Glen Education Glover Street
Building a Culture of Safety, Respect and Empowerment
By Glen Education Glover Street Kindergarten Team
At Glen Glover Street Kindergarten, creating a culture where every child feels safe, supported and confident is at the heart of everything we do. We believe safety goes beyond procedures. It is built through respectful relationships, a strong sense of belonging and a deep commitment to children’s rights. When children feel heard and valued, they develop the confidence to express themselves, seek help and build positive connections. This culture is strengthened through our partnerships with families and the broader community, recognising that children’s safety is a shared responsibility.
Empowering children is central to this work. Child Safe Standard 3 – ‘Children are empowered and their voices are respected’ is embedded into our everyday practice. Through one of our kindergarten expectations, “Be Safe,” children learn that they have the right to feel safe, to speak up and to be listened to. Educators intentionally create opportunities for children to express their ideas, needs and emotions, supporting them to understand what safe and respectful relationships look and feel like.
A key part of this approach is the explicit teaching of protective behaviours. Using the Big Little Chats body safety books, children engage with concepts such as Early Warning Signs, Safety Networks, Private Parts, Consent, and Secrets versus Surprises. These ideas are revisited regularly through conversations, role play, storytelling and real-life interactions, allowing children to apply their understanding in meaningful ways. This teaching is always developmentally appropriate, culturally responsive and inclusive of all learners.
Our environments also reflect this commitment. Consistent language around safety, consent and respect are embedded throughout the program, making these concepts part of everyday dialogue. Spaces such as the atelier (art studio) further empower children to express their thoughts and feelings in multiple ways … the Hundred Languages of Children, reinforcing their sense of agency and ensuring their voices are genuinely heard and valued.
We also recognise that maintaining a strong culture of safety requires ongoing reflection. Educators regularly engage in critical discussions about how we teach body safety, how we respond to children’s concerns, and how we ensure our practices are inclusive and culturally safe. These reflections guide continuous improvement and ensure our approach remains responsive to the needs of children, families and the wider community.
We believe child safety is most effective when educators, families and communities work together. Our community connections play a vital role in strengthening this shared responsibility. Opportunities such as Stay and Play, our open-door policy, and inclusive events like Family Day, Pride Month and National Reconciliation Week help children see their identities, families and cultures respected and celebrated. These experiences foster belonging, respect for diversity and the confidence to advocate for themselves and others.
This year, our focus on reframing learning outcomes as rights-based statements further strengthens this work. By positioning learning through the lens of children’s rights, we reinforce that every child has the right to feel safe, be heard and actively participate in their world.
Together, through strong relationships, intentional teaching and meaningful partnerships, we continue to build a community where every child feels safe, supported and confident.