On the Central Coast of New South Wales, the morning circle at Toukley’s Kooloora Preschool begins differently these days. Instead of only English, children share how they feel using words from Darkinjung — an Aboriginal language once considered dormant, now slowly finding its voice again through the next generation. The small, targeted Aboriginal preschool, connected to Toukley Public School, has been recognised for its strong cultural approach, recently receiving the highest rating available for early childhood education and care services. For educators there, however, the achievement is about more than compliance or awards — it is about restoring something many families believed was lost. Educational leader Sharon Buck, a Gamilaroi woman who has long lived and worked on Darkinjung Country, says the language revival has come through years of research and collaboration with community knowledge holders. She describes the program as a collective effort built on the work of those who preserved fragments of language through difficult decades after colonisation, when Darkinjung words faded quickly due to the region’s proximity to Sydney. Each day, children gather with a yarning stick, sharing stories, songs and feelings in language. About three-quarters of Kooloora’s students identify as Aboriginal, yet the program has become a learning space for all families. Parents, Buck explains, have embraced the curriculum, noticing how naturally children absorb words, culture and respect for Country. For Amber Clenton, whose daughter Islah attends the preschool, the impact reaches beyond the classroom. She says her child brings songs and language home, something she herself never experienced growing up. The opportunity, she believes, gives younger generations a stronger connection to identity while also inviting non-Aboriginal families into a shared cultural space. That inclusive approach is reflected in the experiences of parents like Kelsey James, whose daughter Arliah is not Aboriginal but participates fully in the program. She says watching her child learn Darkinjung words has been both educational and emotional — a reminder that culture is strongest when it is valued by the whole community. Community elder Bronwyn Chambers sees the revival as a hopeful sign. Having spent years working with the Darkinjung Language Centre, she believes children are central to restoring what was taken. Her vision is simple but powerful: a future where Darkinjung language is not only remembered but spoken again as a living part of everyday life. Kooloora’s team is now looking beyond its own gates, sharing teaching resources and ideas with other schools and services across the region. Their goal is to make it easier for educators to include local Aboriginal language and cultural knowledge in early learning environments — ensuring the revival of Darkinjung is not an isolated effort, but part of a wider movement to bring language home.