Program and Practice

What does school readiness look like and how can we support the child before, during and after they transition to school? 

This two hour session will focus on children’s transitions to school, and how participants can support each child through this journey of change.

Strong attachments with babies and toddlers can help to support agency and facilitate exploration.  

In this session, you will gain practical skills for establishing secure attachments and confidence in supporting babies' risk-taking and agency.

Join us as we critically reflect on how can we meaningfully document children’s learning and development while meeting new digital safety regulations that restrict the use of personal devices and require strict consent for photographing children.
Together, we will explore practical and ethical approaches to documenting children’s learning using non-visual methods—strengthening educators’ understanding of how to balance digital documentation, privacy standards, and pedagogical goals.

• How confident are you in your leadership skills?                                                                              
• Are your leadership practices collaborative and empowering your team to recognise their own leadership skills?                                                                                                                                                 

This 2-hour session will focus on the collaborative leadership and teamwork practices and interpersonal skills service leaders need to implement these practices ,to improve the quality of their service, and empower children and educators as leaders.

• Have you ever been challenged when thinking about how to engage in play with children so as not to encroach or take over their play?

• Are you ready to learn more about what intentionality looks like in play-based learning environments?

In this 2-hour session we will look closely at intentionality and our role as the intentional educator in play. We will explore practical intentional strategies to bring the child’s play to life to enhance and extend learning.

Many educators are aware of loose parts and have incorporated them into their programs, but how much do we understand the theory of Loose Parts? This session will explore the theory of Loose parts to support educators in co-creating environments that are flexible and adaptable, meeting the needs of all children. You will be introduced to a range of tools and resources to share with the team to bring loose parts theory to life at the service.

Note: This session was previously known as Loose Parts Play

Building confidence in mathematical concepts starts in the early years. This practical and empowering session strengthens educators’ understanding of foundational numeracy and provides simple, play-based strategies to confidently embed mathematics into everyday learning experiences.

Are you new to conducting observations? 

Educators, especially those who are new to the sector, often lack confidence and knowledge around how to observe and document children’s learning. This session will aim to provide support to these educators by offering practical support for them to learn observation methods, whilst learning about what moments need to be documented.

Would you like to deepen your knowledge of the planning cycle, or review your approach to planning and programming?  During this webinar, we will refresh your understanding of how to identify the planning cycle as an important part of your practice.

You will be given an opportunity to reflect on what informs the service program and current planning processes for different contexts and experiences.

This session aims to inspire educators to reflect on their practice and find ways to highlight the understandings that children formulate about the world during play. Participants will explore how to use their observations to plan environments that form deeper connections to children's exploration and discovery.
 

Who doesn’t have a favourite piece of music or song that makes them feel good? But how often is music included in your daily with children? Music has intrinsic worth, creating a space where children build their sense of individual and collective identity. It is also a tool for healing, offering freedom for self-expression exploring emotions.

Would you like to gain clarity on your role as an educational leader in engaging educators with the why, what, and how of pedagogical programming and documentation?

Literacy is more than reading and writing. Are you ready to recognise, support and extend children’s emerging literacy skills in meaningful, everyday ways?

This session will build your confidence to identify early literacy development, understand the difference between learning to read and reading to learn, and apply practical strategies to embed literacy across your program.

• How can early childhood professionals ensure that their services are inclusive and equitable to all families?  
• Can children with additional needs from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds engage in the program at the same level as their peers?  

Inclusion, equity and high expectations is a challenging topic for most educators, but there are many ways that we can change our practice to benefit all families and children attending our services! 

This 2-hour-session will explore the concepts of equity, inclusion and high expectations, and help educators to reflect on these concepts and their current practice.

Working with children is complex and rewarding work and involves the exercising of specific skills and knowledge. Importantly, understanding what it means to act professionally and ethically is integral to providing high quality education and care to children.

Curious about how the process of inquiry can support children’s learning and development?

Inquiry-based learning can support an effective collaborative approach when designing the service program, enabling the paramountcy of children when making program decisions.

From passive screens to purposeful learning—explore how digital technology can ignite children’s curiosity, collaboration, and inquiry when used with intention.

Develop ways to create interactive digital experiences that encourage children to explore concepts, solve problems, and work together.

Explore how to deliver respectful experiences of Indigenous histories, cultures and languages, and who to engage with in order to embed authentic First Nations perspectives into your program. 

The Early Years Learning Framework V2.0 aims to “support early childhood providers, teachers and educators to extend and enrich children’s learning from birth to 5 years...” (AGDE, 2022, p.4).  

• Are you finding it challenging to find the time to connect and engage with the EYLF V2.0? 

This session will guide you in embracing the learning framework as an integral component of your pedagogy and practice. 

When developing a curriculum, educators often focus on what they will teach but do you spend enough time considering how you will implement it?

This session will explore the what, how, and why of intentional teaching practices, supporting you in being deliberate, purposeful, and thoughtful in how you facilitate and extend children's learning and development.

SPECIAL EVENT WITH GUEST SPEAKER DR GAI LINDSAY

What if your art space could spark deeper thinking, creativity and collaboration?

Join us to explore how thoughtful visual arts environments and provocations can enrich children’s learning and bring their voices to life.

Dr Gai Lindsay will share how visual arts can deepen children’s learning and self-expression in early education. This thought-provoking session invites educators to reflect on their practice, challenge assumptions, and embrace a broader, more confident approach to arts, crafts and cultural experiences.

Culture shapes identity, belonging, and the way children experience learning. This engaging session explores the practice of cultural responsiveness in the Early Years Learning Framework V2.0 and what it means for everyday practice in early childhood settings. Join us to reflect, explore, and discover practical ways to create learning environments where every child’s culture, knowledge, and identity are recognised and valued.

This highly practical session guides educators in embedding Aboriginal perspectives through mathematics and demonstrates how these approaches can extend meaningfully across the curriculum.
The session is facilitated by Baihe Butcher, a proud Kamilaroi educator, cultural facilitator and recipient of the Young Achiever of the Year Award for Aboriginal Education. 

Do you want to establish a culture of critical reflection in your service where your team, children and families are all key contributors in a cycle of review?

Discover strategies that support educators to question established practices, engage with theories and action research, and think about why they work in particular ways.

Move beyond recycling and rethink what sustainability really means in early childhood.

This session unpacks the EYLF V2.0 Sustainability Principle, exploring how environmental, social, and economic sustainability come to life in everyday practice, supporting educators to embed meaningful, future-focused learning that empowers children as active contributors to a more sustainable world   

Taking time to revisit and refresh our thinking on the planning cycle is a great way to build your current knowledge whilst challenging assumptions and traditional ways of doing things when it comes to programming and planning.

• Have you ever wondered what authentic assessment looks like in play-based environments?  
• Are you ready to learn specific assessment strategies to identify children’s true abilities and capacities for learning?  

In this 2-hour session we will look closely at assessment and evaluation and how we gather rich data on children’s learning to inform intentionality. We will explore practical assessment strategies to identify children’s developmental capacities to inform pedagogy and planning.

Drawing from current research in relation to how children’s brains grow and develop, this session will support you to identify a child’s stress related behaviour and develop an understanding of how the brain and body work together to create behavioural responses.

Can't make the dates or need a more in-depth understanding of this topic? Enrol in our self-paced session Understanding Neuroscience to Support Children's Behaviour and complete the course at a time and pace that suits you, PLUS gain a digital badge and certificate on completion. 

Do you sometimes feel conflicted about what should be ‘banned’ or ‘allowed’ in children’s play themes? 

This session will unpack Play Theory as an important lens in which to view children’s engagement with the ‘unreal’ world.