Rose Major

Rose is a Teaching-Focused Academic in the Early Childhood Education department. 

She started her teaching career as first a kindergarten, then a primary school teacher, working with children under 8 years of age. Subsequently, Rose worked in the Family Services team at City of Melbourne, supporting parents in playgroups and on the Access to Early Learning program. This last role involved mentoring kindergarten teachers, work that has been mirrored in Rose’s ongoing work for the Early Childhood Outdoor Learning Network since 2014, working alongside others in the early childhood sector to support the development and growth of off-site outdoor programs (sometimes called Bush or Beach Kinder) in Victoria. 

Rose has worked at VU since August 2022 and has been a permanent staff member since July 2025. She is currently undertaking a PhD, researching how beginning early childhood teachers might be supported to sustain their willingness to accommodate young children’s risky play through strengthened relational conceptualisations of risk, and a collegiate approach. Rose enjoys generating knowledge through human engagement and in particular working with adult learners, valuing the learning that is made possible through strong relationships.