A legacy built from loss
For Danny Mayson-Kinder, b kinder didn’t start as a program or a charity.
It started as something far more personal.
“It’s the legacy of my 12-year-old daughter, Billie,” she said.
Billie was a prolific writer. She wrote poems and stories, and she wanted to write a book.
After she died, Danny and her family pulled her work together into a book called 'Hope'. It was meant to be a keepsake just for the family.
But something unexpected happened.
“It started to sell,” she said. “And then I had parents coming back to me saying Billie’s words were starting conversations with their children that they didn’t normally have.”
Billie wrote about love and family, but also about racism, bullying, injustice and even death.
“She was a very deep soul,” Danny said.
Turning words into impact
Those conversations became the starting point for something bigger.
“If children were starting to talk because of Billie’s words… imagine if we could start teaching kindness and compassion right from the very beginning of education,” she said.
B kinder was born from that idea.
Using Billie’s writing as a foundation, the organisation developed a series of workbooks aligned to the Australian curriculum, starting in preschool and continuing through to Year 6.
The goal is simple: give children the tools to understand empathy and practise kindness early.
“It’s easy to say ‘be kind’,” Danny said. “But sometimes it’s not always easy unless you’re teaching what empathy really is.”
The program encourages children to think differently about behaviour and to ask why someone might be upset, rather than reacting to it.
“If we could just maybe understand each other a little more… they could lean in and be there for their friend,” she said.
Small moments, real change
For Danny, the impact is often clearest in small, everyday moments.
While filming at a school in Sydney, she asked a Year 3 student what he thought of the workbook.
“He said, ‘I really like my workbook because every time we use it, then when we go into the playground, everybody is nice to each other.’”
In another program last year, students reported a 36 per cent perceived reduction in bullying.
“So it’s huge,” Danny said. “If we can do that every year from the ground up… we’re making a really big difference.”
Empowering the next generation
A key part of b kinder’s approach is giving students ownership.
The program works with student leadership teams, encouraging them to lead change within their schools.
“We want them to know that it doesn’t matter how old they are, they can be agents of change,” Danny said.
Instead of just attending school, students are encouraged to shape it.
“What’s their footprint? What did they leave behind that made this school a better place?”
It’s about confidence, voice and role modelling, plus building skills that extend beyond the classroom.
A moment of recognition
That work recently received a major boost.
BKinder was one of six organisations across Australia to receive a CommBank Staff Foundation Super Grant, turning an expected $20,000 Community Grant into $100,000.
For Danny, the moment she learned of the Super Grant was overwhelming.
“I think I said, ‘oh, oh, oh’,” she laughed. “I couldn’t believe it.”
Beyond the funding itself, the recognition carried real meaning.
“To have the backing of Commonwealth Bank… and the credibility that we’re doing great things and making a difference, it was a really proud moment.”
Expanding into regional communities
The funding will be used to expand b kinder’s reach, particularly into regional Australia.
Danny said the organisation has seen strong impact in rural education.
The grant will support work across 15 schools in north-west Tasmania, bringing together student leaders from different communities.
A simple idea, a lasting impact
At its core, b kinder is built on a simple belief: that empathy can be taught, and that early intervention matters.
“The earlier we do this, the more we are able to prevent harmful cycles later on,” Danny said.
For her, the work remains deeply personal, but its impact is growing.
And it all comes back to Billie.
“If Billie can make a difference,” she said, “then anyone can.”
