Brisbane mother Jennifer Boyce praises G8 Education’s national rollout of evidence-based protective behaviours program after seeing positive changes in her three year old son.
G8 Education’s Australia-wide rollout of Act for Kids’ Learn to Be Safe with Emmy and Friends program is being taught to almost 30,000 children, with parents reporting more confidence, communication and understanding of body safety in their children.
Brisbane mother, Jennifer, said her three year old son has shown increased confidence since the program was introduced at The Learning Sanctuary, which is one of G8 Education’s 350 early learning centres now delivering the evidence based curriculum.
Jennifer recently noticed that her son was speaking more about body safety and body autonomy when he was at home.
“My son has been talking more openly at home about body safety, body autonomy and private parts,” Jennifer said.
“He told us that he has ‘safe adults’, who are grown-ups that he can talk to about anything.”
Jennifer said the program has helped her son be able to express his feelings more clearly and understand his own boundaries.
“In the last six months, he has really increased in confidence when it comes to body autonomy. He is now confident telling us what he feels comfortable with or how he wants to greet someone,” Jennifer explained.
“We respect that, and we work out another way he can say hello or goodbye if he doesn’t want a kiss or a hug.”
Jennifer has always encouraged open conversations at home, but says the centre’s structured approach has deepened her son’s understanding of safety, consent and empathy.
“I noticed the changes in my son, and the centre let us know that they were teaching the Learn to Be Safe with Emmy and Friends body safety program which I thought was a fantastic idea. It is so important to start teaching those concepts to children really early,” Jennifer said.
“The educators have made it just a normal part of everyone’s day at the centre. It’s not a big deal, it’s just an important part of the children’s everyday learning.”
Jennifer believes the program should be essential for all early childhood education and care centres.
“I know that my son has enjoyed learning about body safety. I definitely feel it is so important that children are across this, and can articulate how they’re feeling and have adults they feel safe to talk to about anything,” Jennifer said.
“You never know when your child might need to share some really important information with you. If children are given the tools to express themselves, that really is invaluable.”
Jennifer also praised the diversity represented in the Learn to Be Safe with Emmy and Friends program’s resources, noting that children can see themselves reflected in the characters and stories. “When I was looking through the resources, I liked that there’s diversity in the characters. This is what people look like, and this is reflective of our community,” Jennifer said.
A national commitment to child safety and wellbeing
G8 Education has collaborated with Act for Kids to embed the Learn to Be Safe with Emmy and Friends program across 350 centres, ensuring close to 30,000 children have access to age appropriate lessons about body safety, consent, feelings, safe and unsafe situations, and identifying trusted adults. The program is delivered by trained educators and integrated seamlessly into daily routines, making safety education a normal and empowering part of early learning.
The protective behaviours program includes extensive training for G8 Education’s Early Childhood Teachers, Educators and Centre team members, learning resources that can be accessed by Educators and families alike, a Learn to Be Safe book for all children enrolled in a G8 Education centre to take home, and songs, videos and animations.
As part of the program, Act for Kids and G8 Education are also hosting a series of family webinars, which give parents the opportunity to ask leading child protection experts any questions about the program.
The Learn to Be Safe with Emmy and Friends program rollout and embedment in G8 Education centres across Australia will continue throughout 2026, 2027 and beyond. For more information about the Learn to Be Safe with Emmy and Friends program, please visit: https://emmyandfriends.com.au/