Healthy Kids
Healthy Kids offers free health professional development for the early childhood education and care (ECEC) sector.
Coordinated by Children’s Health Queensland’s Centre for Children’s Health and Wellbeing, the project aims to bring together local ECEC educators and other key partners to engage in free face-to-face health-content professional development that complements the Early Years Learning Framework and National Quality Framework The events consist of:
- A practical content webinar by health and early childhood leaders with a focus on strategies to support children’s health and wellbeing
- Small group facilitated reflective practice discussions
- Local Panel Q&A – ask the local panel members your questions and build relationships across sectors
- Quarterly electronic newsletter with links to the webinars, key resources, relevant research, and practical ideas for supporting children’s health and development. Subscribe to the newsletter.
Connecting with families and communities is vital! Research shows that children’s learning and wellbeing are greatly enhanced when their families and early childhood service work together. This Healthy Kids series aims to provide information, tips and strategies for family and community engagement.
Why attend Healthy Kids?
This series of Healthy Kids will support you to develop skills and reflections that contribute to Area 6 – Collaborative partnerships with families and communities – “recognising that collaborative relationships with families are fundamental to achieving quality outcomes for children, and that community partnerships are based on active communication, consultation and collaboration”. (ACECQA).
Face-to-face events
Attending the face-to-face events in your community is the best way to participate! If you live in a Healthy Kids community (listed below) it not only creates a local community of practice for early childhood educators, it is beneficial for so many other reasons too. These include:
- getting to know other educators working in services in your local area
- being able to ask questions and get local information
- learning new strategies and ideas from others
- building relationships with the professionals and agencies that support families locally
- deeper levels of engagement in reflection and during Q&A session
- networking and catching up with colleagues
Statewide online sessions
An online session will be provided for each topic shortly after the face-to-face events, however the purpose of this session is to be able to share Healthy Kids with educators who do not live in a Healthy Kids community, or cannot make the face-to-face session. Although we share information that will be relevant for educators across most of the State, please note that it cannot be tailored to individual communities.
We strongly recommend that you attend a face-to-face event if you are able to make it.
2022 theme: Connecting with families and communities
| Session 1: Understanding your families – ONLINE only event 1, 8 and 9 March 2022 |
| Session 2: Linking with your community 10 May 2022 (Face-to-face) |
| Session 3: Partnering with families 2 August 2022 (Face-to-face) |
| This session will investigate ways to deeply connect with families. Exploring the concept of partnerships, it considers the difference between partnerships and relationships and the benefits for everyone involved. This presentation contains the 4 important steps you need to ensure you are creating partnerships with the families at your service. |
| About the presenter: Tegan is an Early Childhood teacher with more than 15 years’ experience working with children and families across settings including schools, early childhood services and family support settings. Her current role involves connecting and promoting primary health services with community, including schools, early childhood services and local organisations. |
| Session 4: Sensitive conversations with families 25 October 2022 |
| This session will explore a framework for having sensitive conversations about children’s development, health and wellbeing; strengths-based communication and why it is important; and practical strategies to help educators confidently manage conversations. |
| About the presenters: Alanna Mylne and Micaela Schmidt are part of the Thriving and On Track (TOTs) Program, assisting early childhood educators to support children’s development, partner with families and connect children with additional needs to services in their local community. |
| Alanna enjoys supporting children (alongside the important people in their lives) to help them reach their full potential. She has been a speech pathologist for 20 years, working with teams in education, disability, private and health sectors. |
| Micaela has been working with children, their families and teachers/educators for over 10 years. She has worked across a range of settings including Department of Education, private practice, Child Development Service and Queensland Health. Micaela has a strong strengths-based approach, when working with children, families, teachers/educators and colleagues. |
Previous topics
Did you know that you or your staff members can access past recordings of the presentations? Click into the newsletter link down the side, scroll down until you see the Webinar button. You will also find the handouts, reflective practice worksheet and further resources. This is perfect for individual learning, catching up on missed sessions, or professional development with your team.
Communities
Healthy Kids events are delivered with our partners in in the following communities. Eventbrite bookings for each event will open approximately four weeks before the event is held. If your community is not listed below, please contact CCHW@health.qld.gov.au to register your interest and discuss options for how to access the Healthy Kids events.
| Townsville | Burdekin | Bundaberg | Hervey Bay | Maryborough |
| Toowoomba | Caboolture | Mackay | Kingaroy | Ipswich |
| Logan | Acacia Ridge | Redcliffe Peninsula | ||
| Rockhampton (runs separate face-to-face sessions focusing on a different topic) | Laidley (runs separate face-to-face sessions focusing on a different topic) | South West Qld (run separate online version for rural and remote educators) |
Contact us
If you have any questions or comments about Healthy Kids, please contact CCHW@health.qld.gov.au
Healthy Kids newsletters
2022: Connecting with families and communities
2021: Trauma-informed care in the early years
- Edition 4: Managing the impact of others’ trauma: reducing secondary traumatic stress
- Edition 3: Implementing a trauma-informed care in the early years
- Edition 2: Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and the impact of childhood trauma
- Edition 1 – Bumps and Roadblocks (updated)
2020: Trauma-informed care in the early years
2019: Language and Communication
- Edition 4 – Supporting Bilingual Children
- Edition 3 – Language and behaviour
- Edition 2 – Little ones love literacy
- Edition 1 – Creating communication-friendly environments
2018: Physical Health and Wellbeing
- Edition 4 – Growing good little eaters
- Edition 3 – Creating environments to support active play
- Edition 2 – Physical building blocks in the early years
- Edition 1 – Catching a moment to move
2017: Social and Emotional Wellbeing
