What We Do
Wellbeing in education
Within a universal setting like Education, many broader wellbeing supports are required and available. The following are programs, tools or initiatives delivered within early childhood centres and/or schools that focus on improving the wellbeing of children and young people in Australia.
Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program
The Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation is committed to enhancing children’s wellbeing through immersive, hands-on experiences in food, gardening, and healthy eating. By incorporating practical kitchen and garden activities into school curriculums, their Kitchen Garden Program aligns with The Nest’s holistic approach to supporting child development.
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Kinnections
Kinnections is a web-based platform and mobile application designed specifically for educators working with children as young as four years of age.
Kinnections simplifies the process of undertaking regular wellbeing check-ins in education settings. The weekly check-ins are purposeful and consistent conversations between educators and children, focusing on evidence-based indicators including connection, optimism, safety, and general wellbeing. Children’s responses are captured within the platform and reported via both a dashboard and weekly reports, allowing educators to easily identify children who may need additional support. The tailored dashboards and reports provide high level insights as patterns emerge and individual profiles are established to easily identify children whose wellbeing may be at-risk. The long-term impacts associated with poor wellbeing can be reduced with effective early identification and engagement. In collaboration with ARACY, Kinnections will support best practice and inform national policy positions to further the interests of Australia’s children, allowing them to thrive.
Learn more about Kinnections via a webinar, hosted in May 2023 with Josh Vaughan, Founder of Kinnections and Caitlin Williams from St Micheal’s Primary School who will share insights in how the platform has been used at their school.
Our Futures
OurFutures is a not-for-profit organisation offering evidence-based, easy to implement, curriculum-aligned modules on mental health and substance use prevention for Years 7-10. The OurFutures program has been demonstrated to be effective for up to 7 years post program and includes 8 clinical trials with 240 schools and 21,000 students. The learning is delivered through evidence-based cartoon education programs that are engaging for young people. By focussing on prevention, OurFutures looks to step in before harmful patterns of substance use start. The programs were co-designed with more than 200 young people and 390 teachers and researchers from the Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use at the University of Sydney, Click here to find out more.
Rumples Quest
The RealWell Child Wellbeing Measure uses an interactive computer game called Rumble’s Questto assess social and emotional wellbeing in a way that is explicitly tailored to the developmental needs of primary-school-aged children. The immersive game weaves survey questions into meaningful conversations to support children’s engagement, understanding, and capacity to respond in a way that reliably reflects their feelings.
Results are presented as a profile across multiple dimensions of social-emotional wellbeing that align with the Nest framework. The measurement platform serves educator’s need for comprehensive information to elevate wellbeing through tailored action. It was developed by child development specialists in partnership with schools. Its psychometric properties were established through rigorous research supported by the Australian Research Council.
Switch For Schools
Switch4Schools is a social and emotional learning platform that builds emotional health and self-regulatory behaviours for students. Via a simple and regular student check-in with real-time and intuitive data for teachers, Switch4Schools links insight with proactive ‘things to do’ or ‘switches’ for better regulation.
It also provides all the teaching resources that are needed, such as lesson plans, videos and supporting materials, in a way that is easily accessible and logical. This is action-based learning for better emotional health.
The Embrace Collective
The Embrace Collective has a range of resources for schools which bring together the best of science and creativity to support students to celebrate diversity of appearance, focus on the functionality of their bodies, be kind to themselves, and seek out real role models.
Resources include the Embrace Kids documentary film, an early learning package, story books, classroom programs for year 5 & 6 and 7 & 8 students, teacher masterclasses and more.
Sign up to the Embrace Kids Support Squad to be the first to know when new resources are available and visit The Embrace Hub for printables, blog articles, and resources.
Yiliyapinya
Yiliyapinya is a not for profit, registered Indigenous Corporation responding to improve the brain health in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, as well as the broader community, often delivered in an early education or school environment.
The Yiliyapinya team deliver, and co-design personalised, and community-based programs supported by neuroscientific research to address the impact of adverse life events in children, young people, and families. If you would like to find out more about Yiliyapinya programs, visit the website.
WHAT WE DO
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ARACY's The Nest
What's in The Nest?
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.
Our Nest projects
Using The Nest, has helped ARACY to be at the forefront of disease prevention and the promotion of holistic health for young Australians.
The Nest initiatives
Here you’ll see some examples of how The Nest has been used in organisations outside of ARACY across Australia.