Montessori Academy partners with child safety pioneer Holly-ann Martin OAM to empower children to speak up, stay safe and be heard

Aligned with National Child Protection Week, Montessori Academy is turning conversation into action through a new organisation-wide partnership with Safe4Kids, strengthening protective education for children, educators and families across over 70 early learning services.

Aligned with this year’s National Child Protection Week theme, “Every Conversation Matters, Shifting Conversation to Action,” the partnership brings together specialist educator training, parent education and ongoing access to Safe4Kids protective education courses, tools and resources. 

The initiative will support more than 7,000 children and their families, strengthening the confidence and capability of the adults responsible for keeping children safe while helping children understand age-appropriate protective behaviours, personal boundaries, body safety, their rights and how to seek help from trusted adults.

Safe4Kids is a specialist provider of child protection education, protective behaviours and body-safety resources for parents, teachers and educators. Founder and Managing Director Holly-ann Martin OAM has more than 30 years’ experience in child protection education and was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in 2022 for service to child safety education.

Montessori Academy Head of Quality and Safety Kellie Osborn said National Child Protection Week was an important reminder that meaningful conversations about child safety must be backed by practical and sustained action.

“Every conversation matters, but conversations alone are not enough. Protective behaviours education is one of the most important tools we can give children,” Ms Osborn said.

“Teaching children protective strategies and having age-appropriate child safety conversations is not new to Montessori Academy. What this partnership adds is the confidence and capability to go further, strengthen practice and genuinely empower children to understand their own safety and speak up when something does not feel right."

The Safe4Kids partnership forms part of Montessori Academy’s broader Seven Pillars of Child Safety, which brings together the systems, safeguards, practices and accountabilities that support child safety across the organisation.

The Seven Pillars encompass rigorous recruitment and screening, workforce capability, layered protection systems, active supervision, speaking up and transparency, empowering children’s voices, and strong governance and accountability.

They are united by one clear principle:

The best interests of every child, at the centre of every decision.

Safe4Kids Founder and Managing Director Holly-ann Martin OAM said protective education is most effective when children, families and educators are supported to use consistent, age-appropriate language around safety.

“Protective education is not about placing responsibility on children,” Ms Martin said.

“It is about helping children understand their rights, recognise trusted adults and know that when they speak up, they will be heard, taken seriously and supported. By building age-appropriate knowledge around body safety, we give children practical skills and confidence they can carry with them for life.”

“Just as importantly, the adults around children need the confidence to have these conversations calmly, clearly and consistently. Montessori Academy’s investment in educator training, family education and ongoing resources helps create a shared language around safety, strengthens practice across its services and demonstrates a clear commitment to improving child safety outcomes for thousands of children and families.”

Montessori Academy Head of Governance Nicolle Nasr said protecting children requires a whole-of-organisation approach that extends well beyond any single program or training session.

“Child safety is a whole-of-organisation responsibility,” Ms Nasr said.

“It depends on strong governance, capable people, clear reporting pathways, active supervision, respectful family engagement and a culture in which children’s views are heard and acted upon.

“This partnership is part of our continuing investment in the systems, people and practices that strengthen child safety across Montessori Academy. Safe4Kids strengthens Pillar 6, Empowering Children’s Voices, while being reinforced by the other pillars that work together every day to support safe environments for children.”

As part of the initiative, Montessori Academy will host a parent education session during National Child Protection Week and provide families with practical resources to support respectful, age-appropriate safety conversations at home.

Educators will undertake specialist Safe4Kids learning, and services will receive ongoing access to resources designed to support consistent protective education beyond National Child Protection Week.

The partnership complements mandatory national, state and territory child-safety and child-protection training requirements. Montessori Academy will continue its existing safeguarding, training, supervision, governance and reporting arrangements across its services.

National Child Protection Week runs from 6–12 September 2026 and calls on communities to move from awareness to practical action that creates safer environments and stronger support for children and families.

Montessori Academy is Australia's leading Montessori early learning provider, operating more than 70 centres across New South Wales, Victoria, and the Australian Capital Territory.