Edge Early Learning becomes first QLD provider to embed Life Ed wellbeing and safety program across all centres

Edge Early Learning has announced a new statewide partnership with Life Ed Queensland that will see a comprehensive wellbeing, safety and school-readiness program embedded across every Edge centre in Queensland from January 2026, the first early learning provider in the state to take this integrated, whole-centre approach.

The partnership introduces Healthy Harold’s Little Learners, a yearlong sequence of incursions, educator training, classroom lessons and family engagement tools designed to strengthen children’s emotional literacy, body safety, early e-safety behaviours and school readiness. While Life Ed incursions are available to all early learning services, Edge Early Learning is the first organisation to adopt the program as a structured, curriculum-aligned, yearlong learning journey across all centres supported by professional development for Early Childhood Teachers and educators plus parent resources.

The co-designed partnership includes comprehensive lesson plans – embedding incursion learnings throughout the term, face to face educator professional development, and is supported by parent webinars and at home activities to ensure learnings extend from the centre to the home.

Across the year, children explore four key learning themes:

• Term 1: Big Feelings – building emotional literacy and self-regulation
• Term 2: Boundaries – consent, body safety and protective behaviours
• Term 3: Balance – healthy routines and foundational digital safety
• Term 4: Big School! – independence, social readiness and confidence for transition to school

These themes reflect Life Ed Queensland’s evidence-based wellbeing framework and align with Edge’s own Teach A Rainbow education program, which is structured around inquiry-based learning and whole-child development.

Edge Early Learning Head of Quality, Safety and Wellbeing, Kylie Warren-Wright said the partnership strengthens Edge’s commitment to delivering high-quality, future-focused early education. 

“Developing emotional literacy in early childhood is the foundation for lifelong success. As children learn to identify their feelings, they build resilience and confidence to navigate school situations,” Ms Warren-Wright said.

“Coupled with explicit teaching around body safety, consent and protective behaviours, these skills empower children to understand personal boundaries, respect others and seek help when needed. Embedding these concepts early creates a strong foundation for healthy relationships and ensures children are equipped to make safe, informed choices as they grow.

“Partnering with Life Ed Qld ensures every child at Edge, no matter which centre they attend in Queensland, has access to meaningful, consistent learning that strengthens wellbeing and builds a strong foundation for school and beyond.

“Healthy Harold is an iconic figure, and we’re really excited to have Edge play a role in introducing him to a new generation delivering a number of important messages for our children and families,” Ms Warren-Wright said. 

The initiative is built around a rhythm of shared learning experiences – children begin each term with a Life Ed Qld incursion, followed by weekly educator-led lessons, take-home activities, parent webinars and easy-to-use conversation starters. This approach connects children, educators and families in a continuous cycle of learning and embeds positive habits in everyday routines.

Each centre will also access:

• 18 curriculum-aligned lesson plans, aligned with the Early Years Learning Framework
• Four educator PD modules plus live webinars and face to face training
• Family resources, including term-based Little Learner Passports and recorded parent sessions
• Harold take-home packs – a backpack, plushie, mindfulness colouring book and term passports to support learning at home

Reflecting on the significance of the partnership, Life Ed Queensland CEO Taryn Black, said the initiative sets a new benchmark for wellbeing education in early years.

“Healthy Harold has been supporting children’s safety and wellbeing for more than 40 years and what makes this partnership with Edge unique is the way the program will be integrated into the daily experience of children and educators – not as a single visit, but as a yearlong journey of emotional growth, protective behaviours and family connection,” Ms Black said.

This partnership enhances Edge’s Teach A Rainbow curriculum by providing a clearly articulated, high-quality wellbeing program that strengthens educator capability, deepens intentional teaching practice and embeds consistent wellbeing learning across the year.

For the early childhood sector, the partnership provides a positive model for integrating preventative education – particularly in areas such as protective behaviours, digital balance and emotional regulation, which parents increasingly identify as critical to their child’s safety and wellbeing.

The yearlong learning journey will commence across all Queensland Edge centre from January 2026.