HDA: Development and wellbeing in early childhood

This forum of expert speakers will focus in on investing, targeting, and integrating ways forward in the development and wellbeing in early childhood. There are challenges and opportunities ahead, let's works towards building a brighter future for our children. This forum is held in conjunction with our partner organisation the Department for Education.

OUR SPEAKERS

Kim Little, Chief Executive, Office for Early Childhood Development

Investing in early childhood

The South Australian government is making significant investments to improve outcomes for young children in SA. This presentation will provide an overview of the South Australian early childhood reform timeline including the introduction of universal 3-year-old preschool, early childhood workforce initiatives and better-connected support for families and children.

Kim Little is the inaugural Chief Executive of the Office for Early Childhood Development. She is tasked with leading the design and implementation of landmark reforms in early childhood in South Australia, to increase the number of children starting school developmentally on track. With expertise in education and social policy, Kim was most recently the lead Deputy Secretary for the implementation of the Victorian Government’s ambitious Education State kindergarten reforms. This included the introduction of universal 3-year-old kindergarten and successful programs to lift the quality of kindergarten-offering services. Kim has held leadership roles in the areas of early childhood, higher education and skills, with a focus on policy matters, market design and intervention. She has also worked as a philosopher at Monash University and a corporate lawyer. Kim grew up in rural Queensland and Papua New Guinea and is married to a South Australian.

A/Professor Yasmin Harman-Smith, Head of Early Years Systems Evidence, Telethon Kids Institute

Targeting impact to achieve change that matters for kids

For many families, their children starting school is an anxious time filled with worry about how their little people will fare in the classroom and playground. AEDC data linked to data about children's achievement, wellbeing and exclusions lends evidence to these concerns. This talk will provide provocations for how the system might target critical areas of children's development to promote learning and wellbeing.

Yasmin Harman-Smith works closely with policy makers and practitioners to design evaluations in partnership and inform systems that support children and families in the early years. Yasmin sits on the National Child Community Health Council and is the Deputy Chair of the Board of Gowrie SA. Yasmin has a PhD in Psychology from the University of Adelaide. Her honours and PhD research were in the area of child development, where she investigated the development of theory of mind in children with and without autism. She is currently completing a Masters of Primary Education. Yasmin’s areas of research expertise include developmental psychology, early childhood education, and parenting practices.

Brad Morgan, Director, Emerging Minds

Integrating Mental Health into the Early Childhood Development story

This presentation will share insights from research about opportunities to integrate mental health as an essential component of communication about children’s development. This will include evidence-based strategies and resources that can be used by health communicators, policy makers, educators and practitioners working in community engagement, population communication and advocacy activities.

Brad Morgan is the Director of Emerging Minds and leads the delivery of national infant, child, adolescent and family mental health strategies. These include national workforce, health promotion, policy and implementation activities designed to strengthen support for child mental health, trauma, child development and parent and family mental health. His leadership is focused on bringing together practice and lived experience expertise together with international and Australian research to support the design and delivery of national mental health promotion, prevention and early intervention strategies that improve the mental health and wellbeing of infants, children, young people and their families.

Kylie Dankiw, PhD candidate, Allied Health and Human Performance, University of South Australia

Nature play for well-being in early childhood, the challenges and opportunities

This presentation will highlight the significance of nature play in contributing to children's well-being and development. Drawing on evidence from the literature, observations of children’s play, and interviews with parents and early childhood educators exploring the challenges and opportunities to nature play delivery in early childhood settings.

Kylie Dankiw’s field of research intersects across child development, public health, health promotion and ecology. Kylie is a child health advocate, and her research is focused on connecting the community with nature play by engaging with key stakeholders and communicating meaningful implications of her research for their practices. Kylie completed a Masters by Research (Health Sciences) degree at the University of South Australia (UniSA) within the Academic Unit of Allied Health and Human Performance in 2021 and she is currently undertaking a doctorate within the same field at UniSA.

OUR CHAIR

Professor Carol Maher (HDA Co-Convenor), Professor of Population and Digital Health, Medical Research Future Fund Investigator / Director of the Alliance for Research in Exercise, Nutrition and Activity (ARENA), University of South Australia

Carol Maher's research focuses on how children's and adults' daily activity patterns (e.g. physical activity, sleep and sedentary behaviours) impact their health. In particular, Carol is interested in how technologies such as wearables, online social networking, mobile phone apps and gamification can be used to improve lifestyle in a fun engaging way, and how these interventions can be delivered at scale to positively impact Australia's health. Carol has received over $4.5 million in research funding, has published 140 journal articles, and is Section Editor for BMC Public Health.