Measuring Early Childhood Mindsets in Australia
Commencing in 2025, FrameWorks is leading a 4-year project exploring how Australians think about the early years and testing how those working to support children and families can shift Australian mindsets to increase demand for policy reform. The work is funded by the Minderoo Foundation.
PROJECT GOALS
Early Childhood Mindset Project
Measure the distribution of mindsets
To measure the distribution of mindsets used to think about early childhood issues across the Australian population, examining demographic and geographic differences in the relative strength of different mindsets and in the way they shape thinking.
Examine the relationships between mindsets
To examine the relationships between mindsets and find ways that groups of mindsets hang together and cluster across and between geographic and demographic groups in Australia.
Explore connections between mindsets and policy/solutions support
To explore connections between mindsets and policy/solutions support to better understand the relationship between mindsets and people’s demand for policy changes and solutions.
Shape the conversation about early childhood in Australia
To shape the conversation about early childhood in Australia by producing framing and story-telling resources, delivering workshops and presentations, and disseminating findings.
Frameworks in Australia
We have been working in Australia since 2010 undertaking research that helps child and family advocates communicate more effectively about child, family and community issues.
Research
Approach to research
FrameWorks uses social science to study:
- the deep and implicit patterns of thinking–cultural mindsets–that people use to make sense of and decisions about social issues
- ways of communicating–framing decisions–that can shift these mindsets over time to increase support for changing systems to advance justice, equity, and inclusion.
The Early Childhood Mindsets project will be inclusive of the experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the following ways:
- Individuals identifying as members of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and working on issues around early childhood development in communities are included in our advisory group. As partners in the project, these individuals help guide the design, interpretation, and dissemination of research findings and implications.
- An Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Reference Group is specifically advising, guiding and providing feedback on research design, analysis, findings and implications.
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander researchers and cultural experts are co facilitators of focus groups and providing advice and feedback into the design and analysis of these groups
- Qualitative and survey work will include individuals from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities alongside other demographic groups.
Our approach to qualitative research has been reviewed and approved by the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS), Ethics Committee.
Why
Impact
At its core, this is work about measurement and learning—specifically focused on measuring mindsets and using learnings to inform narratives and communications strategies designed to increase Australian investment in the early years.
The research is working with sector stakeholders and changemakers to inform campaigns, communication strategies, and public mindset change efforts designed to improve the wellbeing of children by increasing demand for more and better policies that support child and family wellbeing. More specifically, the project is:
- identifying areas where shifting mindsets is most critical and how to most effectively use communications and campaign resources to create change,
- helping focus efforts on particular mindsets to shift (both productive and unproductive) that influence change on other mindsets and in support of solutions and increased investment in the early years,
- identifying and engaging core engagement partners (within and apart from current members of the early years sector) with the power to influence public discourse who can use recommendations to shift mindsets and increase support for policies and investments in the early years,
- partnering with and supporting organizations to use these learnings and strategies to frame their communications, and
- measuring change in mindsets over time to evaluate the success of reframing efforts and to generate findings that can be used to adapt and improve such efforts.
Mobilization
We are partnering with and supporting organizations to use the findings and recommendations across the life of the project by:
- Identifying groups and individuals (within and beyond the early years sector) with the power to influence public discourse who can use framing and narrative recommendations to shift mindsets and increase support for policies and investments in young children.
- Supporting these organisations to use these learnings and strategies to inform their change strategies and frame their communications.
Acknowledgements
The FrameWorks Institute acknowledges the Traditional Owners and Custodians of Country
throughout Australia. We extend our respect to Traditional Custodians of the lands on which we
conduct research, to Elders past and present, and to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
peoples whose wisdom contributes to our future.
The Early Childhood Mindsets Project recognises the valuable contributions from all our partners and participants, including:
- Curijo – www.curijo.com.au
- Focus group participants – both online nationally and in person in Bourke, Cairns
and Port Adelaide - Local communities who assisted with hosting focus groups in Bourke on the lands of
the Ngemba (Ngiyaampa) people, Cairns on the lands of the Gimuy Walubara Yidinji
and Yirrganydji peoples, and Port Adelaide on the lands of the Kaurna people - Minderoo Foundation project team
- Tiraapendi Wodli – www.tiraapendiwodli.org.au
- Tiraapendi Wodli eight–member Community Reference Group (made up of local
Aboriginal leaders)
Advisory Group Members:
- Sheryl Batchelor – CEO, Yiliyapinya Indigenous Corporation
- Tessa Boyd-Caine – CEO, Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s
Safety (ANROWS) - Donna Cross, OAM – Emeritus Professor, Senior Honorary Fellow, University of
Western Australia - Sharon Goldfeld, AM – Director, Centre for Community Child Health, The Royal
Children’s Hospital - Anne Hollonds – CEO, Early Learning and Care Council of Australia (ELACCA), Former National Children’s Commissioner (until November 2025)
- Doug Taylor – CEO, The Smith Family
- Mandy Taylor – Executive Director, Office of the CEO, SNAICC – National Voice for
our Children - Caroline Croser-Barlow – CEO the Front Project
CONTENT WARNING
Two mindsets described in this report (the Otherism and Pathologising Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander Culture mindsets) contain harmful racist and bigoted thinking about certain groups, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Some readers may find descriptions of this type of thinking triggering. For a list of national support services, including culturally safe services, see Appendix B.
The descriptions of these mindsets are included in this report because they are present in public
thinking in Australia. We understand that describing these mindsets is complicated and not without risks. However, it’s important to understand these harmful assumptions so we can develop framing and narrative strategies to counter and overcome them and so we can ensure that these mindsets aren’t being unintentionally triggered by the way we communicate about the early years. By describing these mindsets, we are in no way condoning them; on the contrary, we recognise them as highly toxic and we describe them with the goal of changing these harmful ways of thinking.