What is ENGAGE?

Self-regulation is a core skill that is strongly associated with a variety of outcomes and everyday functioning in the social, learning and emotional aspects of our lives.

Research has shown that poor self-regulation skills in the early childhood years are predictive of a wide array of adverse adult outcomes, covering a spectrum such as poorer work functioning, higher rates of unemployment and criminality, poorer mental health and more relationship difficulties.

ENGAGE Early Childhood Education

The ENGAGE™ framework is focused on developing self-regulation in the early childhood years - 3, 4 and 5-year-olds.

ENGAGE™ is focused on fostering mokopuna’s skills, attitudes, learning dispositions, and working theories within a fun play-based framework.

The framework has a strong focus on relationships, working together, and belonging.

ENGAGE™ is fully emersed in AKO – teaching and learning – as self-regulation is a skill that children develop together with adults and others in their environment.

ENGAGE Beginnings

Dione Healey. a clinical psychologist with a PhD in Psychology, is the lead developer of the ENGAGE™ approach and is the Director of the ENGAGE™ Research and Development programme which is based in her research laboratory at the University of Otago.