21/07/2025
Professor Cathrine Neilsen‑Hewett is the Academic Director of The Early Years at the University of Wollongong and co-creator of the Early Years Toolbox—an evidence-based assessment and pedagogical improvement tool used widely in early childhood settings. Since 2015, she has co-led multiple large-scale Australian studies involving over 600 early childhood centres and more than 3,500 children, focusing on enhancing educators’ practice and children’s outcomes in areas like self-regulation, behaviour, and numeracy.
Her leadership of the FEEL (Fostering Effective Early Learning) study demonstrated that sustained in-service professional learning dramatically improves both educator practice and child development—especially in literacy, numeracy, and socio-emotional growth. Additionally, her more recent work explores integrated service models that connect early childhood education with health and intervention supports, particularly in underserved regional areas, driving systemic shifts in early intervention delivery.
