Catharine Hydon

With over 30 years experience leading and advocating for quality early childhood education and care, Catharine Hydon’s work as the Principal Consultant and Director at Hydon Consulting, focuses on supporting professionals to explore the relationship between theory and practice.

Catharine’s collaborative approach and engaging style have taken her across Australia, where she partners with leaders and educators in a collective effort to create meaning, define quality, and engage in the art of transformational change. Central to her work is the cultivation of professional dialogue that embraces diversity and invites deep reflection.

Informed by a Masters in early childhood education, specialising in innovative practice and governance, Catharine is driven by the need for principled approaches to education and leadership, especially in complex times. She brings stories of practice to the intersections of theory, fostering co-design and capacity sharing.

Catharine is a long-time member of Early Childhood Australia (ECA), actively contributing to ECA’s Reconciliation work and regularly writing for ECA publications and professional learning platforms. For the past five years, she has led the facilitator team for ECA’s Colloquia on Leadership and Ethics. Additionally, she serves as a second-tier reviewer for ACECQA.

In 2022, Catharine completed a Diploma of Governance, further deepening her interest and understanding of how effective governance, principled decision-making, and ethical leadership can support positive outcomes for children and communities.