At Salamander Early Education in Port Stephens, there is a strong belief that “if we really prioritise the wellbeing of our educators, everything else in our workplace should flourish.” This philosophy is lived daily through intentional initiatives that nurture staff wellbeing, strengthen pedagogy, and ripple outward to positively influence children, their families and the community.
Rated as Exceeding three times in a row, Salamander is a community-based long day care service with 80 children per day. Early intervention is important to the service, as evidenced by its partnership with Newcastle University Occupational Therapy Clinic, which visits once a week, and a trauma-informed psychologist who provides support and advice.
Salamander’s values-driven approach has recently earned the service recognition as a finalist in the HESTA Early Childhood Awards for ‘Advancing Pedagogy and Practice’. It has primarily been recognised for its innovative Kindness Curriculum, which fosters empathy, resilience and gratitude and embeds the mantra “kind thoughts, kind words and kind actions” across all age groups.
At the heart of this is the Waraa Project, named after the word for ‘shine’ in local Gathang language of the Worimi people. Waraa is a wellbeing initiative designed to help educators thrive personally and professionally, and ultimately, to cultivate a workplace where educators feel encouraged to shine.
Prioritising educator wellbeing
The Waraa Project was born out of reflection during a difficult period. As Educational Leader, Natalie Youd, recalls: “It was the impact of COVID that got us started. I reached out to our committee president and said, ‘this is the climate of the workplace at the moment... Do you have any ideas where I can help support the emotional wellbeing of our staff?’
“She worked for the Fisheries, and they did something called ‘fun fairies’, where they took turns being a fun fairy and just sparking a little bit of fun.
“It was Easter and we started with a jar of little chocolate Easter eggs; count the eggs and whoever wins gets the prize. It just brought a bit of joy to an otherwise difficult time.”
From that point, Salamander intentionally built a framework to sustain educators’ emotional health and professional joy. The aim was simple but powerful: if educators felt supported, connected, and valued, they were better placed to create nurturing and responsive environments for children.
The Waraa Project draws from the Bronfenbrenner social ecological theory, which posits that human development is shaped by numerous interconnected systems, from family and education to wide cultural, social, economic and historical contexts.
“With this theory in mind, we thought, if we get our educators right, everything else will fall into place from that—the children, the work we do with families, and the work we do with the community,” says Natalie.
She says that for educators, the project has provided inspiration, connection, and genuine support, enabling them to engage more positively with children and families.
Initiatives that help educators shine
The Waraa Project encompasses a suite of practical, values-based strategies that are embedded into Salamander’s values. They set out to cultivate kindness, joy, and collaboration among staff and include:
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Fun fairies: Rotating teams create light-hearted surprises for colleagues, from donut days or floral making to care packages; lifting spirits and strengthening bonds. “It's just a real pause once every couple of months, where we give back to ourselves,” says Natalie.
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Shout-outs: At every staff meeting, educators can anonymously celebrate their colleagues’ contributions. Natalie says, “If anyone wants to give someone an anonymous piece of positive feedback or recognise something that they've done, we then read it out at the staff meeting.”
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12 days of play: In December, educators and children immerse themselves in joyful, out-of-the-ordinary activities such as excursions, prioritising fun during what can often be a stressful time. “We aim to have everything done, programming and planning-wise, so that those final 12 days for the children are 12 days of play,” explains Natalie. “It's about sparking educators to think of something that they want to do alongside the children that will bring joy in a hectic time of the year.”
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Buddy programming: No educator is left to plan in isolation. Collaboration is embedded, reducing pressure and building collegiality. The service is staffed above ratio, which allows educators time to program together. “It’s about programming that’s not done in isolation, having that dedicated time to sort of bounce ideas and think about things and ask questions of one another.”
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Staff squads: Educators align themselves in committees or ‘squads’ with passion areas, depending on their personal interests. These squads might be about kindness, intergenerational connections, or nature play, giving staff ownership and meaning in their practice. Time is allowed in meetings for squads to present their ideas for future activities.
The ripple effect
Beyond staff wellbeing, the Kindness Curriculum at Salamander is tangible for children. It incorporates initiatives such as a Community Kindness Squad, with a focus on providing kindness to people outside the service; environmental projects; and intergenerational programs promoting sustainability, community connections, and active citizenship.
Natalie says a visible cultural shift has taken place with children and educators together practising affirmations such as “I am kind, I am strong,” and embedding positive self-talk into everyday learning.
Children have also developed a stronger sense of what it means to give back, with initiatives such as the ‘return and earn’ recycling program and regular gifting activities becoming routine and deeply meaningful.
A beautiful example of this is the creation of ‘kindness posies’, with children invited to created small flower posies out of off-cuts from a local florist. The children are then invited to give their posies to people in the local community.
At Salamander, small acts of kindness have become part of the fabric of the service, shaping interactions and everyday attitudes. The ripple effect is inspiring and far-reaching across multiple generations in the broader community—it’s something we could all aspire to.
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Further reading: SALAMANDER EARLY EDUCATION - Home
About CELA
Community Early Learning Australia is a not for profit organisation with a focus on amplifying the value of early learning for every child across Australia - representing our members and uniting our sector as a force for quality education and care.