Educators
Nurturing Emotionally Strong, Resilient Children
Why Educators Love Sparky and Shady for Early Years
Easy to Implement
A practical, evidence-informed program that takes minimal preparation to teach. Watch, discuss, play. It fits seamlessly into your existing routine.
Curriculum Aligned
Mapped to EYLF Learning Outcomes and the Australian Curriculum’s Personal and Social Capability strand.
Consistency Across Settings
Families get free access, helping children feel safe and supported through shared language at home and school.
Try Before You Buy?
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1. Connect with Sparky
Whether you’re an educator in preschool, daycare, kindergarten or early primary classrooms (ages 3–7), this program is mapped to:
- Belonging, Being and Becoming – The Early Years Learning Framework V2.0 (EYLF)
- Australian Curriculum – General Capabilities: Personal and Social Capability (Foundation–Yr 2)
- Australian Curriculum – Health and Physical Education (Foundation–Year 2)
- National Quality Framework (NQF) Standards – QA1, QA2, QA5, QA6 and the
- The Mparntwe Education Declaration’s goals for excellence, equity, and confident lifelong learners.
The program is grounded in the EYLF’s vision of Belonging, Being and Becoming, and intentionally bridges the transition from early learning to school.
Seamless Transition
Sparky and Shady travel with children.
The program is deliberately designed to transition with children from early childhood to early primary settings. By using the same language across these two sectors, we support children with emotional continuity during a tricky time of change.
This helps educators on both sides connect more meaningfully with their students — and helps children carry a sense of belonging, confidence and calm into big school.
EYLF V2.0
Sparky and Shady supports all five EYLF outcomes:
- Outcome 1 – Children have a strong sense of identity
Children explore the difference between Sparky (their inner voice of love and courage) and Shady (the voice of fear and protection). This builds agency, self-worth, and secure relationships. - Outcome 2 – Children are connected with and contribute to their world
Through role play, imagination, and reflection, children grow in empathy and learn how their actions affect others. - Outcome 3 – Children have a strong sense of wellbeing
Lessons explicitly teach body awareness, calming strategies, self-care, and healthy emotional expression. - Outcome 4 – Children are confident and involved learners
Creative drawing, reflection, and storytelling activities support persistence, curiosity, and imagination. - Outcome 5 – Children are effective communicators
Children learn to recognise, name, and share their thoughts and feelings in safe, respectful ways.
National Quality Framework
Sparky and Shady supports educators in meeting the following National Quality Standards:
- QA1 – Educational Program and Practice
- QA2 – Children’s Health and Safety
- QA5 – Relationships with Children
- QA6 – Collaborative Partnerships with Families and Communities
The program encourages a trauma-aware, emotionally supportive approach to wellbeing, grounded in secure relationships, child voice, and reflective practice.
It’s also suitable for a range of delivery models — from whole-service wellbeing approaches, to small-group intervention, or individualised support for children needing extra care.
Australian Curriculum
The program is aligned with the Personal and Social Capability strand of the Australian Curriculum (Foundation–Year 2). It supports development in all four elements:
- Self-awareness – recognising feelings and personal strengths; identifying inner voices (Sparky and Shady)
- Self-management – developing strategies to manage strong emotions and stay calm
- Social awareness – growing empathy, fairness, and inclusiveness
- Social management – building respectful interactions, group cooperation, and help-seeking skills.
Health and Physical Education
Strand: Personal, Social and Community Health
Sub-strand: Being healthy, safe and active
- ACPPS001 – Identify personal strengths
- ACPPS003 – Describe emotional responses and how they relate to wellbeing
- ACPPS004 – Recognise personal qualities and achievements
- ACPPS005 – Describe how emotions influence behaviour and can be managed
- ACPPS006 – Identify actions that promote health, safety and wellbeing
- ACPPS007 – Practise respectful, inclusive and empathetic interactions
Consistency in Care
Sparky and Shady offers children emotional consistency that wraps around both home and early learning settings. When families receive free access through their centre or school, children benefit from hearing the same language and using the same strategies wherever they are.
This sense of safety and predictability is essential. Grounded in attachment theory, the program recognises that children thrive when they feel secure—with their grown-ups at home, with their educators, and within themselves.
This approach reflects the Australian Curriculum’s emphasis on children recognising the importance of relationships and belonging to groups such as family, school and community (ACARA – Personal and Social Capability).
What's Included
Nine videos covering the content from these five lessons:
1. Connect with Sparky
Meet the loving, brave and kind part of you. Sparky helps you make wise choices.
2. Train Shady
Get to know the protective part of you. Learn how to train Shady when Shady overreacts or gets too loud.
3. Look After Your Body
When you feel bad your body might need something. Are you hungry? Thirsty? Tired?
4. Feel Your Feelings
It’s human to feel bad. You can learn to handle your BIG feelings in kind ways with help.
5. Love Yourself
You are the only you in the whole wide world! Learn how to speak kindly to yourself and be your own best friend.
12 months access to the five lessons which include nine videos (average 5 mins each).
Printable colour coded summaries of each lesson.
Morning, daytime and bedtime audio meditations.
Picture cued posters for self-regulation and confidence.
Educator lesson notes with Sparky tips to support children when things get tricky.
Educators Also Receive
* Coupon codes for 40, 60 or 80 families to access the Families Program for free (valued at $440 per family). Educator status and centre or school will be verified before coupon codes are forwarded.
* Suggestions on how to share each lesson with 3-4 yrs, 4-5 yrs, 5-6 yrs and 6-7 yrs age groups.
* Educator notes explaining the strategies provided.
* EYLF & Australian Curriculum alignment chart in downloadable PDF table with outcomes mapped to each lesson.
* Suggested follow-up activities in addition to the drawing task mentioned in the videos. These include five stories (e.g. The Boy Who Cried Wolf with commentary from the boy’s Sparky and Shady) and five interactive games (e.g. Doggy, Doggy, Who Stole the Bone? with educator script prompts for real-life Shady moments.)
* The psychological theory table outlining how Sparky and Shady align with over forty thought provoking theories or ideas from psychology, education and other sources. Starting with Indigenous wisdom from over 50 000 years ago to modern day neuroscience.
* An inclusive social and emotional wellbeing program that
– celebrates cultural diversity,
– embeds respectful, trauma-informed and strengths based practices,
– supports inclusion of neurodivergent children and those with diverse communication and /or emotional needs.
* The option to complete pre and post surveys online (results are emailed to you through a third party) to evaluate the effectiveness of the program in your setting.
* FREE Access to the Program for Families
Gift the Program to all Your Families
What Your Families Receive
* Option to complete before and after wellbeing surveys to check if the program makes a difference.
* Home access to the five lessons which include nine videos.
* Printable colour coded summaries of each lesson.
* Printable colour coded posters of self-regulation strategies.
* Morning, daytime and bedtime meditations.
* Parent notes with gentle explanations to help parents reinforce strategies at home.
How It Works
- Purchase once for 12-months access.
- Decide on whole class, small group or individual child participation.
- Choose a suitable five or nine week time block to begin.
- Login and watch the videos at a routined time – once or twice a week.
- Select the follow up activity that best suits your setting.
- Catch up children who were away as needed.
- Display the posters to support self-regulation and confidence.
- Use the morning or daytime meditation as part of your routine.
- Use the tips provided in the educator notes to support children when they experience Shady moments.
- Rewatch videos and reinforce strategies as needed to create healthy habits.
Testimonial
“As a Preschool Teacher, I’m extremely interested in enhancing every child’s development at such a young and significant stage. This program provides the foundation to empower children to recognise their emotions and learn strategies to manage their behaviour. Its holistic, positive approach is very exciting… I only wish I’d had this sort of guidance when I was a child!”
Giselle Pitt
Preschool Educational Leader
Educator Options
Small Membership
* Access all content for 12 months
* Option to collect pre and post program data
* Coupon codes for up to 40 families (equivalent to $20 per family).
$880 (Incl. GST)
Medium Membership
* Access all content for 12 months
* Option to collect pre and post program data
* Coupon codes for up to 60 families (equivalent to $18 per family).
$1188 (Incl. GST)
Large Membership
* Access all content for 12 months
* Option to collect pre and post program data
* Coupon codes for up to 80 families (equivalent to $16 per family).
$1408 (Incl. GST)
Try Before You Buy?
Join our mailing list and receive this lesson for free!
1. Connect with Sparky
For Early Learning Settings
A social and emotional wellbeing program to teach children self-awareness, social awareness, and emotional regulation. Aligned with the EYLF and the Australian Curriculum.
* Simple to implement
* Psychologically informed
* Consistent tools for home & school.