Keara Baker-Storey named as a finalist for the 2026 Young Aboriginal Educator Award

Congratulations Indi Kindi Tennant Creek Team Leader Keara Baker-Storey (Warumungu/Wambaya) on being a finalist for the NT Government Young Aboriginal Educator Award, part of the 2026 Northern Territory Young Achiever Awards.

This award is a recognition of Keara’s commitment to supporting the learning, health and wellbeing of young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children aged 0 to 5 years in Tennant Creek to give them the best start in life.

Keara joined Indi Kindi in 2021. She is a role model, changemaker and leader in the community. Every day, she supports Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children to be strong in family, community and culture so they can thrive.

With the support of Moriarty Foundation, Keara has completed her Certificate Three in Early Childhood Education and Care and a Certificate Four in Leadership and Management as well as a Diploma in Project Management.

In 2024, Keara completed the Apiary Fellowship with The Front Project, a year long leadership program that brings together people from across the Early Learning space who are committed to creating thriving futures for children in Australia.

Keara is passionate about Indi Kindi’s ground breaking Walking Learning® curriculum and the impacts it has on young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander learners.

Last year, Keara along with Indi Kindi Program Director Jessica Horne-Kennedy, and Indi Kindi Program Manager Alinta DeSatge (Waluwarra), presented at the Early Childhood Australia National Conference, sharing how Indi Kindi provides a culturally-rich and safe learning environment to support Aboriginal children and families.

In 2022, Keara was appointed to the Early Childhood Care & Development Policy Partnership, established by the Joint Council on Closing the Gap and co-chaired by SNAICC. Through her contribution, Keara advocated for the health, safety and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in remote communities.

Other training and qualifications Keara has completed or is working towards include:

• Youth Mental Health First Aid Qualifications and Trauma Informed Care in Practice
• Early Literacy and Learning through Australian Literacy and Numeracy Foundation
• ASQ-TRAK Developmental Screening Tool Practitioner training
• First aid & CPR
• Certified Circle of Security® Facilitator
• Safe Food Handling

According to an evaluation from Deloitte Access Economics, Moriarty Foundation’s innovative workforce development framework builds local workforce capacity to positively impact employment, vocational and educational gaps as well as support the professional development and wellbeing of staff members.

Educators are supported to attain formal qualifications and benefit from ongoing training and mentoring. The quality of Indi Kindi’s educator team is what drives the program’s transformational impacts.

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