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• Senior Lecturer, Early Childhood Education; Post Doctoral Fellow, Manna Institute, University of New England

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Dr Marg Rogers is a Senior Lecturer in the Early Childhood Education team within the School of Education. Marg has taught across all areas of education: early childhood, primary, secondary and tertiary. Marg researches marginalised voices within families and education especially in regional, rural and remote communities. Specifically, she researches ways to support the wellbeing of military, first responder and remote worker families and early childhood educators. Marg is a Postdoctoral Fellow within the Commonwealth Funded Manna Institute.

Marg is the lead researcher for the funded Child and Family Resilience Programs. This team, along with their Steering Committee of stakeholders, has developed award-winning, research-based, free, online, evaluated resources for educators, parents, and support workers to assist young children from Australian military families. Many of these resources are currently being culturally adapted for Canadian families in collaboration with the Canadian Institute of Military Health Research and other partners. Additionally, the team are working with partners to make them suitable for first responder families.

Marg also leads a transnational study called 'Early Childhood Educators work within a highly regulated environment' with colleagues from Denmark, Italy, Georgia and Canada. She is also a co-investigator in a study 'Peer Support Program' with Southern Cross University. The study is piloting a Canadian Peer Mentoring Program in Australia's childcare desert areas and has pilot funding from the Australian Childcare Alliance (Qld Branch).

As a children's author, Marg has co-created a series of children's storyooks that are part of the Child and Family Resilience program. The research-based storybooks are designed to assist them with parental separation during deployment, training and relocation and other stresses in service family life. The storybooks contain lived and living experience narratives. They contain practical ways to improve children's understanding of the transitions that happen in their families and how to not only survive but thrive.

Marg has co-created other storyooks to support children from military families on how to deal with the changes and emotional upheavals when parents return home from deployment with physical and mental health injuries. These bibliotherapy books assist children who are already experiencing these challenges within their families. With partners in Canada and the UK, she is co-creating a storybook about parental moral injury.

In a previous role, she worked as an Educational Partnership Broker, creating partnerships through school, business and community that had a learning outcome for birth to 25-year-olds. She also taught at the New England Conservatorium of Music running early childhood music and movement classes.

Previously Marg ran a music tuition business 'Moree Music' for seven years. This included council early intervention contracts, instrumental tuition, early childhood music, movement and language programs, infants and primary school bands with community involvement.

Marg has taught in adult education colleges, preschools, childcare, infants, primary and high schools in NSW, Tasmania and the Northern Territory in the creative arts and literacy. She is passionate about the effects of movement, dance and music on early childhood development and the impact of wellbeing, family life, nutrition and exercise on children.

Qualifications
Doctor of Philosophy (Examiners: Professor Anne Farrell, Professor Jennifer Sumsion, Associate Professor Wendy Boyd)
Masters Learning Innovation (Early Childhood)
Graduate Certificate of Language Education (ESL)
Graduate Diploma of Education (Music)
Bachelor of Creative Arts (Music)

Teaching Areas
Families, communication and speech development, literacy, digital literacy, critical literacy, health, nutrition and wellbeing, creative arts (especially performing arts at all levels), integrated learning

Experience

• 2022–present Senior lecturer, University of New England
• 2022–present Postdoctoral fellow, Manna Institute
• 2011–2021 Lecturer, University of New England
• 2011–2013 Educational Partnership Broker, Careers Network Incorporated
• 2004–2010 Director and owner, Moree Music

Education

• 2017 University of New England, PhD
• 2008 Queensland University of Technology, Masters Learning Innovation (Early Childhood Education)

Publications

• 2025 Co-creating a research-based e-storybook for children coping with parental moral injury: insights from affected communities and partners., Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties, 1–18.
• 2025 Moving Beyond Mosaic: Co-Creating Educational and Psychosocial Resources Using Military Children's Voices, Educational Sciences, 15.
• 2025 Indigenous perspectives for teaching children about days of remembrance by decolonising curriculum, Issues in Educational Research, 35(2), 573-589.
• 2025 Early childhood educators' understandings of quality in five countries: similarities and differences to policy, European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, 1-17.
• 2025 Eco‐Emotions, Mental Ill‐Health Symptoms and Climate Action Among Australian Adolescents: The Protective Role of Connectedness to Nature, nternational Journal of Psychology, 60(4), e70084.
• 2025 How 'childcare deserts' in rural Australia impact parent and child wellbeing: An analysis of parental voices, Issues in Educational Research, 35(3), 1116-1136.
• 2024 Between nature kindergartens and Forest School: Forging pathways for nature play in Australia's ECE sector, Issues in Educational Research, 34(3), 953-973.
• 2024 Post-Disaster Social Connectedness in Parent–Child Dyads: A Qualitative Investigation of Changes in Coping and Social Capital of Rural Australian Families Following Bushfires, The British Journal of Social Work.
• 2024 Gathering voices and experiences of Australian military families: Developing family support resources, Journal of Military, Veteran and Family Health, 10(5), 79-94.
• 2024 Impacts of managerial systems on early educators' job satisfaction in five countries., Issues in Educational Research, 34(1), 219-234.
• 2024 Silencing Children About 'Forbidden' Topics: Discussing Prevention Education in Australian Early Childhood, International Electronic Journal of Elementary Education, 17(1), 25-34.
• 2024 Contextualised, Not Neoliberalised, Approaches to Families in Five Countries: Quality and Practice, Social Sciences, 13(12), 695.
• 2024 Publishing research-based news articles: Opportunities and challenges for creating effective knowledge translation, Issues in Educational Research, 34(2), 699-718.
• 2024 Services Australia's systems contributing to existing disadvantage among vulnerable population groups, Briefing Paper for the Department of Social Security.
• 2024 Impact of neoliberal-inspired policies on educators' professional identity in five countries: Visions for a better future, Supporting Early Childhood Practice Through Difficult Times (pp. 70-82). Routledge.
• 2023 Parental Perceptions of Social and Emotional Wellbeing of Young Children from Australian Military Families, Australian Journal of Rural Health.
• 2023 New ways of working and new opportunities: Early childhood leaders' professional practice post-COVID, In K. Marsh-Davies & C. Burnett (Eds.), Teachers and teaching post-COVID (pp. 163-180). Taylor & Francis.
• 2023 The more things change the more they stay the same: Early childhood professionalism in COVID-19 times, Issues in Educational Research, 33(4), 1568-1581.
• 2023 A systematic review of burnout and quality of life of early childhood educators, Issues in Educational Research, 33(1), 173-206.
• 2023 "Burnout central": Australian early childhood educational leaders' experiences during the Covid-19 pandemic, Issues in Educational Research, 33(1), 284-306.
• 2023 Strengthening and supporting parent-child relationships through digital technology: Benefits and challenges, Family Relations, 1-18.
• 2022 Lessons from the pandemic: reimagining and repositioning children and early childhood professionals within the educational landscape, In J. Pattnaik & M. R. Jalongo (Eds.), The Impact of COVID-19 on Early Childhood Education and Care: International Perspectives, Challenges, and Responses. Springer Nature Switzerland AG.
• 2022 Empathy and narrative: A discussion of contemporary stories from education and health, International Electronic Journal of Elementary Education, 14(5), 631-646.
• 2022 Neoliberalism and government responses to Covid-19: Ramifications for early childhood education and care, Issues in Educational Research, 32(3), 1174-1195.
• 2022 Stakeholder engagement with funding bodies, steering committees and surveys: Benefits for education projects, Issues in Educational Research, 32(3), 1131-1152.
• 2022 The bold and the backlash: When marginalised voices are heard in neoliberal land, International Electronic Journal of Elementary Education, 14(4), 459-473. .2022.256
• 2021 Educator identity in a neoliberal context: recognising and supporting early childhood education and care educators, European early childhood education research journal, 28(6), 806-822. Retrieved from
• 2021 International programs and resources to support children from military families: A review, International Electronic Journal of Elementary Education, 14(2), 119-133. doi:10.26822/iejee.2022.23
• 2021 Contextualised, not Neoliberalised Professionalism in Early Childhood Education and Care: Effects of Prescribed Notions of Quality on Educator Confidence in Australia, International Electronic Journal of Elementary Education, 13(4), 549-564. Retrieved from
• 2021 Stakeholder engagement in an online community education project via diverse media engagements, Issues in Educational Research, 31(2), 626-643. Retrieved from
• 2020 Recommendations to support young children from Australian military families: A report for policy makers, family and social workers and educators , Journal of Management Policy and Practices, 21(2), 1-26. 33423/jmpp2
• 2020 Using the media arts to digitally support young children's family and cultural narratives, International Art in Early Childhood Research Journal, 1(1), 1-16.
• 2020 Children's agency: Developing a digital app to voice family narratives, Journal of Military, Veteran and Family Health, 6(2), 129-137. doi:10.3138/jmvfh-2019-0022
• 2020 Meddling with Mosaic: Reflections and adaptations, European Early Childhood Education Research Journal. doi:10.1080/1350293X.2020.1817236
• 2020 Organisational narratives versus the lived neoliberal reality: Tales from a regional university, Australian Universities Review, 62(1), 26-40.
• 2019 Harnessing the power of cultural health narratives when working with parents of young children, Children Australia, 44(3), 105-109. doi:10.1017/cha.2019.22
• 2018 Listening to children's voices through art: Communicating experiences and understandings in Mosaic research, International Art in Early Childhood Research Journal, 1(1), 1-19.
• 2017 Young children's understanding and experiences of parental deployment within an Australian Defence Force family, School of Education. Armidale, Australia, University of New England. Doctor of Philosophy. 10.13140/RG.2.2.26497.61281 Accessed from
• 2017 Protective factors in families: Themes from a socio-ecological study of Australian Defence Force families experiencing parental deployment, SAGE Open Access, 7(2). doi:10.1177/2158244017706711. Available from
• 2016 Narrative, Acculturation and Ritual: Themes from a Socio-ecological Study of Australian Defence Force Families Experiencing Parental Deployment, Children Australia, 41(2), 141-153. doi:
• 2015 Liam's story: So why do I wear Dad's medals?, Mt. Victoria, Australia: Pademelon Press. ISBN 9781876138431.

Grants and Contracts

• 2024 Evidence-based relocation storybook for children Role: Lead researcher Funding Source: Canadian Morale Welfare Service
• 2024 Evidence-based Complex-PTSD bibliotherapy storybook for children and their parents, support workers and clinicians Role: Lead researcher Funding Source: Combat Stress
• 2023 Evidence-based moral injury bibliotherapy torybook and modules for children and their parents, support workers and clinicians Role: Lead researcher Funding Source: Foundation of Graduatues of Early Childhood Studies - Forest Hill grant
• 2023 Educators' Peer Support Program Role: Co-researcher Funding Source: Australian Childcare Alliance (QLD Branch)
• 2022 Cultural adaptation of evidence-based storybooks for children from military, veteran and first responder (PSP) families Role: Co-researcher Funding Source: Canadian Institute of Military Veteran Health Research and The Royal Canadian Legion
• 2021 Early Childhood Defence Programs Role: Lead researcher Funding Source: Foundation of Graduates of Early Childhood Studies - Forest Hill grant
• 2020 Early Childhood Defence Programs Role: Lead researcher Funding Source: University of New England VC funding
• 2019 Program development to support young children from ADF families, their parents and educators Role: Lead researcher Funding Source: The Ian Potter Foundation

Professional Memberships

• Australian Association for Research in Education (AARE)
• European Early Childhood Education Research Association (EECERA)
• Early Childhood Australia
• The Australian and New Zealand Mental Health Association
• Australian Graduates of Early Childhood Studies

Research Areas

• Early Childhood Education (Excl. Maori) (130102)

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