“This research suggests that a good story, well told, in ways that activate helpful mindsets and avoid unhelpful ones, could actually help the evidence cut through and shift the odds for children.”
Most of us assume the public needs more evidence about the early years. This research points somewhere else.
Australians already believe young children are shaped by everything around them. They also believe raising a child is a family’s job alone. Both ideas live inside the same person, at the same time.
In this webinar, Dr Nat Kendall-Taylor shares new findings on how Australians think about the early years. These deep beliefs have now been measured across the population. And they predict which policies people will get behind.
ARACY CEO Melodie Potts Rosevear and Curijo Co-CEO Tina McGhie join Nat.
What you’ll hear
“It’s not about fixing us, it’s about supporting us.” — Tina McGhie, Co-CEO, Curijo
Scroll down for the resources mentioned in the session. Your questions are answered below the video.
Measuring Early Years Mindsets: Patterns of Thinking that Shape Australia’s Future
New research shows most Australians recognise that children and families need greater support, but understanding of what actually shapes early childhood development is uneven. Measuring Early Years Mindsets, from the FrameWorks Institute in partnership with Curijo and Minderoo Foundation, looks at the mindsets Australians hold about the early years, and why shifting these is central to changing policy and child- and family-serving systems.
Drawing on a nationally representative survey conducted in February 2026, the report examines how these mindsets vary across groups, how they cluster together and how they relate to support for solutions. It’s written for advocates and communicators working across the systems that affect children and families, including early years, housing, employment, justice, health, education and transport.
The report closes with initial recommendations for advocates and communicators working to shift public thinking and build demand for change.
How we talk about children and families shapes what people will support
Words matter. New research shows Australians hold competing, deeply ingrained mindsets about the early years, and which one is switched on in a given moment changes what people see as the problem, who they hold responsible and which solutions feel sensible.
The QKP Framing Initiative has spent years building an evidence base on this, in partnership with the FrameWorks Institute. Its Framing for Change Learning Hub brings that research together in one place: an introduction to strategic framing for those getting started, Australian and international reports, framing theory, tested metaphors, recorded webinars and real-world case studies.
Whether you’re new to framing or already applying it in your communications, the hub is designed to meet you where you are, including a 10-page Framing Checklist you can put to use straightaway.
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With six connected areas, The Nest ensures young Australians have everything they need for the best start in life, helping them reach their highest potential.
Using The Nest, has helped ARACY to be at the forefront of disease prevention and the promotion of holistic health for young Australians.
Here you’ll see some examples of how The Nest has been used in organisations outside of ARACY across Australia.
