Early Years Edit | June 2025

Welcome to the June 2025 edition of the Early Years Edit. In this Edit we cover:

• Protecting young children from influenza and respiratory syncytial virus
• Early Learning Matters Week
• National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day 2025
• Raising Children Network
• The Dangers of Freestanding Furniture
• Focused educator training supports early maths skills

Protecting young children from influenza and respiratory syncytial virus

As we head into the cooler months, it’s important to protect babies and young children from serious respiratory illnesses like influenza (flu) and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

Influenza is a highly contagious infection of the airways. While anyone can catch it, babies, young children, and pregnant women are more likely to become seriously unwell. Some children may need hospital care, and in severe cases, flu can be life-threatening.

The annual flu vaccine is the best way to protect against serious illness. It’s safe, effective, and updated each year to match the most common strains. The vaccine is recommended for everyone aged 6 months and over. It is free under the National Immunisation Program for children aged 6 months to under 5 years, and for pregnant women at any stage of pregnancy.

Flu season peaks from June to September, so vaccination from April onwards offers the best protection. Immunity is strongest in the first 3 to 4 months after vaccination, but it’s never too late - flu can circulate all year. Learn more at health.gov.au/flu.

RSV is another common and highly contagious virus that affects the lungs and airways. Most babies are infected before their first birthday. RSV can cause bronchiolitis and pneumonia and is now the most common cause of hospitalisation in babies and young children in Australia.

The maternal RSV vaccine is free under the National Immunisation Program and is recommended for women at 28 to 36 weeks of pregnancy (prior to 37 weeks) to help protect their baby after birth. States and territories also provide free RSV immunisation for eligible infants and children.

Visit the Healthy WA website for more information, including the best time to vaccinate and where to get immunised. The Kids Research Institute also offers a step-by-step guidance tool to provide individualised RSV immunisation recommendations.

Early Learning Matters Week 

From 28 July to 3 August 2025, communities across Australia are encouraged to take part in Early Learning Matters Week—a time to recognise the important role early childhood education plays in children’s lives and in our communities.

This national event brings together families, educators, carers, and community members to highlight the value of early learning and recognise the early childhood professionals who support young children every day. It’s a chance to talk about why the early years matter and how they help shape children’s futures.

The week focuses on how early learning helps build strong foundations for children’s development, confidence, and lifelong learning. Children are developing and practising a wide range of skills as they play and explore the world around them.

Everyone is encouraged to get involved by sharing stories, hosting activities, or simply starting conversations about the importance of early learning.

Early Childhood Australia reminds us that while the week offers a moment to pause and celebrate, early learning matters every day. Visit the Early Learning Matters Week website to register or search for events, access resources, and learn more about the week-long celebrations.

National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day 2025

SNAICC – National Voice for our Children is the national peak body representing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day is held every year on 4 August. This celebration is an opportunity for all Australians to show their support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and learn about the vital role that culture, family, and community play in their lives.

This year’s theme, ‘Little Footsteps, Big Future’ honours the journeys Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children take as they grow—each step guided by culture, community and connection to Country.

Each year, hundreds of early years services, education centres, sporting clubs, organisations, and communities across Australia host Children’s Day events celebrate the strength, resilience and potential of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. SNAICC invites everyone to join in recognising the importance of nurturing children’s voices and dreams —coming together to support a future where every child walks strong in their identity and is empowered to shape their own path.

SNAICC works with the Indigenous Literacy Foundation to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children by providing access to cultural resources and literature.

The 2025 Children’s Day book, ‘I Saw We Saw’ was written and illustrated by Yolŋu students from Nhulunbuy Primary School through the Indigenous Literacy Foundation’s Community Publishing Program. The picture book is included in the SNAICC Children’s Day bags (available by order on the SNAICC website) and on the Indigenous Literacy Foundation website.

Stay up to date with releases for 2025 Children’s Day bags and resources on the SNAICC website, where you can also find ideas for celebrations and register your event.

Raising Children Network

Raising Children Network is Australia’s trusted parenting website, providing free, evidence-based resources to support families and the professionals who work with them. Backed by experts and aligned with national frameworks, their content empowers parents and carers through every stage of their child’s development —from pregnancy and newborn care to the early years and beyond.

Their dedicated early years sections – Pregnancy, Newborns, Babies, Toddlers and Preschoolers – offer practical guidance on everyday parenting challenges, including sleep, feeding, child development, play, relationships, and wellbeing. Parents can also access age-appropriate activity ideas and milestone checklists to support their child’s growth. Raising Children Network also offer dedicated resources on Autism and Disability. To ensure accessibility for all families, they provide a growing library of resources in 11+ languages, as well as Easy English guides —clear, simple information that helps ensure that every parent can access trusted advice, regardless of language or literacy level.

Raising Children Network encourages professionals working with families to share their content, knowing it’s grounded in developmental science, reviewed by experts, and designed to reflect the diversity of Australian families. Their suite of downloadable child developmental resources (for ages 0 to 2 years) can be printed and used in professional settings.

Whether you’re a new parent seeking guidance or a practitioner supporting others, Raising Children Network is here to help you nurture strong, healthy relationships and resilient children from the very beginning.

Explore more at raisingchildren.net.au.

The Dangers of Freestanding Furniture 

Young children often try to climb on furniture such as bookcases, drawers, wardrobes, and sideboards. When these items are not properly secured, they can tip over on top of them and result in serious injury or death.

Since 2001, at least 22 children under the age of nine have died in Australia from toppling furniture or televisions.

On 4 May 2025, a new mandatory toppling furniture information standard came into place. This standard guides suppliers on information that is required to be accompanied with the purchase of certain furniture products It includes requirements such as:

• Permanent warning labels attached to the product
• Point-of-sale warning displays
• Clear information in instruction manuals about the risks of toppling. 

See below for an example of the Category 1 on-product labelling required.

It’s important to read this information to understand the risks. If you’re buying second-hand furniture, these warnings and labels are not mandatory. However, whether you purchase furniture new or second-hand, you should follow these safety tips:

• Anchor furniture to the wall or floor. If you have any of these items, ensure they are securely fastened to prevent tipping.
• Purchase anchoring hardware if not included. If the furniture doesn’t come with anchoring equipment, you can buy it from furniture retailers, hardware stores, or speciality baby stores.
• Avoid placing toys on top of unstable furniture. Children may try to reach for them, increasing the risk of climbing and tipping.
• Wall-mount televisions to ensure that these are not freestanding.
• Install locking devices on drawers. This helps prevent children from opening drawers and climbing on them.

Head over to their website to familiarise yourself with how Consumer Protection can assist you or visit Product Safety Australia to view the latest updates.

Focused educator training supports early maths skills

A new study published in Early Childhood Research Quarterly (via ScienceDirect), titled ‘Fostering toddlers’ numeracy and mathematical language skills through a professional development intervention on interaction quality in toddler classrooms’, highlights how targeted training for early years educators can support toddlers’ early maths development.

The study involved over 400 children aged two to four and examined the impact of a 9-week professional development (PD) program. Educators received training either focused on maths-specific interactions or on general interaction quality. Those in the maths group used strategies such as introducing maths language during play, reading together, and playing board games—combined with warm, responsive communication. Children in this group showed stronger early numeracy and mathematical language skills compared to those in other groups.

Although some of the differences between the two training groups faded over time—possibly due to changes in educators—the maths-focused group outperformed the group that received no training. This suggests that even short, focused training can have lasting benefits for toddlers’ early maths development. As the researchers explain, “The math-specific intervention had particularly strong and lasting effects on numeracy and mathematical language.” These findings underscore the importance of equipping educators with practical, evidence-based strategies that support children’s learning right from the start.

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