Connecting the Dots: Education consultants add culture to early learning practises

A North Queensland consultancy helping early-learning educators embed culture into their everyday practises has added an Indigenous flavour to the business community.

Adorable Ingham school children Westin, 5, Sadie, 9, and Clay Long, 7, at grandmother Jacqueline Bennett’s early learning consultancy and toy store Connecting the Dots through Culture, a seven-year old North Queensland business that has just opened its first store in Palm Terrace, Ingham. Picture: Cameron Bates

A North Queensland consultancy focused on helping early-learning educators embed culture into their everyday practises has added an Indigenous flavour to the Ingham business community.

Connecting the Dots through Culture, which encompasses a new store offering ethically sourced toys and learning materials, has just opened on flood-free Palm Terrace in Ingham although it has been operating for seven years.

Cultural consultant and educator Jacqueline Bennett, a Kamilaroi and Bigambul woman from New South Wales, said she had spent 16 years in Townsville, three in Weipa and was now in her second year in Hinchinbrook.

Ms Bennett, who has four adult children and 10 grandchildren, said she opened the business with co-owner Cecelia See Kee from Thursday Island to provide consultancy and training for early-childhood educators to ensure Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island perspectives were incorporated in early learning.

“Aboriginal people have their own cultures, their own ways of knowing and doing, their own languages … and then the Torres Strait Island perspectives … they’ve got a different language, different cultures, different ways of knowing and doing,” she said.

“We raise awareness for educators to know that there is a difference and there are easy ways of them to embed our cultures without having to stress about whether or not they are doing the right or the wrong thing.”

Cultural consultant and educator Jacqueline Bennett, a Kamilaroi and Bigambul woman from New South Wales, is co-owner of early learning consultancy Connecting the Dots through Culture, a seven-year old North Queensland business that has just opened its first store in Palm Terrace, Ingham. Picture: Cameron Bates

Ms Bennett said all cultures were important.

“(Educators) need to know the culture of every single child that walks into a classroom,” she said.

“Families feel so much more comfortable when they walk into a space and they can see something of themselves (and) we want all cultures to feel safe.”

She said the business and toy store already had a successful online operation, and often travelled to people as part of its consultancy services.

“When this place became available, we thought we’d do the training room and provide our resources here.”

Our Lady of Lourdes Primary School Ingham student Clay Long, 7, shows off a dingo hand puppet for sale at the new Connecting the Dots through Culture toy store in Palm Terrace, Ingham. The store , also available online, has a range of ethically sourced educational toys and tools. Picture: Cameron Bates

Ms Bennett said she worked with numerous kindergartens and day-care centres, including major privately owned chains and organisations.

The entrepreneurial educator said that to maximise returns on the investment, the business was also offering private, self-contained upmarket office space that could be rented by the hour or for longer periods.

She said the business encompassed an intimate training area for up to 10 educators, two private offices, a shared kitchen area, warehouse and toy shop that was open to the public.

“Families can come in here and get good quality toys and educational tools for their children.”

Ms Bennett said she was hoping to work with local businesses to increase its online and store offerings.

Originally published as Connecting the Dots: Education consultants add culture to early learning practises