What Does Innovation Look Like in the Early Years Landscape?
In early childhood settings, innovation is happening everywhere. From creative curriculum designs to cutting-edge technologies, inspiring examples of innovative practices, processes, products and more are leading the way in transforming how we think about the learning and development of our youngest minds. However, innovation in the early childhood landscape is not just about adopting the latest technology or trendy teaching methods; it’s about creating an environment where children’s curiosity and creativity are nurtured, their developmental needs are met, and their potential is maximised.
So, without further ado, let’s take a peek at some inspiring examples of innovation in action from around the country.
Real-World Examples of Innovation in Early Childhood
G8 Education: Tender Care Meets Tech
G8 Education, one of Australia’s largest for-profit early learning providers, is embracing the digital world by integrating technology and play-based learning. In partnership with CompNow, G8 is providing children with access to educational apps on iPads and interactive displays which enable them to build literacy, numeracy, and problem-solving skills through stimulating, hands-on experiences. G8 is also simultaneously improving communication with parents through these technologies, ensuring that families are actively informed and involved in shaping their children’s early years experiences.
For educators and teachers, the tech-driven approach is streamlining lesson planning and administrative tasks, affording them more time to build trusting relationships with children. These comforting interactions are vital for their emotional and cognitive development and are just as rewarding for the workforce as they are for the children – putting the human experience at the centre of early learning.
Overall, therefore, by blending traditional tender care methods with a digital tech-driven approach to learning, G8 is modernising. By helping our youngest minds to learn in an engaged, immersive, and innovative way, G8 is supporting children to grow essential skills to prepare them for a future shaped by technology. The best part? All this occurs without losing sight of the importance of active, play-based learning.
Busy Bees Early Learning: Bilingual Brilliance
Busy Bees Early Learning kindergarten program is underpinned by a unique dedication to inclusivity through embracing linguistic diversity. Recognising the rich multicultural community they serve, the Busy Bees Glenroy Daycare Centre, for example, incorporates both spoken languages – including Italian, Turkish, Mandarin, Nepalese, and Sinhala – and Auslan (Australian Sign Language) into their daily curriculum. Through immersive activities such as storytelling, songs, and play, the learning of different languages not only supports children’s cognitive development but also fosters an innate cultural awareness, respect, and support for sharing from a young age in a dynamic, open way. This fosters deeper, more genuine relationships between the children, educators, teachers and the surrounding community.
This innovative curriculum example stands out because of the depth of Busy Bees’ commitment to actively embedding these languages into every facet of learning, not as supplementary but as core components of the children’s daily routines. Languages are taught not in isolation but as part of a holistic approach to social development and inclusivity. Busy Bees helps bridge communication gaps for children from various backgrounds, ensuring all children are equipped with a unique communication skillset that values connection, normalises language learning, and prepares them for a globalised future.
Gowrie NSW: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Sparks Early Learning
Gowrie NSW operates several not-for-profit early learning centers which envision STEM as an exhilarating adventure rather than just a subject. Gowrie NSW's approach to integrating STEM into early childhood education sets young minds on a path of exploration and discovery as children are encouraged to experiment and engage with hands-on learning activities such as constructing bridges, conducting simple coding tasks, and diving into the mysteries of the natural world.
In doing such activities, children at Gowrie NSW are encouraged to explore their wonder, ask curious questions, and collaborate to solve problems in ways that make learning feel like a fun and exciting journey. By blending STEM concepts with interactive, real-world applications, Gowrie NSW’s curriculum is not just preparing children for future academic challenges but also instilling a love for learning that can fuel their passions for years to come.
BUSHkids: Meeting Children and Community Where They Are
BUSHkids is a not-for-profit organisation which supports the health and wellbeing of children and their families in regional, rural and remote Queensland. BUSHkids’ innovative approach to holistic early years service delivery combines early intervention, developmental support, and behavioral assistance for children experiencing speech delays, struggles with mental health, and autism spectrum diagnoses. They employ a multidisciplinary team of psychologists, occupational therapists, speech pathologists and more who use both face-to-face and telehealth services to ensure local accessibility and flexibility.
BUSHkids also tailor their outreach interventions to bring life-changing outcomes directly to the communities they serve. By focusing on outreach, they truly "meet people where they are," making sure that every child can thrive, no matter what they may face. BUSHkids runs interactive activities such as building, climbing and unstructured play outdoors to enable children to learn about the world around them whilst simultaneously fostering creativity and resilience, encouraging healthy risk-taking, and instilling a sense of environmental stewardship from a young age.
Early Childhood Australia (ECA): Be You – Mental Health Matters
ECA, a peak national body for early childhood educators, has co-developed the "Be You" initiative with Beyond Blue. This program promotes mental health and wellbeing for educators, caregivers, and the children they support. The program provides professionals with innovative, mental health-focused strategies, resources and tools to support children’s social-emotional development, foster resilience and emotional wellbeing, and champion recognition of the importance of mental health from an early age.
What makes the Be You initiative groundbreaking is its holistic approach. By offering practical tools and resources, it empowers professionals to address mental health with the same gravity and importance they approach literacy and numeracy. With a strong emphasis on community, collaboration, and early intervention, Be You ensures that mental health is seamlessly integrated into everyday learning, making emotional wellbeing a priority for children and educators alike. This initiative is therefore helping to create a nurturing ecosystem sustained by the supportive conditions children need to flourish like trust, connection, and active listening.
Victorian Department of Education and Training: Inclusion in Action
The Victorian Department of Education and Training’s "Kindgarten Inclusion Support" (KIS) program enhances inclusivity in early childhood settings. Designed to ensure that children with additional needs have the same opportunities as their peers, the innovative KIS program provides targeted support, funding and resources to kindergartens. By equipping educators with tools to support equal participation and guidance on best inclusive practices, this program sets a benchmark for how inclusion and innovation can be integrated seamlessly into early childhood education.
The KIS initiative also fosters creativity in how educators can adapt learning experiences to meet the diverse needs of every child. Through ideating personalised strategies, improved access to professional learning, and additional funding, the KIS program empowers early learning centres to implement inclusive practices that go beyond standard adjustments. It encourages a proactive, tailored needs-based approach, ensuring that every child can engage in meaningful play and learning, and experience good quality early learning.
Baya Gawiy Early Childhood Centre: Celebrating Culture
At the heart of the Fitzroy Crossing in Western Australia, the Baya Gawiy Early Childhood Learning Unit (ECLU) offers something truly special – a place where culture and innovation intersect. Run by the Marninwarntikura Fitzroy Women’s Resource Centre, the ECLU provides culturally relevant learning experiences for children, ensuring they are surrounded by the rich traditions, stories, and languages of the local Aboriginal communities from their earliest years. ECLU programs contain local mobs’ ways of knowing and being, champion deep respect for Country, and make space for ending trauma for future generations. This is achieved through many pathways, for example bilingual learning. Such strategies enable children to embrace communication and grow with empathy, self-respect, and grounding.
With strong community involvement, Baya Gawiy ensures that each child is supported both by traditional Aboriginal knowledge and heritage, and modern early childhood education practices. This collaborative innovative approach creates a unique learning environment that respects and celebrates diversity while preparing children for a world beyond their immediate horizon.
Child Australia: Cultural Connections and Bridging Diversity
Child Australia in Western Australia and the Northern Territory offers a "Cultural Connections" program that showcases innovation by integrating multiple cultural perspectives, teachings, and practices into every learning. With a focus on celebration and sharing through interactive activities such as storytelling and community events, the program supports educators to weave cultural awareness and respect into their teaching practices.
By incorporating diverse cultural perspectives into curriculums, the Cultural Connections program teaches children about different cultures whilst concurrently encouraging them to build a strong sense of their own identity and belonging. The program helps children to welcome cultural difference with curiosity, not stigma or hostility. This sense of cultural exploration is after all an integral part of children’s early education journey, sparking a love for diversity and respect for people from all backgrounds that they may carry with them for the rest of their lives. This innovative program is one of several leading the way in making cultural celebration a cornerstone of early childhood education.
This example wraps up our exploration of innovative practices in the early years, illustrating how distinct approaches can enrich not just children's early years experiences, but those of their families, communities and the workforce too.
What do these examples of innovation have in common?
These innovation case studies illustrate that the early years landscape is brimming with creativity and forward-thinking approaches. From Busy Bee’s multilingual inclusivity to Child Australia’s celebration of cultural sharing, each example showcases a unique recipe for innovation that is clearly successful. So, what then ties these different examples together?
As far as we can tell, there are several key ingredients to a successful recipe for innovation in the early years, of course with respect to context and setting. Let’s have a look at some of these together:
Child-Centric Focus on Empowerment: Innovations like G8 Education’s tech and play integration and Gowrie NSW’s STEM activities clearly prioritise the needs and interests of children. By offering engaging, hands-on experiences, these programs support critical thinking, problem-solving, and digital literacy whilst never swaying from the focus on how activities benefit children’s development and enrich their learning.
Cultural Relevance, Adaptability, and Inclusivity: Programs such as BUSHkids and Baya Gawiy exemplify how acknowledging and celebrating culture enriches early learning. These innovations are adapted and tailored to suit respective contexts and address the unique needs of children in such areas.
Collaboration With Families and Communities: Effective innovations like ECA’s “Be You” and Victoria’s KIS program involve strong relationships with families and communities. The keys to maintaining these relationships are transparent communication and empathy. If services keep everyone in the loop, then they can ensure they have the full confidence and engagement of the children and families they support. Furthermore, by practising empathetic behaviour, children can develop genuine connections with others, build social skills and develop their emotional intelligence. These skills can help them to forge lasting relationships with others their own age, their families, their teachers, and their surrounding communities.
Evidence-Informed and Continuous Improvement: Successful innovations are not static. As seen with Child Australia’s Cultural Connections programmatic approach, ongoing reflection and evolutionary improvement ensure that innovations remain relevant and can continue to meet the needs of children. Effective innovations are also often backed by empirical research. For instance, the KIS program benefits are supported by studies highlighting their positive impact on inclusivity and learning outcomes for young children.
Conclusion
These successful innovation ingredients underscore a powerful message: whether you're a not-for-profit or for-profit organisation, peak body, or otherwise, innovations are important and can make or break the future. Innovations are clearly shaping the future of early childhood in Australia and those that are achieving the most impact are built on a foundation of inclusivity, community engagement, and a steadfast commitment to the needs and well-being of children.
As we continue to explore more innovative approaches throughout this series, let’s remember these principles. In keeping children at the center of all our efforts, we can ensure that all children have opportunities to thrive. The future of the early years in Australia looks promising, thanks to the dedication and creativity of those who are leading the way in innovative practice.
What Do YOU Think? Share Your Thoughts With Us!
Share your thoughts with us via email, and stay hungry for more! We’ve got a full menu of articles on innovation in the early years coming your way. Together, let’s cook up fresh ideas and serve a brighter future for our little ones! Keep those creative juices flowing!
Kate Oubridge-Egan – Innovation Lab Manager, The Front Project
Resources:
The Front Project. The Innovation Lab - Food for Thought Innovation Series. Retrieved from https://www.thefrontproject.org.au/index.php?option=com_sppagebuilder&view=page&id=422
G8 Education. Retrieved from https://g8education.edu.au/
CompNow. Exploring the digital world with young children at G8 Education. Retrieved from https://www.compnow.com.au/case_study/exploring-the-digital-world-with-young-children-at-g8-education/
Busy Bees Education. Kindergarten at Busy Bees. Retrieved from https://www.busybees.edu.au/our-curriculum/kindergarten-at-busy-bees/
Busy Bees Glenroy Daycare Centre. Retrieved from https://www.busybees.edu.au/locations/glenroy/
Gowrie NSW. Retrieved from https://www.gowriensw.com.au/
Gowrie NSW. STEM in early childhood education. Retrieved from https://www.gowriensw.com.au/thought-leadership/stem-in-early-childhood-education
BUSHkids. Retrieved from https://www.bushkids.org.au/
Early Childhood Australia (ECA). Retrieved from https://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/
Early Childhood Australia (ECA). Be You. Retrieved from https://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/our-work/beyou/
Beyond Blue. Retrieved from https://www.beyondblue.org.au/
Victorian Government. Department of Education and Training - Kindergarten Inclusion Support. Retrieved from https://www.vic.gov.au/kindergarten-inclusion-children-disabilities
Baya Gawiy Early Childhood Learning Unit (ECLU). Retrieved from https://mwrc.com.au/pages/baya-gawiy-early-childhood-learning-unit
Child Australia. Retrieved from https://childaustralia.org.au/
Child Australia. (2024). Cultural Connections. Retrieved from https://childaustralia.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cultural-Connections.pdf