Tricia Eadie

Professor Tricia Eadie is a Professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Melbourne and Director of the REEaCh (Research in Effective Education in Early Childhood) Centre. Established in 2019 with philanthropic funding from Jenny and John Leaper, the REEaCh Centre conducts evidence-informed, collaborative research to improve early learning experiences for young Australians. Its priorities include enhancing the quality of early childhood education programs, promoting equitable participation in high-quality programs, and fostering educational leadership for sustained improvements. Key initiatives under her leadership encompass professional learning programs such as the Abecedarian Approach Australia (3a), which equips educators and parents with evidence-based strategies to boost children's educational outcomes from birth to five years; Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS™) observation training to strengthen teacher-child interactions; Learning Language and Loving It™ - The Hanen Program® to advance children's language, social, and literacy development; and the Kindergarten Language and Preliteracy Program aligned with the Early Years Learning Framework.

Eadie earned her PhD from La Trobe University, Graduate Diploma from the University of Technology Sydney, and Bachelor's Degree. Her research focuses on early childhood language and literacy development, speech sound disorders, stuttering onset and persistence, developmental language disorders, and factors influencing teacher-child interactions and educator wellbeing. She contributed significantly to the Early Language in Victoria Study (ELVS), a prospective community cohort examining predictors of language outcomes from infancy to school age. Notable publications include 'Predicting language outcomes at 4 years of age: Findings from Early Language in Victoria Study' (Pediatrics, 2010), 'Speech sound disorder at 4 years: prevalence, comorbidities, and predictors in a community cohort of children' (Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology, 2015), 'Predicting language at 2 years of age: a prospective community study' (Pediatrics, 2007), and 'Early childhood educators’ wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic' (Early Childhood Education Journal, 2021). With over 7,000 citations, her scholarship informs policy and practice, including the EDGE study on three-year-old kindergarten impacts. She serves on the Victorian Children's Council and is affiliated with Speech Pathology Australia.

Professional Email: peadie@unimelb.edu.au