Glen Education St Patrick's
Child Safety: A Shared Community Responsibility
By Carol Vassiliou and Echo Ran
Early Childhood Teachers
Child safety is not a one-off lesson — it is an ongoing journey that we take together as a community. By embedding child safety education into our everyday practice, we nurture confident, self-aware, and respectful children who understand their rights and how to protect them. When children learn about their rights, they are empowered to speak up, make choices about their own bodies, and know that their voices matter. Our goal is for every child to feel safe, be heard, and know they are supported by the adults around them. Our educators regularly undertake Child Safety training to ensure best practices are maintained, reinforcing our commitment to safeguarding children and working in partnership with families to create a safe and supportive community.
Our approach aligns with Australia’s Child Safe Principles and promotes a whole-service culture of safety — not just policies on paper, but practices lived every day. Protective behaviours education helps children develop the knowledge and confidence to speak up if something does not feel right, both online and offline. When families, educators, and children use the same clear and consistent language, we strengthen the protective network around each child and build a community where children feel valued, respected, and safe.
At our kindergarten, we are also implementing strategies from the Pyramid Model. This evidence-based framework promotes children’s social and emotional development and helps prevent challenging behaviours in young children (birth to five years). The Pyramid Model uses a proactive approach, providing universal supports for all children, targeted strategies for some, and individualised support where needed. By working together with families and sharing these approaches, we strengthen the network of care and support around every child.
Educators will continue to update families about what children are learning through Kinderloop, our curriculum display book, and ongoing conversations. These shared understandings help create a consistent approach between kindergarten and home, reinforcing children’s safety and wellbeing.
Supporting Social and Emotional Development
An important part of kindergarten education is developing strong social-emotional skills that support children’s wellbeing and align with child safety standards. This includes helping children recognise their feelings, regulate their emotions, and calm themselves when they feel upset or angry.
We have recently introduced a self-regulation strategy called the “Turtle Technique.” This strategy helps children learn to pause, recognise their feelings, calm their bodies, and think of solutions before reacting.
Children learn to:
Step 1: Recognise your feelings Step 2: Stop your body – STOP Step 3: Tuck inside your shell and take three deep breaths (1, 2, 3) Step 4: Come out when calm and think of a solution
The children practise this strategy with Tucker Turtle, who sometimes visits the classroom to help model gentle hands and problem-solving strategies. Visual reminders are displayed in the room to support children as they practise these skills.
Supporting Children at Home
Families can support this learning by:
• Noticing and naming your child’s feelings — “You look frustrated. What would Tucker do?” • Encouraging your child to pause and take three deep breaths together • Displaying the Turtle Technique handout somewhere visible at home and talking about healthy ways to express feelings
We have shared the social story with families via Kinderloop so they can continue supporting their child’s learning at home.
Our Kindergarten Expectations
We have also introduced visual reminders for children, educators, and families when entering the kindergarten. These help reinforce our shared expectations and create a consistent environment where everyone feels safe and respected.
We are working together to:
1. Be Respectful 2. Be Safe 3. Be a Friend
Working Together as a Community
We continue to build on our child safety strategies, policies, and practices to strengthen a culture of safety for all children. When kindergartens, families, and schools work together, we create the strongest protective environment for children to learn and thrive.
As our kindergarten is located on a school site, our partnerships with school leadership and teachers are an important part of supporting children’s sense of belonging and wellbeing. Regular communication between the kindergarten and school helps ensure that our wider community remains safe, connected, and supportive for every child.
Carol is with the school principal, Joanna.
Together, we create a community where children feel secure, respected, and empowered.
