Two in three Aussie kids miss out on vital life education

As a charity, the support of the Australian community plays an important part. That is why Healthy Harold is calling on Aussies to support the Thrive Children’s Fund this tax time.

All funds raised will help Healthy Harold reach more children in underserved communities, including low socio-economic metropolitan areas, regional towns and remote schools. This is where access and resources are limited. This is where the potential for impact is greatest.

“The world has changed. Children are forced to grow up faster, faced with more challenges earlier in life. Preventative health education is no longer optional. It is critical to changing and saving young lives,” said Karen Robertson, CEO at Life Ed Australia.

“The needs of children are increasing because investment in health is concentrated on treatment, rather than prevention. One in five young people report high psychological distress (ABS, 2025), over half of children aged 10 to 17 have experienced cyberbullying (eSafety Commissioner 2025), and one in three secondary students have tried vaping (Department of Health, 2024). We are putting the cart before the horse – or giraffe in this case.”

Through the Thrive Children’s Fund, Life Ed is addressing issues in equity and accessibility to early preventative education. In underserved communities, this can be the difference between perpetuating or breaking negative, often entrenched, intergenerational cycles.

“Preventative health education is about more than just gaining knowledge. It’s about long-term behaviour change. It is not something that happens overnight, or after one Life Ed visit. It is a commitment to educating children early, often and together as they grow into different stages of their lives,” continued Ms Robertson.

Winter looks forward to her Life Ed visit every year because of her favourite giraffe.

For almost 50 years, Life Ed has been trusted by schools, families and communities because of the impact the team make in and beyond the classroom.

“I had Healthy Harold growing up too, I still remember the anticipation of waiting and the excitement when his head would finally pop out from behind the curtain and learning about eating healthy and saying no to smoking, drugs and alcohol. I also looked forward to getting a new badge or pin to add to my collection every year,” reflected Winter’s mum, Bianca.

“Life Ed has made such a difference to our family. I’ve seen Winter’s knowledge grow with each visit. Recently, her awareness about online safety has sky rocketed. It’s amazing what kids can access these days. It’s reassuring to hear Winter come home from a Healthy Harold visit talking about what appropriate online behaviour looks like and why it matters.”

While Healthy Harold is a much-loved Australian icon, he is often underestimated. He sparks nostalgia for millions of adults because his unique and engaging approach to evidence-based education stays with students for life.

“It’s about reaching kids when it counts and the earlier children begin to learn about complex issues, the more opportunities they will get to practice making positive choices. This is how Life Ed builds health literacy. This is the key to health prevention. This why Life Ed is needed now more than ever,” said Ms Robertson.