June Rusdon knew nothing about early childhood education when she decided in 1989 to enter the childcare industry. She made the leap, after 10 years as a stockbroker, because she was about to have her first child, and she wanted it to have the best possible start in life.

It was a leap that led to a 35-year career as a pioneering and award-winning early childhood educator and entrepreneur who, when she retired in August 2024, had grown her business from one modest childcare centre at a Bukit Batok void deck into a regional network of 142 centres with an enrolment of more than 15,000 children, and two teacher training colleges.

June’s early life was difficult. Her father worked as a peon (office assistant) and later ran a nasi padang shop. It was a struggle for him to provide for the family. Her homemaker mother earned some extra income by selling curry puffs and Malay kueh and providing post-natal massage services. June lost both her parents when she was in her teens, and her eldest sister became the caregiver for the family.

June’s parents may have lacked the resources to build businesses, but they passed on to their daughter their entrepreneurial instincts. Meanwhile, the difficulties June faced when growing up taught her resilience and made her strong.

When June started out in the childcare industry, the Singapore government was encouraging women to return to the workforce after having children so there was growing demand for good childcare centres. To prepare for her entry into the business, June read books, talked to people, and did much research about parenting and running a childcare centre.

She then tendered for and secured void deck space in Bukit Batok. She printed a flyer with an image of the cartoon character Garfield, some information about the Small Wonder Childcare Centre, and her telephone number. She and her husband then distributed the flyer in the neighbourhood.

Her phone soon started to ring, and it kept ringing. Parents wanted to know more about this Small Wonder Centre – what was the curriculum, who were the teachers, who were the owners.

June realised she had made the right move. Now she had to make sure she could deliver what parents wanted. With her experience in stockbroking, and the entrepreneurial genes she had inherited from her parents, she could handle the business issues. She made sure she got the right people to take care of the core of the business – childcare and early childhood education.

In February 1990, the Small Wonder Childcare Centre opened its doors for children aged from 18 months to 6 years. When later in 1990 the government released more sites for childcare centres, June won two – in Tampines and Pasir Ris. These opened the following year. Within 18 months of stepping into the industry, June had opened three childcare centres.

Later in the 1990s the Government decided that, as much as possible, public-sector workplaces should be family-friendly and have childcare centres. The first such centre was at the IRAS building. June made the winning bid for this and set up what would become the model workplace childcare centre in Singapore.

June then saw a growing need for enrichment programmes for children. In 1999 she launched Learning Horizon to provide quality curated programmes that covered science, robotics, and speech and drama, for children aged from 18 months to 12 years.

The following year she opened Learning Capital, a teacher’s training college for early childhood education, because of the growing need for good childcare teachers. It was later renamed Asian International College to broaden its regional reach.

The holding company for June’s various centres was called the Learning Vision Group. Over the years it earned many awards, including the MCYS Outstanding Early Childhood Teacher (Principal) Award, the Singapore Quality Class Award, the ECDA Innovation Award, and the ECDA Award for Excellence in Early Childcare Development.

In 2007, June sold the Learning Vision Group, which had by now more than 20 centres, to the US-based private equity firm Knowledge Universe. She became the CEO of Knowledge Universe SEA and continued to grow the business. In 2008, she ventured into the premium childcare market by opening ‘Odyssey: The Global Preschool’, which now has seven campuses in Singapore and one in Malaysia.

In 2014, the UK-based Busy Bees group bought over Knowledge Universe’s Asia business and June became CEO of its operations in Asia. Busy Bees has an extensive network of centres in Europe, North America, Asia, Australia, and New Zealand.

At Busy Bees, June launched Knowledge Access, a scheme to help vulnerable children, especially those from underprivileged backgrounds or with special needs, get access to high-quality nurseries, including an inclusive preschool that offers integrated therapies.

In starting the scheme, June was driven by her belief in the transformative power of learning and the importance of trying to give as many children as possible access to quality schools and the resources and support to reach their full potential.

In July 2024 June announced that she would be retiring after 35 years of an ‘exciting, exhilarating, and empowering’ career in the early childhood industry. She said she would continue to contribute to the early childhood community through various self-help and community organisations.

June serves on the boards of National Gallery of Singapore and the Singapore Muslim Women’s Association (PPIS), and as an Advisor to Oaks Plus Limited, a subsidiary of PPIS. At PPIS she provides guidance on strategic management, human resources, and operations of the preschools it runs, and on fundraising initiatives.

June Rusdon knew nothing about early childhood education when she decided in 1989 to enter the childcare industry. She made the leap, after 10 years as a stockbroker, because she was about to have her first child, and she wanted it to have the best possible start in life.

It was a leap that led to a 35-year career as a pioneering and award-winning early childhood educator and entrepreneur who, when she retired in August 2024, had grown her business from one modest childcare centre at a Bukit Batok void deck into a regional network of 142 centres with an enrolment of more than 15,000 children, and two teacher training colleges.

June’s early life was difficult. Her father worked as a peon (office assistant) and later ran a nasi padang shop. It was a struggle for him to provide for the family. Her homemaker mother earned some extra income by selling curry puffs and Malay kueh and providing post-natal massage services. June lost both her parents when she was in her teens, and her eldest sister became the caregiver for the family.

June’s parents may have lacked the resources to build businesses, but they passed on to their daughter their entrepreneurial instincts. Meanwhile, the difficulties June faced when growing up taught her resilience and made her strong.

When June started out in the childcare industry, the Singapore government was encouraging women to return to the workforce after having children so there was growing demand for good childcare centres. To prepare for her entry into the business, June read books, talked to people, and did much research about parenting and running a childcare centre.

She then tendered for and secured void deck space in Bukit Batok. She printed a flyer with an image of the cartoon character Garfield, some information about the Small Wonder Childcare Centre, and her telephone number. She and her husband then distributed the flyer in the neighbourhood.

Her phone soon started to ring, and it kept ringing. Parents wanted to know more about this Small Wonder Centre – what was the curriculum, who were the teachers, who were the owners.

June realised she had made the right move. Now she had to make sure she could deliver what parents wanted. With her experience in stockbroking, and the entrepreneurial genes she had inherited from her parents, she could handle the business issues. She made sure she got the right people to take care of the core of the business – childcare and early childhood education.

In February 1990, the Small Wonder Childcare Centre opened its doors for children aged from 18 months to 6 years. When later in 1990 the government released more sites for childcare centres, June won two – in Tampines and Pasir Ris. These opened the following year. Within 18 months of stepping into the industry, June had opened three childcare centres.

Later in the 1990s the Government decided that, as much as possible, public-sector workplaces should be family-friendly and have childcare centres. The first such centre was at the IRAS building. June made the winning bid for this and set up what would become the model workplace childcare centre in Singapore.

June then saw a growing need for enrichment programmes for children. In 1999 she launched Learning Horizon to provide quality curated programmes that covered science, robotics, and speech and drama, for children aged from 18 months to 12 years.

The following year she opened Learning Capital, a teacher’s training college for early childhood education, because of the growing need for good childcare teachers. It was later renamed Asian International College to broaden its regional reach.

The holding company for June’s various centres was called the Learning Vision Group. Over the years it earned many awards, including the MCYS Outstanding Early Childhood Teacher (Principal) Award, the Singapore Quality Class Award, the ECDA Innovation Award, and the ECDA Award for Excellence in Early Childcare Development.

In 2007, June sold the Learning Vision Group, which had by now more than 20 centres, to the US-based private equity firm Knowledge Universe. She became the CEO of Knowledge Universe SEA and continued to grow the business. In 2008, she ventured into the premium childcare market by opening ‘Odyssey: The Global Preschool’, which now has seven campuses in Singapore and one in Malaysia.

In 2014, the UK-based Busy Bees group bought over Knowledge Universe’s Asia business and June became CEO of its operations in Asia. Busy Bees has an extensive network of centres in Europe, North America, Asia, Australia, and New Zealand.

At Busy Bees, June launched Knowledge Access, a scheme to help vulnerable children, especially those from underprivileged backgrounds or with special needs, get access to high-quality nurseries, including an inclusive preschool that offers integrated therapies.

In starting the scheme, June was driven by her belief in the transformative power of learning and the importance of trying to give as many children as possible access to quality schools and the resources and support to reach their full potential.

In July 2024 June announced that she would be retiring after 35 years of an ‘exciting, exhilarating, and empowering’ career in the early childhood industry. She said she would continue to contribute to the early childhood community through various self-help and community organisations.

June serves on the boards of National Gallery of Singapore and the Singapore Muslim Women’s Association (PPIS), and as an Advisor to Oaks Plus Limited, a subsidiary of PPIS. At PPIS she provides guidance on strategic management, human resources, and operations of the preschools it runs, and on fundraising initiatives.