Storypark’s new AI tools: Underpinned by responsible commitments and pedagogical expertise

Artificial intelligence (AI) has occupied conversations inside and outside the early childhood education and care (ECEC) sector for some time. 

 

While AI features have the potential to transform the work of ECEC for the better, they also come with some concerns and considerations, both on the part of ECEC professionals, but also from the families they serve. 

 

Concerns about children’s privacy, questions about the ethics of AI, and wonderings about how AI can be used not just as a support, but also as a true pedagogical partner and assistant for professionals have all been deeply considered by the team at Storypark in the lead up to the launch of Storypark AI.

 

“We’re always looking for ways to better support our early learning communities… and we believe the technological leaps in the AI space shouldn’t be ignored,” Storypark CEO Jamie MacDonald said. 

 

“Our approach as always, is to work closely with educators and experts – we start by deeply understanding the problems and challenges faced in the sector. Only then, can we look to technology, in this case AI, to explore what solutions might be possible.”

 

Storypark AI 

 

Storypark AI is a suite of AI-powered tools, carefully designed to help educators to feel confident in their work, while respecting their professional intuition and insight. 

 

These tools address some of the areas educators often find challenging when documenting children’s learning.

 

Everything from help with spelling and grammar through to reviewing and enhancing the quality of stories by making pedagogically backed suggestions is covered in these tools – a collection which is being continuously updated, considered and refined: 

 

• Story review: Enhance the quality of learning documentation and build educator confidence, with pedagogically aligned guidance. 
• Spelling and grammar: Reduce review times and increase trust with spelling and grammar help. 
• Translations: Increase connection, break down language barriers and foster inclusivity through translated learning documentation. 
• AI powered community posts (coming soon): Craft engaging, quality posts for your community with tools to support educators.

 

Enhancing and supporting, not replacing

 

In exploring AI solutions, Storypark has been careful to honour the place of ECEC professionals in the life of children, being transparent that “technology can’t substitute the nurturing approach and connections our educators create.” 

 

When developing Storypark AI the team instead wanted to use these powerful technologies to  empower educators and to support the critical work they do.

 

“I’m excited about the potential of using AI tools to unlock new possibilities in ECE, as well as tackling the big range of challenges facing the sector that I hear about from our customers,” Mr MacDonald said. 

 

“We know the struggle is real and it’s not worth us each going alone to find solutions. We’ve taken a careful, considered approach to AI, one that is driven by four Responsible AI Commitments.”

 

The commitments guiding Storypark’s AI journey

• A collaborative and community-centric approach

 

People, Mr MacDonald said, will always be at the heart of education, and the professional intuition and insight of early childhood educators is invaluable.

 

“By partnering with our ECEC community, we want to ensure that our AI tools are practical, effective, and aligned with the needs of the early childhood education sector,” he said.

 

• Support quality practice

 

Saving time and creating efficiencies for educators doesn’t have to be synonymous with cutting corners or ‘just getting the job done.’ Storypark has always championed quality practice in early childhood education, and the addition of AI is no different. 

 

“Any use of AI should enable you to do and understand more, in less time, without compromise,” Mr MacDonald explained. 

 

• Being open and honest, always

 

For many ECEC professionals some of the fear around AI comes from “not being able to easily pop the hood and see how it works,” and from hearing stories about AI being used in unintended ways. 

 

To make it easier, Storypark has committed to letting users know when AI is present within Storypark and how it can be used, continuing to talk about its AI journey while acknowledging the limitations and challenges regarding AI now and in the future.

 

• Protecting privacy, security and data

 

The Storypark approach, Mr MacDonald said, is driven by a sincere respect for children, including their privacy and the protection of their information.

Storypark has given robust thought to the best way for children’s data to move through the AI tools and how to make this clear and transparent for educators and teams. As a result, protecting privacy, security, and data is at the heart of the responsible AI commitments.

Aligning Storypark AI with the NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) 2.0, ensures a proactive, industry-standard approach to risk management, data protection, and secure AI practices.

“Our security posture is built on strong access controls, encryption, and continuous monitoring, providing families and educators with confidence that their data is safeguarded. We remain committed to our already high privacy standards as set out in our Privacy Policy, as well as evolving our security and privacy measures as technology and best practices advance,” noted Storypark’s Chief Technology Officer Ben Salt.

 

Ready to learn more about Storypark AI? 

 

Storypark would like to invite services to see how considered and ethical AI tools could be applied in their organisation. Join Mr MacDonald, Product Manager Paul Gray and Sharon Carlson, Storypark’s Head of Pedagogy on 4 March for the launch of Storypark AI. 

 

Attendees will leave the webinar with: 

 

• An understanding of Storypark’s considered approach to AI
• Insights into the first AI-powered tools available in Storypark
• Best practice tips to get started

 

Date & time:

Tuesday, March 4th
10:30am – 11:15am (AEDT – Sydney) ‍

Register here, or visit the Storypark website for more information.