By Bryony Catlin (AGECS Fellow 2023)
I am an early childhood consultant passionate about the role of relationships in early childhood curriculum. My experience as an ECT involved working primarily with vulnerable children and families, including those engaged with child protection services, allowing me to see the profound impact a relationship-based program can have on children’s developmental outcomes. As an ECE professional, I have observed many programs where educators struggle to connect with children meaningfully, often only interacting when approached by the child or when giving them instructions or addressing behaviour. These settings tend to have an over-focus on the teaching environment and an under-focus on the quality of the educator-child relationship. It is my firm belief that these environments with limited meaningful interaction can contribute to challenging behaviours, teaching and learning difficulties. This led me to think more about the importance of the role of relationships in early years programs and educators’ understanding of relational pedagogy.
Relational pedagogy is an educational approach that emphasises the importance of establishing safe, respectful and responsive relationships between children and educators. Foundational to the approach is the prioritisation of relationships throughout all aspects of the curriculum. Intentionality that centres around relationships is brought to transitions, environmental setup, play experiences and individual relationships which are built on interactions that are trusting, attuned, empathetic, genuine and supportive. This practice aims at strengthening relationships across the setting, as well as meeting relationship and attachment needs that support the teaching and learning process.
The overall objective of the project was to create a resource that enhances educator understandings of relational pedagogy, offers practical strategies for its implementation, and supports others in leading this approach within their programs. To do this I needed to enhance my knowledge and skills in strengthening educator-child relationships and attachment through completing Circle of Security (COS) Classroom Coaching training. This training enhanced my ability to coach educators in improving teacher confidence and competence in relationship building through shared goals, action planning, focused observation, and reflection to strengthen caregiver-child relationships.
The project as a whole had a five-part approach, which included:
- Completing 10 months of online training with COS International facilitators to build knowledge on attachment and relationship-based approaches in ECE settings.
- Providing two observation visits and nine complimentary coaching sessions to a small group of educators at a NFP service who had completed COS Classroom and sought to deepen their understanding of attachment relationships and foster emotionally supportive learning environments. These sessions were recorded and shared with my COS international mentor who provided feedback and insights to strengthen my practice.
- To develop the resource my approach was tofacilitateone round of Circle of Security Classroom with a different group of up to eight educators held over four sessions online. Priority was given to educators working with infants and toddlers, NFP services, and those working with vulnerable children.
- Questionnaires, interviews, surveys, and reflection with both educator groups were utilised to gather insights into how their enhanced understanding of attachment had impacted various aspects of their curriculum, including their approaches to behaviour, programming and planning for relationships.
- Lastly, independent research and evaluation of information was undertaken to develop a resource on key strategies for improving childteacher relationships within the context of Relational Pedagogy in Australia.
Findings and learnings
The findings indicated that, prior to initiating coaching or training, both groups of educators felt confident in their ability to build relationships with children and had an understanding of the importance of these relationships in early years settings. Many educators utilised terminology from the framework to articulate the concepts of being, belonging, and becoming as fundamental components of a high-quality early childhood education program. In the surveys, they rated their confidence quite highly; however, throughout the project, all educators acknowledged experiencing challenges in relationships with children in their programs. These children were often described as being overly emotional, difficult to engage, independent (requiring minimal interaction from educators), or exhibiting challenging behaviours. Following the completion of targeted training and coaching focused on enhancing relationship building, the following changes were observed:
- Educators recognised their roles as attachment figures and gained a deeper understanding of the micro skills involved in interactions and relationship-building, such as tone of voice, affect, language, body and facial expressions. They acknowledged that secure attachment supports children’s teaching and learning.
- More intentionality around relationships and connecting with children, especially for children who were labelled as harder to connect with. This included changes to some routines, arrivals, departures and enhancing connecting moments throughout the day and in play.
- Educators began advocating for children’s relationship needs with fellow team members and effectively interpreting those needs to support attachment.
- Allowing time for reflective discussions between educators, which some felt proved essential for transforming relationships and re-evaluating perceptions of children and behaviour.
- A shift in language – talking aloud about what children might be feeling and why they might be feeling that way. Adopting a more emotionally supportive climate and vocabulary.
- Feeling less stressed and more confident with meeting many children’s emotional needs. Some educators were able to recognise they had less of a tendency to divert children’s attention away from their emotions using distraction. Having more patience and empathy for children was a key change educators felt they had developed. Prioritising relationship goals with individual children over purely teaching or learning objectives. Some educators recognised their desire for children to be independent and possess social skills for managing situations on their own. There was a clearer understanding that many essential skills perceived by educators as important can only develop within secure caregiver relationships.
How does this translate into Relational Pedagogy?
The findings showed that with targeted training and reflection on educator-child relationships, educators became more intentional in creating sensitive connections in early years settings. This emphasis on relationships highlighted that every interaction, no matter how minor, contributes to relationship-building. Key to this process are specific values and microskills that require our awareness. These everyday interactions form the foundation of our program and are often overlooked. The handout resource for educators included these essential areas and values to aid their practice.
Conclusion
Leadership in early childhood education involves taking proactive steps to enhance high-quality outcomes for children. The program participants and I are deeply grateful to AGECS for their support in implementing the project, which has transformed relationships within early years settings and fostered lasting positive change for both professionals and children. We hope that the resource on prioritising relationships and planning for attuned, responsive, and reciprocal interactions will continue to assist educators in leading and integrating relational pedagogy into the Australian early childhood curriculum.
Quotes from participants:
“I found the content incredibly valuable, not only for my personal growth but also as something I can share with the rest of my team. It has heightened my awareness and mindfulness in my interactions with the children, allowing me to be more present and intentional.”
“I see my role differently. I can see how important I am in the relationship”
“I used to jump in and try and fix the problem (children upset/having a play dispute). Now I can see they need me to be with them (in their feelings) first”
“I’ve noticed a significant reduction in my stress levels and an improved ability to respond to children’s behaviours. By focusing more on being present and understanding the emotions behind their actions, I feel more equipped to handle challenging situations calmly. This shift has allowed me to approach behaviours with empathy and patience, making it easier to guide children through difficult moments and support their emotional needs more effectively.”
This articles was originally published in AUDAX Autumn 2025.