Connie Benn Early Learning Centre (Connie Benn), in partnership with Heidelberg Psychological Services, received the 2025 Victorian Early Years Award for promoting children’s health and wellbeing for its whole-service commitment to trauma-informed practice.
A centre at the heart of community
Nestled within the Fitzroy Early Years Precinct at the Atherton Estate, Connie Benn has long been more than a place of early learning.
As part of the broader Connie Benn Centre Hub, the service works alongside co-located social and family support services to meet the needs of a community experiencing significant social and economic disadvantages.
A moment of reflection
In 2019, Connie Benn received a Working Towards rating against the National Quality Standard. Rather than viewing this as a setback, the leadership team saw an opportunity. Educators were noticing behaviours in children linked to emotional dysregulation, and families were sharing concerns about their children’s wellbeing.
It became clear that meeting these needs required more than incremental change. It called for a shift in how the service understood and responded to children.
This moment sparked a deep reflection on practice and a commitment to embedded trauma-informed and well-being-focused approaches across every layer of the service.
Laying the foundations: trauma-informed practice
Beginning in early 2020, Connie Benn invested in extensive professional learning for leaders and educators, grounded in attachment theory and research from the Australian Childhood Foundation.
The focus was on safety, empathy and predictability; co-regulation and emotional attunement; and providing consistent, compassionate responses to behaviour. Regular trauma-informed coaching, reflective discussions, and debriefing sessions are now a part of everyday practice, supporting educators’ wellbeing while strengthening their confidence and skills.
A space designed for regulation and resilience
A standout milestone in the journey was the creation of the Wellbeing Room in 2023, co-designed with an occupational therapist through School Readiness Funding. This purpose-built space supports all seven sensory systems: auditory, visual, tactile, olfactory, gustatory, vestibular and proprioceptive providing calming, inclusive experiences for children through small groups and one-to-one support.
The space is used to support children to regulate their emotions and engage in small group interactions and intentional teaching practices. The centre reports that the impact has been profound, with improved emotional regulation, fewer behavioural incidents, stronger peer relationships, and increased engagement in learning.
Strengthening partnerships with families
As practice evolved, so did relationships with families. Open communication, shared goal setting, and genuine collaboration have become hallmarks of the service.
Families experiencing vulnerability have reported feeling seen, supported and confident that their children are receiving individualised, compassionate care.
A culture transformed
In 2024, Connie Benn progressed from Working Towards to achieving an Exceeding rating against the National Quality Standard. In addition, the service has cultivated a culture defined by empathy and inclusion, reflective evidence-based practice, strong trusting relationships, and collective responsibility for wellbeing.
This transformation strongly aligns with the Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework (VEYLDF), which emphasises reflective and evidence-informed practice, respectful and responsive relationships, equity and inclusion, and strong partnerships with families as foundations for quality early learning.
Connie Benn’s trauma-informed approach, focus on co-regulation and emotional safety, and commitment to collaborative, family-centred practice directly supports VEYLDF Outcome 3: Children have a strong sense of wellbeing, reinforcing wellbeing as fundamental to children’s learning, development and long-term outcomes.
Rachel Dike, Fitzroy Precinct Early Years Coordinator shared her thoughts on winning the award:
‘The team is thrilled to be recognised by the Victorian Early Years Awards for Connie Benn’s dedicated leadership, trauma-informed practice, and strong community partnerships. This award is a testament to the outstanding care, innovation and resilience our childcare staff provide to children and families in Yarra.'
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