In early childhood education, curiosity is a foundational skill to build safety and connection. Certainty rather than curiosity can feel efficient, but it often costs us connection. Because, when we become certain — “He’s doing this on purpose.” “She’s manipulative.” “That family doesn’t care.” — we stop seeing what’s actually happening. Curiosity, on the other hand, keeps us aligned to what we know to be true: behaviour is communication. Children use behaviour to express needs, stress,...

Psychosocial risk management is not just a wellbeing initiative. It is part of an organisation’s work health and safety responsibilities, with clear and prescriptive Regulations in all jurisdictions in Australia. Unmanaged psychosocial risks can result in improvement or prohibition notices, enforceable undertakings or prosecution. But this does not need to be another compliance burden added to an already long list. Done well, psychosocial risk management can help create the kind of...

Many services I work with seek support for children who are exhibiting behaviours that educators find challenging, and at times unsafe for themselves, other children, and adults around them. Often, teams are understandably hoping for strategies that will be immediately effective — approaches that will quickly change behaviour and help children develop self-regulation skills in a short space of time. However, the reality is far more complex. When educators are repeatedly responding to...