Tiny Souls: Strengthening child safety, wellbeing and emotional literacy in 2026 and beyond

As early childhood education and care (ECEC) services prepare for 2026, now is a strategic opportunity to review programs, align with evolving sector expectations, and strengthen continuity between home and centre, particularly in relation to the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF), Child Safe Standards and children’s social–emotional development.

The first half of 2026 presents a critical window to introduce programs that enhance protective practices, foster emotional literacy and engage families, reinforcing a service’s commitment to child safety, wellbeing and inclusion.

Embedding programs aligned with these priorities supports high-quality practice and strengthens readiness for state-based kindergarten funding, accreditation processes and compliance with child-safe obligations.

Tiny Souls offers a practical, scalable platform for services to embed child safety and social–emotional learning (SEL), creating emotionally safe environments, and empowering children with tools to recognise, regulate and express their feelings.

This research-informed, ready-to-use resource supports children’s emotional development through music, mindfulness and visual tools, accessible to both educators and families. Designed for children aged 2–5, the content is developmentally appropriate and easily integrated into daily routines, with consistent tools that extend to the home environment.

Character-led learning that supports child safety

At the heart of Tiny Souls is the animated series Zip and the Tiny Sprouts, which introduces young children to emotionally rich, character-led stories set in the world of Harmony Hollow. Each character models a core social or emotional skill, making abstract concepts tangible, relatable and age-appropriate.

• Zip helps children recognise and manage ‘big feelings’ through curiosity and bravery.
• Aria demonstrates kindness, appreciation and relational warmth.
• Riff models perseverance and healthy coping strategies.
• Hum supports calm reflection, mindfulness and self-awareness.

Through these characters, children learn the language of feelings and safety, helping them build the self-awareness, confidence and communication skills necessary to participate actively in their environments and express themselves when something doesn’t feel right.

Kindy funding alignment

If your service is exploring how to support children’s wellbeing, strengthen family engagement or meet child safety priorities, you are encouraged to reach out to Tiny Souls.

Did you know that state-based kindergarten funding can be used to support programs that strengthen child safety? 

Many funding streams, including QLD Kindy Uplift, NSW Start Strong, Vic FreeKinder, SA Flying Start for Kids and WA ECEC grant programs, allow for the purchase of evidence-informed resources that build protective practices, foster emotional development and improve child safety outcomes.

Tiny Souls can assist services to prepare the relevant forms and evidence required for state based kindy funding applications, aligning resource choices with regulatory frameworks and funding priorities.

Planning now through funding or centre based budgets for Term 1 and Term 2, 2026, provides a strong foundation to embed high-quality SEL, build meaningful family partnerships and demonstrate readiness for future growth.

By investing in programs that align with child safety and whole-child outcomes, services create environments where children feel safe, heard and empowered and where educators are equipped to support every child’s right to thrive.

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