Health and Wellbeing, Child Development, Inclusive Practice

Given that every child is both unique and a competent learner from birth, it is crucial that educators encourage and support each child to thrive in every area of development at their pace and in their own individual ways.

Ages: 0-5 years

About the Authors

Nicole Halton

Nicole Halton – Co-founder/director of Inspired EC and educational consultant
Nicole Halton has been a proud member and advocate of the early childhood profession for over 13 years. Nicole is particularly passionate about the provision of quality early childhood services and children having the right to a childhood filled with risk, adventure and fun. 

From 2005 to 2012, Nicole was the director of Woodrising Community Preschool and Child Care Centre, a service that has developed a strong reputation for its commitment to natural play environments and authentic experiences for children. During her leadership the centre was one of the first services to be assessed under the National Quality Standards and achieved the rating of 'Exceeding'.  

In 2007 Nicole and her business partner Natashja Treveton spent countless hours discussing the need for inspiring professional development in their local area and, as a result, founded their educational training and consultancy business, Inspired EC. Their passion and enthusiasm in their beliefs have allowed the company as well as the services they offer to develop and expand and to ‘inspire’ thousands of educators Australia wide.

 

Anne O'Connor

Anne O’Connor has more than twenty years’ experience and leadership in nursery, infant and primary schools in inner London. She developed and coordinated one of the first Early Years Units in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, United Kingdom, in which nursery and reception age children were fully integrated. A freelance educational consultant since 2000, Anne is a regular contributor to the early childhood magazine, Nursery World.

Anne Rodgers

Anne Rodgers has over 30 years’ experience in the early years sector in the United Kingdom. She has a Master of Early Years Education and is currently working as an early years consultant. She also has experience delivering training courses for educators and child minders and is an associate of the Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years (PACEY) and a part-time inspector for the Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) in the United Kingdom.

Linda Pound

Linda Pound is an experienced educator and author who has worked in all sectors of education, including tertiary, but whose passion is work with young children and their families. She has been head of a nursery school and deputy head of a primary school, and has also run both foundation and honours degree programmes on early childhood studies.

Natashja Treveton

Tash Treveton – Co-founder/managing director of Inspired EC and educational consultant
Natashja Treveton feels strongly about children's rights to a REAL childhood, of imaginative play in open-ended environments. She is particularly passionate about children connecting with nature and she is focused towards those areas. 

Tash began as an untrained casual 14 years ago, studied and gained experience through to being a service director as well as an educational leader of Woodrising Community Preschool & CCC in Newcastle, NSW. This became one of the first centres to gain an ‘Exceeding the National Standards’ level in the current rating system in the area. 

In 2007 Tash and her business partner Nicole Halton spent countless hours discussing the need for inspiring professional development in their local area and, as a result, founded their educational training and consultancy business, Inspired EC. Their passion and enthusiasm in their beliefs have allowed the company as well as the services they offer to develop and expand and to ‘inspire’ thousands of educators Australia wide.

Tash is passionate and enthusiastic about anything related to children’s wellbeing and supporting adults to develop this. She has a particular interest in creating naturalistic playgrounds for children and communities and likes nothing more than getting in there and digging creek beds or creating fairy gardens.