Women’s Business Network event highlights the importance of early childhood support in Guernsey

Women from across Guernsey’s business community came together at the Women’s Business Network (WBN) event, sponsored by EY, for an evening of connection and insight on the impact of early childhood support on future success.

The event’s guest speaker was Lisa Blondel, Chief Executive Officer of Bright Beginnings, who shared her leadership journey and reflections from her work supporting children and families in the early years. Drawing on her experience as a teacher in the UK and Guernsey, she explained how working with teenagers had shown her the lasting impact of a child’s earliest experiences, sharing how secure, loving relationships and strong support networks in early childhood help build resilience and equip children to navigate life’s challenges.

Lisa explained: “Bright Beginnings focuses on three main services: the Children’s Centre, Nursery and Preschool, and the literacy programme. We support parents through pregnancy, birth and beyond, helping to build positive foundations for a child’s life and strong support networks around families.”

Lisa also spoke about the importance of the first 1001 days of a child’s life (conception to age 2), when early experiences can have a lasting impact on development. Bright Beginnings provides prevention, early intervention and education, ensuring that families receive support as soon as they need it, and seeks to break cycles of trauma, creating stronger futures for children and families across the island.

Lisa continued: “Beyond Blue, Bright Beginnings’ perinatal wellbeing and mental health service, provides therapeutic group for parents, one-to-one support, counselling and specialist birth trauma recovery. We receive referrals from health visitors, midwives, doctors and social workers, as well as self-referrals.”

Margo Blondel, EY’s Channel Islands Marketing and Business Development Director, said: “We are delighted to sponsor and support this WBN event. At EY, we are committed to advancing gender equality and creating inclusive opportunities for women to build their professional network and share experiences to grow professionally. What stayed with me from Lisa’s talk was how strongly the early years shape a child’s future and how closely that is linked to the experience of parents. If we want children to thrive, we need to be more intentional about how we support their parents. For organisations like EY that are serious about inclusion, I see this as far from a peripheral issue. Supporting parents at this stage is fundamental to making real progress on gender parity.”

Bright Beginnings is available to all islanders caring for children under five, offering support from pregnancy through the early years. To find out more, visit the Bright Beginnings website.

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