The landscape of early childhood education itself has changed significantly over the past few decades, with the majority of parents returning to work after having children, in part due to cost-of-living pressures. This has directly increased the need to enrol children into early education services at much younger ages, for more days, for longer hours, than we have ever seen or experienced before. Educators in child care centres, day cares and kindergartens are spending more time with children than the children's own parents in some cases. Yet, this incredible responsibility – being an essential partner with parents in the role of caring for the next generation – is left in the hands of often under-trained, under-resourced and over-stretched service providers. These critical attachment figures are doing significantly more than ‘just babysitting’ children. They are tasked with the enormous role of providing education and promoting a love of learning through play; as well as building, maintaining and deepening the safe, secure attachment schemas children need, and in the past gained only from their primary attachment figures, in order to develop into healthy, adaptive, resilient adults.

As a community, we need to invest in the next generation. The Australian Child Maltreatment Study (ACMS), released in 2023, starkly reminded us of the widespread, long-term, negative effects of such trauma on children. This research was clear; we need to invest in the wellbeing of children in order to reduce poor mental health, poor physical health and poor social outcomes for young people and adults later in life. Educators are sharing the responsibility of supporting the emotional, physical and academic growth of children in partnership with parents and carers. Early childhood professionals need to excel in how best to care for children, holistically. Early childhood professionals need to be highly skilled and trained in understanding trauma and its effects on developing brains. Early childhood educators need to be respected, because of their training, so as to provide expert care, advice and support for children going through trauma, children who are neuro-diverse and children who are experiencing behavioural difficulties, whatever the reason.

Early childhood educators need to be invested in; because to do so, means we are investing in the future of the country.

This presentation offers practical activities and strategies that can be used in Early Learning contexts to support children who have experienced trauma, to engage in learning and social environments. It has been developed from many years working with children at Yuille Park Community College which is situated in a highly vulnerable area of Ballarat, Victoria. This school caters for a majority of children and families from trauma backgrounds, as does the kindergarten (3-4 years old pre-school) which is located on campus with the primary school. The kindergarten has a National Quality Standard Excellent rating.
Participants will gain an insight into behaviours that indicate trauma in young children, and will be encouraged to think about their actions and interactions with young children who have experienced trauma. The aim is to introduce practical ways to support inclusion and belonging that can counter the negative effects of trauma.

This presentation demonstrates the profound impact of play therapy strategies on children navigating trauma. Recognizing the sensitive and formative nature of early years, the session underscores the significance of creating a safe and nurturing environment where children can heal, thrive, and develop resilience in the face of adversity.
Beginning with an exploration of the complex dynamics of childhood trauma, participants will gain insights into the profound effects trauma can have on young minds and bodies. Through a trauma-informed lens, the presentation elucidates the importance of fostering environments that prioritize safety, predictability, and connection, essential for mitigating the lasting effects of trauma.
Moreover, the presentation emphasizes the role of the educator as a secure base and supportive ally in the child's journey. Participants will explore strategies for building trusting relationships, providing consistent emotional support, and validating children's experiences in a compassionate and empathetic manner. By fostering a secure attachment and responsive caregiving, educators can empower children to develop a sense of safety, agency, and self-worth essential for resilience.
The session also addresses the importance of collaboration and partnership between educators, families, and mental health professionals in supporting children with trauma. Through effective communication, shared understanding, and coordinated intervention strategies, participants will learn how to create a holistic support network that addresses the multifaceted needs of traumatized children within the early childhood setting.
In conclusion, this presentation advocates for the integration of play therapy strategies as a transformative approach to supporting children with trauma. By harnessing the power of play and nurturing relationships, educators can create environments that promote healing, resilience, and hope, laying the foundation for a brighter and more promising future for young children affected by trauma.

Goodstart Early Learning’s vision is for all Australian children to have the best possible start to achieve the learning, development, and wellbeing outcomes they need for school and life. Our inclusion goal is to ensure that those children at greater risk of falling behind, such as children that have experienced trauma have an opportunity to learn and grow through early learning.

High quality early learning settings can offer an opportunity to create a safe place for a traumatised child’s development to progress. To meet the needs of their most vulnerable children and improve early learning outcomes, Goodstart developed trauma informed policies, procedures, and practices to be implemented nationally. A 12-week Intensive Individual Support Plan is now offered to children at risk of exclusion due to presenting with extreme volatile behaviours or withdrawal behaviours. The Intensive Plan provides trauma informed training to implement educational practices and intensive weekly support for the centre team and child. An out-of-ratio educator supports specific objectives with the child, to help make sense of their world and others when in a heightened and/or aroused state and learn self-regulating strategies. The trauma informed practices are shared with the whole team. Since 2015 Intensive Individual Support Plans, have successfully supported over 450 children nationally. Recently, we have been able to transfer the model, to be delivered in a private sector Early Learning Service , showing that this approach can be successful in other ECEC services.
Goodstart engaged The University of Adelaide to conduct an evaluation of the approach which found the approach to be a very robust, effective, evidenced-based intervention for reducing aggressive and withdrawal trauma behavior's in children attending ECEC. The children also respond positively to the intervention by being more capable of playing with peers. The evaluators also observed that children, increased their ability to name their emotions, improved their language skills, had increased capacity to participate in learning experiences and demonstrated more empathy towards peers. The study also found that over the course of the intensive, educators developed their emotional understanding of the child, were protective and caring towards the child, collaborated with the child’s family, and grew in confidence in their practice.
This workshop will use a case study to step participants through the process of the implementation of an Intensive Individual Support Plan and share everyday trauma informed ECEC practices.