Head, Early Years Systems Evidence; Head, Tenders Support Unit
BA, BHlthSc(Hons), PhD
Associate Professor Yasmin Harman-Smith is the Head of Early Years Systems Evidence at Telethon Kids Institute. In this role, Yasmin works closely with policy makers and practitioners to design evaluations in partnership and inform systems that support children and families in the early years. Yasmin is also the Head of the Tenders Support Unit, leading the strategic coordination of high-quality contract research that is aligned with current policy and practice contexts and responsive to the needs of Government and non-Government agencies.
Yasmin sits on the National Child Community Health Council and is the Deputy Chair of the Board of Gowrie SA. Presently, Yasmin also manages national support services to AEDC Coordinators and the Australian Government Department of Education for the Australian Early Development Census program.
Yasmin has a PhD in Psychology from the University of Adelaide. Her honours and PhD research were in the area of child development, where she investigated the development of theory of mind in children with and without autism. She is currently completing a Masters of Primary Education. Yasmin’s areas of research expertise include developmental psychology, early childhood education, and parenting practices.
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Projects
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Publications
November 2020
Inequalities in child development at school entry: A repeated cross-sectional analysis of the Australian Early Development Census 2009-2018
Australia is the only developed country to consistently undertake a developmental census of its children nationwide. The repeated collection of the Australian Early Development Census (AEDC) has provided an unprecedented opportunity to examine the prevalence of developmental vulnerability across Australia's states and territories, the socio-economic distribution of developmental vulnerability across jurisdictions, and how these distributions might have changed over time.
Published research Child Health, Development & Education Early Childhood Development School AttendanceMay 2020Exploring Associations Between Playgroup Attendance and Early Childhood Development at School Entry in Australia: A Cross-Sectional Population-Level Study
Children who attended playgroup had better development at school entry relative to those who had not attended playgroup
Published research Child Health, Development & EducationJune 2019A population health approach in education to support children's early development: A Critical Interpretive Synthesis
The results from this review indicate that it would indeed be plausible to adapt the population health approach to sites and schools
Published research Child Health, Development & Education Early Childhood DevelopmentJune 2016A review of Let’s Read in the context of the South Australian Service Setting
Independent review of the Let’s Read literacy support program in South Australia and how it fits within the mix of services in South Australia that support the development of children’s emergent literacy
June 2016Community Development Coordinator Role Consultation: Consultation Report
This report will outline the theory and evidence base for Community Development and Community Engagement, report on consultation activities and findings
Published research Child Health, Development & Education Early Childhood DevelopmentJanuary 2016It takes a village to raise a child: The influence and impact of playgroups across Australia
Comprehensive quantitative and qualitative evaluation of Community Playgroups across Australia
Published research Child Health, Development & Education Early Childhood DevelopmentJanuary 2016Exploring local government areas with significant shifts in child development between 2009 and 2012 on the Australian Early Development Census
This project analysed AEDC results across Australia, to identify communities with significant improvement (decreases in developmental vulnerability) between 2009 and 2012
Published research Child Health, Development & Education Early Childhood Development -
Education and Qualifications
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Active Collaborations