Grow - Develop - Flourish

for inspired educational leadership and practice

5 course topics supporting you to:

  • 1. Gain clarity and fresh purpose in your role

  • 2. Lead an inspired curriculum

  • 3. Build a team focus on quality improvement

  • 4. Step up in leadership

  • 5. Be an effective coach and mentor

Guidance to flourish in your role

Gain fresh ideas and skills to lead your team in QA 1 Educational program and practice, with:

  • 10 Videos to learn from the best

    We've filmed at centres rated 'Excellent' by ACECQA to share their educational program and practice with you. Join Andrea Isitt in conversations with: Sandi Phoenix, Narelle Dawson and Stephen Gallen.

  • 15 Video tutorials for fresh thinking

    You have freedom to work at your own pace and revisit the key learning in the three video tutorials, inside each course topic. Our learning checks at the end of each topic helps you to reflect on your learning, and think about your next steps to improve practice.

  • Printable resources, with 5 workbooks and workplace projects

    Deepen your professional knowledge as you reflect and take notes in your workbook for each topic. Use the workplace projects to take action, using: your new ideas and the provided resources/tools for on-the-job inspiration and guidance.

What You'll Learn

5 topics to revisit as much as you like over 12 months

  • 1. Educational Leader essentials - role, qualities and goals

    Gain role clarity with a clearer focus in your role as an Educational Leader: Consider leadership qualities, and ways to become growth focused. Set meaningful goals and steps to develop as an Educational Leader. Explore legislative requirements, and the myths and facts around documentation.

  • 2. Inspiring and leading the direction of the curriculum: current trends

    Share fresh and inspiring trends and information with your team, about: Reggio Emilia/Malaguzzi approach – 100 languages and project-based learning. Schema, loose parts, bush kindy and natural environments, challenge and risky play. The documentation cycle and summative assessment.

  • 3. Build a team culture of enquiry and quality improvement

    Explore ways to open up a culture of reflective practice and enquiry, for your team to work collaboratively towards quality improvement. Learn how to: Be comfortable with giving and receiving feedback, and to empower others to as well. Critically reflect from multiple viewpoints on requirements/best practice in QA1. Use a team approach on the Quality Improvement Plan.

  • 4. Step up in leadership: use and develop emotional intelligence

    Understand how connection, with positive attitudes and emotional intelligence, is a requirement for successful leadership and teams. Explore and identify: The state and size of your own needs, using the Phoenix Cups framework ©. Your emotional responses, triggers and reactions; and discover the impact of our emotions on others. Ways to develop and use emotional intelligence personally, and within your team.

  • 5. Create a workplace learning community: being a coach and mentor

    Focus on your role to lead others in their learning, to transform pedagogy and practice. Be guided on ways to: Identify and use people’s strengths in your team. Share knowledge more effectively to suit people’s different learning styles. Facilitate a mentoring relationship, and develop skills for effective coaching and mentoring.

Course curriculum

  • 1
    WELCOME & INTRO to Flourish as an Educational Leader!
  • 2
    COURSE RESOURCES
    • PRINTABLE to use: Ideas, mindmap, notes and doodle pages
    • ‘The Educational Leader Resource’ by ACECQA
    • Guide to the National Quality Standard Assessment and rating process, by ACECQA
    • Belonging Being and Becoming: The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia V2 2022
    • My Time, Our Place: Framework for school age care
    • ECEC National Regulations 2018
    • WEBSITE LINKS: Educational Leader resources
  • 3
    CHAPTER 1: Educational leader essentials: role, qualities and goals
    • Chapter 1 WORKBOOK: downloadable to print and write your notes in
    • CHAPTER 1 TUTORIAL PART 1: Role of the Educational Leader
    • QA7 The Role of the Educational Leader by ACECQA: links to NQS & legislation
    • Organising the role and workload: ACECQA Educational Leader resource FREE PREVIEW
    • Role description sample: ACECQA Educational Leader resource
    • CHAPTER 1 TUTORIAL PART 2: Working with strengths and weaknesses
    • CHAPTER 1 TUTORIAL PART 3: Myths and facts in ECEC
    • Printable: ACECQA Information sheet QA1 Educational program documentation for educators and teachers
    • Printable: 5 Myths reflection questions and worksheet
    • 5 Myths INTRO - Myth 1: Linking activities to Learning outcomes
    • Myth 2: Paparazzi documentation - taking & sharing of photos
    • Myth 3: Required quantity of documentation
    • Myth 4: Assumption assessment - from single moment & single view
    • Myth 5: Overuse of learning stories
    • Deeper learning for Transforming documentation: for children's learning and development
    • Supporting the assessment and planning cycle: ACECQA Educational Leader resource
    • Sample template: Summative asessment for planning
    • Reflect on your learning for Chapter 1: essentials: role, qualities and goals
  • 4
    CHAPTER 2: Inspiring and leading the direction of the curriculum: current trends
    • Chapter 2 WORKBOOK: downloadable to print and write your notes in
    • RESOURCES - Chapter 2: website links, documents and videos
    • CHAPTER 2 TUTORIAL PART 1: Belonging via a 'living curriculum'
    • Video at Cawongla Playhouse: Belonging, Being and Becoming - authentic learning in every day
    • NQS PLP video at Mt Gravatt kindergarten: Embedding sustainable practices - for inspiration and workbook questions
    • CHAPTER 2 TUTORIAL PART 2: Unpacking how the EYLF REALLY guides documentation
    • Video at Cawongla Playhouse: The rainbow project
    • Video: Thinking about schema and Paiget's influence to practice
    • Printable template: Our emerging image of the child (as foundation of the program)
    • CHAPTER 2 TUTORIAL PART 3: Current trends to inspire children's 'becoming'
    • Video: 100 languages - a poem by Loris Malaguzzi FREE PREVIEW
    • Video at Cawongla Playhouse: Inspired by Malaguzzi, Reggio Emilia approach FREE PREVIEW
    • Video: A living curriculum & agency - Breaking down the barriers of being in one room at Rothwell Kids ELC
    • Video: Keeping it real and promoting a 'natural childhood' for children at Bribie Island Community Kindergarten
    • NQS QA1: Pages for Assessors may observe, discuss and sight & Exceeding guidance
    • Video at Everton Park Childcare & Development Centre: What does quality ECEC look, feel and sound like? FREE PREVIEW
    • Reflect on your learning for Chapter 2: Inspiring and leading the direction of the curriculum
    • Deeper learning for Transforming QA1: Transforming pedagogy, documentation & planning cycle
  • 5
    CHAPTER 3: Build a team culture of enquiry and quality improvement
    • Chapter 3 WORKBOOK: downloadable to print and write your notes in
    • RESOURCES - Chapter 3: website links, documents and videos
    • CHAPTER 3 TUTORIAL PART 1: Focus on Reflective Practice
    • Reflective journal template
    • CHAPTER 3 TUTORIAL PART 2: Building a collaborative culture of enquiry
    • CHAPTER 3 TUTORIAL PART 3: Using critical reflection for the QIP
    • Video: Reflecting and improving practice at Bribie Island Community Kindergarten
    • Critical reflection process template: ASK- Reflect, LOOK & THINK - Reframe, DO/ACT - Actions
    • Research projects: 7 examples in ECEC services
    • Video: Research project - 'Standing up for a natural childhood' involving partnership with community
    • Check your learning for Chapter 3: Building a culture of enquiry and quality improvement
  • 6
    CHAPTER 4: Step up in leadership: use and develop emotional intelligence
    • Chapter 4 WORKBOOK: downloadable to print and write your notes in
    • RESOURCES - Chapter 4: website links, documents and videos
    • CHAPTER 4, TUTORIAL PART 1: The impact of emotional intelligence
    • Take the Phoenix Cups Quiz: find out your unique needs profile (the different sizes of your Cups)
    • Your Cup filling plan: Phoenix Cups Framework ©
    • Understanding mental health: Meet the animals that live in your brain
    • An overview: Emotional intelligence and the brain, by Andrea Isitt
    • Take 5 calming technique (outdoors if you can), by Holly Allen
    • Printable: Do you Magnify = CHAOS or Meet = CALM Behaviour?
    • CHAPTER 4, TUTORIAL PART 2: Recognising the emotional intelligence in others
    • CHAPTER 4, TUTORIAL PART 3: Promoting emotional intelligence in teams
    • Check your learning for Chapter 4: Use and develop emotional intelligence in your team
  • 7
    CHAPTER 5: Creating a workplace learning community: being a coach and mentor
    • Downloadable WORKBOOK for Chapter 5: to print and write your notes in
    • RESOURCES - Chapter 5: website links, documents and videos
    • CHAPTER 5, TUTORIAL PART 1: Encouraging a workplace learning culture
    • CHAPTER 5, TUTORIAL PART 2: Knowledge sharing via people's strengths
    • Being a knowledge broker: ACECQA Educational Leader resource
    • CHAPTER 5, TUTORIAL PART 3: Facilitate workplace mentoring
    • Mentoring agreement/plan template
    • Reflect on your learning for Chapter 5: creating a workplace learning community
  • 8
    NEXT STEPS
    • Congrats! Here's where next...
    • Before you go...

Course Reviews

What others are saying about this course

Course Facilitator and Contributors

  • Chrissy Foreman

    Course Co-Creator and Facilitator

    Chrissy Foreman

    Chrissy is a passionate, qualified Early Childhood educator with over 20 years of experience working with children, educators and families. Having worked across the array of roles in Early Childhood services including educational leadership and service management, Chrissy brings a wealth of knowledge and experience. Working for many years as an Educational Leader, Chrissy often experienced lack of clarity and support in the role, and this motivated her to co-create and facilitate a course for Educational Leaders to fill that gap. Chrissy has a strong focus on the educational program, developing enriching environments, and inspiring collaborative change with a strengths-based approach in teams.
  • Andrea Isitt

    Course creator and facilitator

    Andrea Isitt

    Andrea commenced studying early childhood development over 30 years ago, and this started a career focused on achieving best outcomes for children in Early Childhood. After several years working as a qualified educator and leader, Andrea co-founded First Door in 2012. Her passion as Company Director is driven by her desire to promote exceptional education and care for children.

    Andrea promotes respectful practice that nurtures emotional security and a natural childhood. She is an avid researcher and shares views from Dr. Emmi Pikler and many leading Early Childhood theorists, play and learning ambassadors, and from current neuroscience research. Andrea has been influenced by her experience of Early Childhood Education in New Zealand, and by visiting Bush Kindys and Forest Kindergartens in Norway, California and Australia.

Enjoy 12 months access to course resources & tools

Get me started - with 2 course fee options:

Grow. Develop. Flourish.

Tools and guidance to flourish as an educational leader

GET ME STARTED