Evidence-informed. Evidence-growing.
Mindful Monkies' programs are grounded in peer-reviewed research and aligned with the frameworks Australian early childhood services are already assessed against — EYLF, NQS and AERO's own evidence standards.
Prevention, not deficit.
Around 14% of Australian children and adolescents aged 4–17 experience a diagnosable mental health condition in any 12-month period, with prevalence patterns established from early childhood.1
A large international meta-analysis of 192 studies found around a third of all mental health conditions have an onset before age 14 — reinforcing the case for early, preventative support rather than later intervention.2
Mapped against the frameworks you're assessed on
Our program elements map directly to Australia's national early learning framework and quality standard.
| Framework | Element | How Mindful Monkies aligns |
|---|---|---|
| EYLF V2.0 | Outcome 3 — Wellbeing | Self-regulation, emotional wellbeing and coping skills are the direct focus of every session. |
| EYLF V2.0 | Outcome 1 — Identity | Naming emotions and building self-awareness through story and character-led learning. |
| EYLF V2.0 | Outcome 4 — Confident Learners | Hands-on problem solving and real classroom scenarios build confidence and school readiness. |
| NQS | Quality Area 1 | Evidence-based, intentional teaching practice underpins every session plan. |
| NQS | Quality Area 5 | Relationships with children — co-regulation modelled directly alongside educators, in real time. |
| NQS | Quality Area 6 | Family take-home resources bridge classroom and home, supporting collaborative partnerships. |
The studies behind our approach
The Kindness Curriculum (Flook et al., 2015)
A randomised controlled trial of a 12-week mindfulness-based curriculum for pre-kindergarten children found greater social competence, improved sharing behaviour and better academic-readiness ratings — with the strongest gains in children who started with lower self-regulation.3
French Replication (2024)
A cluster RCT with 761 pre-kindergarten children replicated the Kindness Curriculum model, finding positive effects on self-management, teacher and peer relationships, and emotional processing — showing the model generalises beyond the US.4
CARE for Teachers (Jennings et al., 2017)
The gold-standard mindfulness PD trial for educators — 224 teachers, 36 schools — found improved emotion regulation, mindfulness and classroom emotional support, with benefits still present 9.5 months later. Endorsed by the U.S. What Works Clearinghouse.5
MBSR Meta-Analysis (de Vibe et al., 2017)
A Campbell Collaboration systematic review — an evidence standard equivalent to Cochrane — found Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction effective for improving health, quality of life and social functioning in adults.6
Not just research — the sector's own standards
AERO
The Australian Education Research Organisation's "Tried and Tested" guide series includes a dedicated report on Executive Function and Self-Regulation for early childhood — the same evidence standard SRF and government funders use.
Evidence for Learning
An independent Early Childhood Education Toolkit mapping evidence-based approaches to each EYLF V2.0 outcome — third-party validation beyond our own claims.
An actively researched field in Australia
Mindfulness and contemplative practice is an active area of research at Australian universities, including Monash University's Centre for Consciousness and Contemplative Studies (M3CS) and the University of Melbourne's Contemplative Studies Centre.
For SRF assessors and further reading
1. Lawrence, D., et al. (2015). The Mental Health of Children and Adolescents: Report on the second Australian Child and Adolescent Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing. Department of Health, Canberra.
2. Solmi, M., Radua, J., Olivola, M., et al. (2022). Age at onset of mental disorders worldwide: large-scale meta-analysis of 192 epidemiological studies. Molecular Psychiatry.
3. Flook, L., Goldberg, S. B., Pinger, L., & Davidson, R. J. (2015). Promoting prosocial behavior and self-regulatory skills in preschool children through a mindfulness-based Kindness Curriculum. Developmental Psychology, 51(1), 44–51.
4. Promoting Psychological Well-being in Preschoolers Through Mindfulness-based Socio-emotional Learning: A Randomized-controlled Trial. Research on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology (2024).
5. Jennings, P. A., Brown, J. L., Frank, J. L., et al. (2017). Impacts of the CARE for Teachers Program on Teachers' Social and Emotional Competence and Classroom Interactions. Journal of Educational Psychology.
6. de Vibe, M., Bjørndal, A., Fattah, S., et al. (2017). Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) for improving health, quality of life and social functioning in adults. Campbell Systematic Reviews, 13, 1–264.
Ng, J., Rogers, M., & McNamara, C. (2023). Early childhood educator's burnout: a systematic review of the determinants and effectiveness of interventions. Issues in Educational Research, 33(1), 173–206.
Klimecki, O. M., Leiberg, S., Ricard, M., & Singer, T. (2014). Differential pattern of functional brain plasticity after compassion and empathy training. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, 9(6), 873–879.
Australian Government Department of Education / ACECQA (2022). Belonging, Being & Becoming: The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia V2.0.
Australian Education Research Organisation (2021). Tried and Tested: Executive function and self-regulation.
Evidence for Learning — EYLF v2.0 Early Childhood Education Toolkit.
See how this looks in your classroom.
Explore our programs, or get in touch to talk through your service's specific needs.