Every Child Can Thrive by Five!

The youngest person to deliver a TED Talk Molly Wright, an Aussie Year two student from the Gold Coast, has a special message for parents all around the world. Her plea is for parents to ditch the digital devices and play with their kids. Molly was chosen to present the TED Talk on behalf of Thrive by Five, which campaigns to give more children access to quality early childhood education. Thrive by Five is backed by the Minderoo Foundation and run by Australian philanthropists Andrew and Nicola Forrest. Her TED Talk is being promoted by UNICEF and will be shown to new parents in maternity hospitals worldwide. TED’s 30 million followers have already hailed the message from a young girl - a timely reminder about the importance of connection.

Molly so eloquently chorused,

“Babies can’t speak for themselves, so I was trying to speak for them and say, ‘please connect with your children because it’s really important you do that’.

“It’s important for parents to use their devices sometimes, but if you have any free time, put your device down for a moment and connect with your child.’’

Professor Desiree Silva, Head of Paediatrics and Researcher from Perth University also echoes this sentiment in her research that connecting with your child/ren is absolutely critical for children’s brain development.

With any event held at St Clare of Assisi, such as our morning assembly, our babies are cooed at and talked to by any parents, and our toddlers are always wished a good morning and happy day as they skip around between the knees of their parents. Together, we can strive to maintain this affection no matter the age of our children.

We know it takes a village to raise a child, and at SCA we can assure you that your “kids” are in good hands. Through connecting with our community, thriving through your love and care, and flourishing at our SCA home, we can continue to create a communicative and supportive environment for your beautiful children. Together we can raise young adults that have the values so poignantly discussed in young Molly Wright's speech - ones grounded in faith, empathy and connection to our loved ones, and the world around us.

Jo Reed

Assistant Principal