C&K’s Claire Allsop named National Leader of the Year for championing inclusion in early childhood education

C&K’s Principal Advisor of Inclusion, Claire Allsop, has been named Leader of the Year at the 2025 Reimagine Australia National Awards, recognising her exceptional leadership in embedding inclusion as a defining feature of quality early childhood education and care.

The national award celebrates leaders who drive systemic change through collaboration, vision, and a deep commitment to children and families.

Since joining C&K 18 months ago, Claire has built on the organisation’s strong foundation of inclusive practice, helping to further embed inclusion as a culture grounded in equity, dignity, and belonging. Her work has strengthened C&K’s approach so that every child, regardless of diagnosis, ability, or background, can participate fully in rich learning environments.

“My focus is ensuring that inclusion is a foundational practice, not something that we bolt-on,” Claire said.

“It is about truly knowing a child as a child first and foremost, understanding what they love, what brings them joy, and what goals they and their families have, to build an incredible future and a smooth transition into their next step.”

Claire has worked on important projects which have assisted C&K in redeveloping the Education Support Plan, placing strengths-based language and evidence-informed approaches at the centre of practice. She has also implemented specialised equipment funding to remove physical barriers for children with disabilities and established the Inclusion Book Club, a professional learning initiative fostering reflection, confidence and practical capability among educators.

C&K Chief Executive Officer, Dr Sandra Cheeseman, said the recognition reflects both Claire’s leadership and C&K’s longstanding commitment to inclusive, high-quality early childhood education.

Dr Cheeseman elaborated, “Claire’s ability to guide educators towards deeply inclusive practice has strengthened outcomes for children, families and communities across Queensland.”

Looking ahead, Claire will continue to work on projects focused on embedding inclusive principles across curriculum, pedagogy and professional learning.

Claire added, “This focus of inclusion being foundational in every program and practice is something that C&K and I are deeply dedicated to further, our projects moving into 2026 are exciting.”