{"id":1327,"date":"2026-08-30T22:54:50","date_gmt":"2026-08-30T12:54:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/childrensvoicesconference.csu.domains\/2026\/?p=1327"},"modified":"2026-08-30T22:54:50","modified_gmt":"2026-08-30T12:54:50","slug":"cvc2026-619","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/childrensvoicesconference.csu.domains\/2026\/cvc2026-619\/","title":{"rendered":"CVC2026-619 \u2013 From voice to action: Embedding children\u2019s environmental rights through measurable participation in early childhood education"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"cvc-hero alignfull\">\n  <span class=\"cvc-chip\">Presentation \u2013 CVC2026-619<\/span>\n<\/div>\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-left\">From voice to action: Embedding children\u2019s environmental rights through measurable participation in early childhood education<\/h1>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\n<div class=\"cvc-authors\">\n<p><strong>Gabby Millgate<\/strong><strong>, <\/strong>Woden Valley Early Learning Centre; Australian Association for Environmental Education, ACT, Australia<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\n<div class=\"ast-oembed-container \" style=\"height: 100%;\"><iframe title=\"CVC2026-619 From voice to action: Embedding children\u2019s environmental rights through measurable parti\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/a2y7s3a4EQ0?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\n<p><strong>Background:<\/strong> Children\u2019s voices are widely recognised in policy frameworks such as the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, yet in early childhood education they are often enacted as values rather than measurable systems. This creates a gap between children\u2019s expressed experiences and the decisions that shape their environments. In the context of climate change, well-being, and early learning, there is an urgent need for practical mechanisms that enable children\u2019s perspectives\u2014particularly in relation to nature and outdoor environments\u2014to inform everyday practice and system design.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Aim:<\/strong> This presentation aims to demonstrate how children\u2019s voices can be operationalised through a measurable, repeatable mechanism in early childhood education. It introduces the Access to Nature Survey as a tool to capture children\u2019s lived experiences and explores how these insights can be translated into changes in environments, routines, and educator practice. It also aims to position the Nature Pedagogy Leader as a key workforce role enabling children\u2019s participation, ecological literacy, and regulation through access to outdoor environments.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Method\/approach<\/strong><strong>:<\/strong> This practice-based study draws on implementation within an early learning setting. The Access to Nature Survey was used to document children\u2019s access, choice, and engagement with natural environments. Observations, educator reflections, and changes to programming informed an iterative response model. A Nature Pedagogy Leader role supported educators and children, particularly those who regulate best outdoors. Ethical practice was guided by existing service consent processes, with children\u2019s participation embedded in everyday pedagogical interactions rather than formalised research procedures.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Results\/findings<\/strong><strong>:<\/strong> The findings indicate that children\u2019s participation becomes more visible and actionable when supported by structured mechanisms. The survey revealed patterns in access, preference, and engagement that directly informed changes to environments and routines. The presence of a Nature Pedagogy Leader increased educator confidence, supported program consistency, and enabled greater inclusion of children who benefit from outdoor regulation. Additionally, the use of an ecological literacy song helped children build a shared language and identity in relation to the natural world.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Conclusion:<\/strong> This study demonstrates that children\u2019s voices can be embedded as a structured, actionable system rather than an aspirational value. By integrating the Access to Nature Survey with a Nature Pedagogy Leader role, early learning settings can translate children\u2019s perspectives into real-time environmental and pedagogical change. This approach operationalises children\u2019s rights, supports regulation and well-being, and builds ecological literacy, offering a scalable model for participatory, climate-responsive early childhood education.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Implications for children and families:<\/strong> You can expect your child\u2019s voice to be heard and acted on in meaningful ways, shaping their environment, daily experiences, and connection to nature, while supporting their well-being, confidence, and sense of belonging.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Implications for practitioners:<\/strong> You can use simple, structured tools to listen to children and translate their perspectives into practice, while a Nature Pedagogy Leader supports you to embed outdoor learning, strengthen programs, and better meet children\u2019s regulation and well-being needs.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Keywords<\/strong><strong>:<\/strong> children\u2019s participation, children\u2019s rights, ecological literacy, mature pedagogy, early childhood education, environmental education, child voice mechanisms, outdoor learning, education policy<\/p>\n<p><strong>This presentation relates to the following <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/sdgs.un.org\/goals\"><strong>United Nations Sustainable Development Goals:<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<ul class=\"cvc-sdgs\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/sdgs.un.org\/goals\/goal4\">SDG\u00a04: Quality Education<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/sdgs.un.org\/goals\/goal11\">SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/sdgs.un.org\/goals\/goal13\">SDG 13: Climate Action<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Gabby Millgate, Woden Valley Early Learning Centre; Australian Association for Environmental Education, ACT, Australia<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[51,52,50,1],"tags":[46,28,29],"class_list":["post-1327","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-childrens-learning-and-activities","category-childrens-rights-voices-and-perspectives","category-childrens-services-workforce-and-policy","category-presentations","tag-sdg-04","tag-sdg-11","tag-sdg-13"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/childrensvoicesconference.csu.domains\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1327","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/childrensvoicesconference.csu.domains\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/childrensvoicesconference.csu.domains\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/childrensvoicesconference.csu.domains\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/childrensvoicesconference.csu.domains\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1327"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/childrensvoicesconference.csu.domains\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1327\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1562,"href":"https:\/\/childrensvoicesconference.csu.domains\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1327\/revisions\/1562"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/childrensvoicesconference.csu.domains\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1327"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/childrensvoicesconference.csu.domains\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1327"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/childrensvoicesconference.csu.domains\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1327"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}