Owned & Operated by Early Childhood Educators
We are so much more than a resource catalogue. We are changing the world through play, and we hope you'll join us
The push down effect
Growing Kind was born over 5 years ago from Early Childhood Teacher, Amie Hankinson. Growing Kind continues to be Australian Owned and Operated by Amie, and her team of passionate #changemakers. Amie has worked in ECE since leaving highschool, and noticed the intense and disheartening push down of academics into Early Learning Centres. Early Childhood Centres should be a place of curiosity, wonder, exploration and magic; all of which can be achieved through play. Sadly Amie and her team have noticed an increase in forced group times, alphabet charts pasted on walls at ridiculous heights, overstimulating and busy routines that replicate a classroom, and consequently groups of anxious and unfulfilled children. Growing Kind is on a mission to ‘Change the World through Play’. We hope you will join us on reclaiming childhood for what it should be!
“It is paradoxical that many educators and parents still differentiate between a time for learning and a time for play without seeing the vital connection between them."
Why Play?
Services We Offer
Our Three Pillars; Advocacy, Community Connections, Accessibility
Accessibility
Resources & Environments
Accessibility to child-informed early learning environments is at the core of Growing Kind. We specialise in selecting resources and setting up New Early Childhood Centres. We take an individualised approach to all services, which recognises the uniqueness of every centre/FDC local community, philosophy and most importantly the children. For existing services we ensure that children are involved in recreating environments; giving children the voice they deserve. When we say ‘we are more than a catalogue’ we truly mean it. The support and relationship you will gain from Growing Kind is like no other, just ask our past clients.
“I cannot believe how engaged the children are. I walk into the rooms and they are all playing, constructing and working together. Even the educators have commented that this is the calmest centre they’ve ever worked at. I think it’s because of the resources and all of the set ups that Growing Kind strategically planned. This is the third centre I have opened, previously I had just selected items from a catalogue and set them up on shelves. Growing Kind made this whole process so easy, I gave them a budget and they did the rest, which gave me time to focus on other things. The evidence is in the children”. ➡️ Testimonial from the owner of Park Ridge Bright Future Early Education Centre
Advocacy
Play can change the world
If our team isn’t busy creating child-led environments, we are either at home parenting our little ones #mumcrew OR you might find Amie volunteering her time at the Australian Institute of Play. Amie is a Board Director for the Australian Institute of Play (AIP). The AIP purpose is to “promote, enable and protect the right Australian children have to play, especially where they live. We exist to amplify child’s voice regarding their play, we will advocate for children and their play, and we will influence conditions for children to play”.
Supplementary to this, you will find us hanging out on the socials (Facebook, Instagram, Tiktok and LinkedIn) getting the message out that PLAY is the only way!
Community
Making Connections
We understand that not all children have access to quality resources, and it would be ludicrous to assume they will. We are committed to ensuring ALL children can access PLAY regardless of their socio-economic status. As well as advocating for free play we are super proud to be giving back wherever possible. Each year we supply the foster children of Anglicare Logan City with Christmas Presents for the local foster children. Logan City has one of the highest rates of children in vulnerable and outside of home settings. In 2022 we were able to donate 120x school bags full of stationary, toys and lunchboxes to flood affected children.
On the weekends you will find us out and about at parks, play centres and our local community centre.
Would you like to find out more about working with us:
Amie is absolutely amazing to deal with and provides endlessly for her customers and her community. We also love following along all the adventures on their Instagram & Facebook accounts too.
Thankyou for always being a breath of fresh air on social media and when sourcing amazing play resources!
And the toys, gifts, art and craft pieces we ordered we're such amazing quality and all environmentally and child safe. I really love what you are doing at Growing Kind.
Thankyou for providing us with such a wonderful space to buy gifts and pieces for our children to learn, play and grow with.
As Featured In
Our Core Values
- Enhance the social and emotional wellbeing of our next generation
We share open-ended resources to help stimulate children’s creative play. We foster play-based learning practices in all our activities and encourage positive values and dispositions rather than traditional letter and number learning.
We aim to empower this generation of learners to be self-aware, kind and competent.
- Empower Parents and Educators
We acknowledge and respect that families are their child’s first teacher. We help guide, support and educate families on latest early childhood research. We share inspiring quotes and spread kindness across our social media platforms.
We aim to support other mothers and educators to create like-minded villages that empower one another. After all, we are all on this sleep-deprived, caffeine-restricted, supervised-toileting-trips journey together right? It takes a village to raise a child. Come join ours and let Growing Kind support you!
- Care for the Environment
We use recycled or reusable packaging wherever possible.
We take time to learn about prospective new brands and makers including where they source their materials, and how their products are made and by whom.
- Give Back to the Community
We make monthly donations to Babe Give Back. We have also donated prizes to charities and events including PANDA, The Big Latch On, Fire Victims Australia and Warrior Mail.
