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eSafety Early Years: We WATCH and EXPLORE with technology

This course focuses on how children engage with content in digital contexts. This is the most common way young children engage online, especially at home. You will learn how to choose content that encourages active participation and group interaction and will be provided with practical examples of how to share this important information with your families.

Within the structure of eSafety’s key messaging, be safe, be kind, ask for help and make good choices, you will delve deeper into online safety and how to set up digital devices within your service for optimum safe use, what strategies to use when children discover inappropriate content and how to engage in reflective conversations, and how to foster children’s social skills when engaging in digital learning environments. 

Learning outcomes

This course will enable you to:

  • describe WATCH and EXPLORE experiences
  • set up children’s devices for online safety and safe searching (Be safe)
  • support children’s wellbeing and social skills in digital technology experiences (Be kind)
  • teach children what to do when they encounter inappropriate content (Ask for help)
  • support children’s self-regulation skills when they are engaged with technology (Make good choices).


Category: ECA Subscriptions

Every child has a right to be included

This course is aimed to assist educators in developing their understanding of what it means to support Aboriginal children to feel a genuine sense of belonging within their early learning community. This course is specifically designed to offer early childhood professionals the skills to work with Aboriginal children and their families looking through a cultural lens.

In this course, you will:

  • understand the importance of family structure and kinship systems within Aboriginal culture
  • learn practical strategies for building trusting relationships with Aboriginal children and families
  • learn practical strategies to allow Aboriginal children and families to feel a sense of belonging.
Category: ECA Subscriptions

Fostering trusting relationships to support children with anxiety

In the early years of life, many children experience anxiety. There are different reasons as to why this may occur. This course aims to offer early childhood educators an opportunity to examine some of the ways children experience anxiety within an early childhood education and care context. It will explore how educators can use their professional knowledge to implement strategies, including:

  • advocating for the equal rights of all children
  • adopting an inclusive framework
  • developing skills to embed inclusive practice
  • collaboration
  • cultivating an environment that fosters peer-to-peer relationships
  • building strong partnerships with families
  • working closely with inclusion professionals
  • establishing environments to ensure every child can access and participate in programs that foster learning and development.

This course offers educators the opportunityto develop a better understanding of some of the reasons why anxiety occurs in children and places educators in a position to respond with empathy, develop warm and trusting relationships and offer children the support they need to build their own relationships.

This course is suitable for all educators working towards a formal qualification and seeking to learn more about the impact anxiety can have on young children. It aims to offer practical strategies to educators who want to support children who may be experiencing anxiety.

Category: ECA Subscriptions

Fundamental Movement Skills—Beyond the basics

This course provides the foundation to understand what fundamental movement skills are and the important role they play in supporting children’s holistic development. The course explores ways that educators can engage children in developing their fundamental movement skills as part of each day within the curriculum.

Learning outcomes:

  • explain the fundamental movement skills for each age group (birth to five years)
  • explore the importance of fundamental movement skills and how they have a holistic impact on children’s development
  • discover ways to include fundamental movement skills regularly into the curriculum
  • understand the role of the educator in supporting fundamental movement skills.

Recommended for:

This course is suitable for early childhood education and care professionals at all stages of their careers.


Category: ECA Subscriptions

Healthy communication in shared parenting

Healthy communication in shared parenting

This course supports parents and caregivers—whether together or parenting apart—in building healthier, more effective communication with one another. Through three focused concepts, you'll explore how to identify and express your needs, set clear boundaries, and navigate conflict styles with greater awareness. You'll gain practical tools to reduce tension, strengthen cooperation, and model respectful communication for your children. Whether you're co-parenting, parallel parenting, or parenting as a couple, this course offers strategies grounded in empathy, clarity, and mutual respect.

Category: Conflict Resolution Service

Helping children with difficult things

Category: Research in Practice Series

Including Children with Disability or Developmental Delay

Category: Everyday Learning Series

Incorporating meaningful movement in every day

This course explores why movement is so important in everyday life from birth and throughout childhood. Movement provides many benefits for children’s health, wellbeing and development. The course will focus on specific benefits and how educators can make movement fun. Practical examples and strategies will be provided to develop educators’ understanding of how meaningful movement can be incorporated into the learning environment for all children.


Learning outcomes:

  • discover meaningful movement for each age group (birth to five years)
  • explore ways to be inclusive and offer opportunities for all children to engage in meaningful movement learning experiences.
  • identify strategies that can be used and implemented to embed meaningful movement as part of every day.
  • consider the benefit of repetition and movement for children’s development.


Recommended for: 
This course is suitable for early childhood education and care professionals at all stages of their careers.

Category: ECA Subscriptions

Indoor environments: Spaces for children

This course looks at the role of the physical environment in children’s learning and the importance of setting up a well-organised indoor space. It will help you create a variety of rich play and learning spaces through effective organisation, showing that you don’t need to be a ‘designer’ to arrange a successful learning environment. The course includes written information and video interviews with educators that will help you assess your current indoor learning spaces.

This course will provide you a better understanding of:

  • the role of the environment in children’s learning
  • how indoor learning environments can guide children’s behaviour and promote constructive learning
  • apply critical elements within environments that support play-based learning
  • find out how the environment can foster a sense of belonging and contribute to children feeling safe.
Category: ECA Subscriptions

Induction essentials: A beginners guide to education and care

Early Childhood Australia has curated a collection of fundamental resources for educators who are new to the sector and are undertaking or yet to commence a formalised education and care qualification. This collection is intended as a starting point for induction for the core fundamentals before an educator starts in an education and care service.

In this course, you will:

  • be introduced to the governance structure and associated documents for education and care professional under the National Quality Framework work within
  • develop knowledge of what it means to be an early childhood professional in an Australian context
  • explore concepts such as children’s rights and play-based learning and consider how these relate to your practice in an early childhood setting
  • recognise the importance of health and safety, and relationships and interactions within the context of your work with children.
Category: ECA Subscriptions

Initiating a Reconciliation Action Plan: Where do I start?

This course will introduce early childhood professionals to the concept and context of reconciliation in early childhood education within Australia, and where to start when initiating a Reconciliation Action Plan. This course can also support practitioners in leadership roles to understand the Reconciliation Action Plan process and best support their team in initiating developing and implementing a Reconciliation Action Plan.

Participants will become familiar with Reconciliation Australia’s Narragunnawali: Reconciliation in Education program and online platform, which has tools and resources to support schools and early learning services to meaningfully contribute to the reconciliation movement. 

 This course will describe how early learning services can initiate developing a Reconciliation Action Plan on the Narragunnawali platform. Early childhood professionals will be guided to access professional learning and curriculum resources to support their pedagogical practice. Whilst initiating the Reconciliation Action Plan process, practitioners will be encouraged to engage with, and consider deliverables, actions and relevant supporting resources.

After completing this course, you will be able to apply the following learning outcomes.

  • Understand the concept and context of reconciliation early childhood within Australia, and the importance of reconciliation in education by developing a Reconciliation Action Plan.
  • Explore the relevance and application of reconciliation and having a Reconciliation Action Plan within early childhood education and care settings, as reflected in national standards and curriculum frameworks.
  • Discover how to use the Narragunnawali platform to develop and implement a Reconciliation Action Plan, and to access aligned professional learning and curriculum resources to support both pedagogical practice and children’s learning towards your reconciliation journey.

Category: ECA Subscriptions

Introducing inclusion: Looking at diversity and adversity through an inclusive framework

Every child has the right to both feel included and be included. Educators play a vital role in ensuring that every child is aware of this right.

In this module, you will learn how an inclusive framework can support you, as an early childhood professional, in creating a culture of responsive and respectful relationships with children, their families, those you work with as well as the community you are a part of. You will also understand how to apply inclusive practice through critical reflection and how creating a culturally safe space can help children form positive attachments and develop a strong sense of belonging and identity.

By understanding the essential role inclusion plays in supporting those who have been impacted by adversity, you will be able to identify and address barriers caused by exclusion. Specifically, you will be able to:

  • recognise exclusion
  • understand why inclusion is important to removing exclusion as a barrier
  • identify who is more likely to experience exclusion in Australia
  • understand how exclusion normalises adversity and the cycle of disadvantage
  • examine how inclusive practice can help you recognise and celebrate diversity.

This module will also delve into how early brain development, experiences and relationships can have a lifelong impact on children’s sense of belonging and connection to their community. It will explore the impact of trauma and explain how educators can support children facing both exclusion and adversity. The focus of this module is on building respectful, ethical and supportive partnerships with children, families and communities using a rights-based approach.

Category: ECA Subscriptions

Introduction to the National Quality Framework for early childhood education and care

The National Quality Framework was introduced in 2012 and was the result of an agreement between all Australian governments to work together to provide better educational and developmental outcomes for children. The NQF sets a benchmark for the quality of education and care services.

This module includes video interviews, self-reflection questions and activities designed to support a comprehensive knowledge of the National Quality Framework in practice.

The National Quality Framework is a complex document. It will take more than one professional learning session to fully understand. It is helpful to think of this module as introduction and starting point. This module is suitable for educators and professionals (at all stages of their careers) working in early childhood settings. The module includes written information and video interviews with educators and covers the following:

  • the guiding principles of the National Quality Framework
  • the Education and Care Services National Law
  • the Education and Care Services National Regulations
  • the National Quality Standard
  • approved learning framework/s for early childhood
  • the Assessment and Rating Process.
Category: ECA Subscriptions

Learning with nature - Benefit Risk Assessment

This benefit risk assessment module will help early childhood professionals working within Early Years Childcare and Education who are interested in incorporating nature within their setting while considering potential risks of incorporating nature-based programs for young children and explain how all risk assessments can be effectively documented. It will further explore ways of supporting children in making their own risk-assessments.

This course will:

  • inspire your team or colleagues to explore risk with children and support children in undertaking their own benefit–risk assessment
  • support effective practice by ensuring that appropriate documentation is in place
  • stimulate professional debate through awareness of the possibilities and challenges of hazards and risks in early childhood practice.
Category: Mindstretchers Academy and Dr Claire Warden

Learning with nature - Charcoal

Learning with nature – Charcoal is aimed at all professionals working within Early Years Childcare and Education who are interested in incorporating nature within their setting to inspire and support children’s learning. This module is designed to give you a practical understanding of ways to incorporate charcoal, integrating nature into all aspects of learning within your setting.

In this course, you will:

  • understand how charcoal is formed
  • justify the inclusion of occasional fire and the use and creation of charcoal in nature-based programs
  • apply the 10 things you’ve learnt about charcoal which will improve the quality of your interaction with children.
Category: Mindstretchers Academy and Dr Claire Warden

Learning with nature - Drips, drops & dribbles

This module is design to increase your key knowledge of drips, drops and dribbles to support children’s play and learning while fulfilling the learning potential of water. It will enhance adult interaction with children, through exploring intentionality.

In this course, you will:

  • understand the potential uses of very small amounts of water in children’s learning journeys
  • explain and justify the inclusion of drips, drops and dribbles in nature-based programs
  • apply the 10 things you’ve learnt about drips, drops and dribbles to improve the quality of your interaction with children.
Category: Mindstretchers Academy and Dr Claire Warden

Learning with nature - Introduction to nature pedagogy

This module is designed to provide a practical understanding of Nature Pedagogy. It is relevant for all early childhood education and care professionals who are interested in incorporating nature learning within their setting. This is an introductory module and does not need any prerequisite knowledge of the topic.

In this course, you will:

  • list the four fundamental elements that influence the way you work with children
  • describe the four features of Nature Pedagogy and how you would consider these while creating your learning structure
  • summarise the theory of loose parts and take practical steps to use them more effectively within your setting
  • demonstrate the thinking behind play affordance and implement it with the children you care for and educate.
Category: Mindstretchers Academy and Dr Claire Warden

Learning with nature - Leaves

To inspire and support children’s learning, this module explores different ways of incorporating leaves in nature-play experiences within early learning settings. This is an introductory module and does not need any pre-requisite knowledge of the topic.

In this course, you will:

  • discuss the potential use of leaves as a unique opportunity for integrated learning and development
  • explain and justify the use of leaves in nature-based programs
  • apply the 10 things you’ve learnt about leaves to improve the quality of your interaction with children.
Category: Mindstretchers Academy and Dr Claire Warden

Learning with nature - Light and shadow

Light and shadow are an integral part of nature. This module is designed for early childhood professionals who are interested in helping young children in their setting explore the concepts of light and shadow. This is an introductory module and does not need any prerequisite knowledge of the topic.

In this course, you will:

  • outline the potential of light and shadow for playful inquiry
  • explain the science of light and shadow and use it to support children’s learning experience
  • apply the 10 things you’ve learnt about light and shadow to improve the quality of your interaction with children.
Category: Mindstretchers Academy and Dr Claire Warden

Learning with nature - Mud kitchens

This module examines the principles behind the design of a mud kitchen. It also explains how you can give children empowerment and autonomy in their outdoor landscapes. Using videos, recorded conversations with children and real-life case studies, this module brings to life the benefits and learning opportunities of using a mud kitchen within your setting. This module is designed to help early childhood professionals integrate mud play into children’s learning. This is an introductory module and does not need any prerequisite knowledge of the topic.

In this course, you will:

  • explore how to create a mud kitchen to give children empowerment and autonomy in their outdoor landscapes
  • demonstrate how to make landscapes work for children
  • list the items you need in a mud kitchen
  • create a mud kitchen for use within your setting.
Category: Mindstretchers Academy and Dr Claire Warden
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