Embedding empowerment and participation in early childhood education

Creating environments where children feel safe, valued and heard is essential to quality early childhood education and care (ECEC). A guide from the NSW Office of the Children’s Guardian, “The Empowerment and Participation” offers practical tools and frameworks to help services embed child-safe principles that strengthen children’s agency and voice.

The guide outlines how embedding empowerment and participation in everyday practice is not only central to child safety but also critical for supporting children’s rights and wellbeing. For early childhood educators, this means creating spaces where children are listened to, respected, and actively involved in decisions that affect them.

Empowerment is more than giving children choices. It involves enabling them to express themselves, ask questions, and understand their rights. In ECEC settings, this includes age-appropriate discussions about safety, relationships, and consent, supported by warm, trusting relationships with educators.

According to the guide, empowerment strengthens protective factors. When children feel confident and respected, they are more likely to speak up if something is wrong. It also supports their social, emotional, and cognitive development by encouraging autonomy and critical thinking.

Participation involves actively listening to children’s views and giving them a meaningful role in shaping their learning and care environments. In practice, this could include:

• Involving children in setting classroom rules or routines.
• Giving children choices about learning experiences and materials.
• Reflecting children’s voices in planning and documentation.
• Encouraging feedback and validating emotions.

The guide emphasises that participation must be safe, inclusive and culturally responsive. For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, children with disability, and those from diverse backgrounds, it’s essential to ensure participation strategies are tailored to reflect identity and support belonging.

The National Quality Framework already places strong emphasis on children’s agency and rights, particularly through Quality Area 5 – Relationships with children and Quality Area 6 Collaborative partnerships with families and communities. The Empowerment and Participation guide complements these standards by offering practical strategies aligned with child-safe principles.

By strengthening children’s voices and embedding participatory practices, early childhood services help lay the foundations for lifelong confidence, safety, and wellbeing. In doing so, they also meet their ethical and regulatory responsibilities as child-safe organisations.

To learn more, access the full guide: Empowerment and Participation – NSW Office of the Children’s Guardian