

And we still believe the best outcomes for children happen when we deeply invest in the people who care for them every day.

People often ask me what makes Sanctuary different.

The answer is always our people.

Our educators.
Our leaders.
Our support teams.

The humans who show up every single day to protect childhood and create meaningful experiences for children.

My role today as Founder, Owner and People and Culture Leader in Sanctuary is not to be the expert in every room. It is to help create the culture, vision and leadership that allows exceptional people to do their best work.

It is about building a workplace where people feel connected to purpose.
Where growth is encouraged.
Where professionalism and fun coexist.
Where children remain at the centre of every decision we make.

Because when educators feel supported, valued and inspired, children feel it too.

Families feel it too.

Culture is never invisible in early childhood education. It flows into every interaction, every conversation, every learning environment and every relationship.



As I reflect on the story of Sanctuary so far, I feel incredibly grateful.

Grateful for the families who trust us.
Grateful for the educators who walk alongside us.
Grateful for the children who inspire us every single day.

Sanctuary was never built to become the biggest.

It was built to make a meaningful impact.

To create connection.

To create environments where children, families and educators truly flourish together.

And while so much has evolved since 2017, one thing has remained constant:

We never forget that behind every enrolment is a child.

A family.
A story.
A huge amount of trust.

Thank you for allowing us to be part of yours.

Lauren x

Lauren Hall
Founder, Owner & People and Culture Leader
Sanctuary Early Learning Adventure

If you want to know more you can enquire with us by clicking the button below today. We would love to welcome you in for a tour and discuss what the experience would be for your baby and family.