New Partner: AfC, Australian Network - 17/Sept/2025
- natalia.vanzanten
- Sep 18
- 2 min read
Updated: Oct 3
We are proud to announce that as from September 17, 2025 we have a new partner in the AfC Network- Alliance for Childhood, Australian Network.
The Alliance for Childhood, Australian Network
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The Australasian Democratic Education Community (ADEC), Montessori Australia (MA) Steiner Education Australia (SEA), Catechesis for the Good Shepherd (CGS), Reggio Emilia Australia Information Exchange (REAIE), representatives of the homeschooling community, Play Australia, parent groups, practitioners and academics have come together to form an Alliance for Childhood.
These various groups feel urgency in the need to work together and support the wellbeing of children and the basic needs of childhood today.
Our vision is for a society in which every child in Australia can enjoy a safe, healthy, inclusive childhood rich in spontaneous activity that nurtures their full development and well-being.
We see our role as to advocate for, support, and promote the importance of childhood in all its dimensions—emotional, social, physical, cognitive, imaginative and spiritual—by influencing public discourse, policy, and practice.
We were inspired by and have adopted the core principles from the Alliance for Childhood, European Network Group (https://www.allianceforchildhood.eu/). These principles underpin all actions of the Australian chapter:
Respect for the child as a whole human being with their unique set of needs
Recognition of imaginative play and free choice as central to learning and well-being
Equity and inclusion for all children regardless of backgrounds in all aspects of their societies
Support for families, educators, and communities to provide children with access to quality, arts-rich, creative learning experiences and education
Advocacy grounded in research and practice to improve the quality of childhood
As a newly-formed group, we invite and encourage you to join as we formulate our next step. Please bring all your ideas. For more information or questions contact mark@montessori.org.au or join us at our next meeting on October 13th at 5.30pm (AEST) on zoom link https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87141311245.
