Core Story for Early Childhood Development and Learning

By thinking carefully about how we frame our communications, we can help drive change and improve outcomes for children. That's why we have been working with the Frameworks Institute to deliver the Core Story Toolkit.

The Quick Start Guide and newly released eLearning Course form the complete Core Story Toolkit.Together, these resources give you evidence-based framing strategies to communicate in persuasive ways that make early childhood a priority.

The Core Story Toolkit is intended for anyone who talks about early childhood development and learning - healthcare, educators, policy makers, researchers, advocates and media. This freely available communication toolkit for anyone who is interested in enhancing their communications to create a future where all Australian children have what they need to thrive.

Changing how early childhood development and learning is understood in Australia

There are significant challenges to communicating information about early childhood development in Australia. Public thinking about early childhood filters how messages are received and our communications often do not have the impact we aim for. While we know that early experiences have lasting effects on the development of children’s brains and biological systems that can influence learning, health, relationships throughout life, research suggests the significance of early childhood development is not yet realised by the Australian public.

How we, as Australian organisations and service providers, communicate on early childhood impacts how people understand early childhood development in Australia.

The choices we make in our communications affect how people, think, feel, and are willing to act. 

The Core Story for Early Childhood Development and Learning Collaboration is committed to working from a scientifically validated communications framework to advance public understanding of early childhood in Australia.

In partnership with the FrameWorks Institute, we have investigated;

1. Current thinking on early childhood in Australia and how public thinking compares to expert understanding of early childhood.

• Map the Gaps Report
• Guide for Communicators – Talking about Early Childhood Development in Australia

      2. New ways of talking about early childhood that advance public understanding.

• Moving Early Childhood Up the Agenda – A Core Story of Early Childhood Development in Australia
• Adding Play to the Core Story of Early Development
• Adding Child Mental Health to the Core Story of Early Development
• Adding Prenatal Development to the Core Story of Early Childhood Development
• The Core Story of Early Childhood Development in Australia – Research Methods and Evidence

We are producing a Core Story Toolkit consisting of: eLearning Module and Quick Guide, working collectively to spread messages that work.