Designing AI for Quality Human Interactions in ECEC
20
2:00 AM - 3:00 AM
A workshop with Mana - As featured at the Montessori Australia Conference 2026 (Brisbane) and the Early Childhood Council Conference 2026 (Wellington)
AI is the greatest technological shift of our time since the Industrial Revolution. It is reshaping every industry, and ECEC is no exception.
Right now most people think of AI as 'ChatGPT' but this is just a generic product that uses AI. What this technology can do goes far beyond writing emails.
Mana is an AI native child development platform — used by over 70K educators and ~1,000 centres across Aus/NZ. Founded by Himal Randeniya (who originally built Mana for his ECEC services) in a belief that AI, if designed right, can help us be more human.
This is a hands-on session, where we invite you to step back from the hype, to explore what this technology can actually do, where it belongs for our future — and where it doesn't.
In this workshop, we'll explore:
- How AI actually works, and why it marks a shift as significant as the Industrial Revolution
- Reconnecting with our 'Why' to help us create guardrails for where AI can help and where it should never go
- An interactive activity looking at the future of where AI systems can add value, and Mana's Quality Maturity Model through AI
Who this is for:
- Owners or Heads of Pedagogy wanting to understand how to design AI systems that enable quality across teams
- Leaders or educators curious about AI and what it means for the sector
Speaker
Hayden Rolls
Head of Partnerships, Mana
My journey into education began with my first career as an OSHC Educator, where I discovered a passion for mentoring children. I then went on to study a Bachelor of Business Leadership and Commerce at Macquarie University, before joining Deloitte's strategy consulting team, with a focus on the education sector. A key highlight was leading the implementation planning for the Mental Health in Primary Schools Program across Victoria. Following this, I completed my Master's in Applied Positive Psychology at the University of Melbourne, where my research centred on positive education for children. My research was published in the International Journal of Applied Positive Psychology, in collaboration with Smiling Mind (one of Australia's leading digital mental health providers for youth). This journey at the intersection of early education and technology ultimately led me to Mana - where our AI native child development platform seeks to empower educators and families to give every child an extraordinary start to life.
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20
2:00 AM - 3:00 AM