Professional Development Day - Sunshine Coast
Join us for a one day professional development experience designed to inspire and strengthen practice across the early childhood sector. The day features expert presenters sharing practical strategies, current insights, and reflective opportunities that support quality practice, educator wellbeing, and meaningful outcomes for children and communities. This session is ideal for educators and leaders seeking purposeful, engaging professional learning.
Description
Workshop Title: From Image to Action: How does exercising an image of children as citizens change every single choice we make as early Childhood Education professionals?
Presenter: Dr Gai Lindsay
What happens if we exercise an image of every child as a citizen; an active participant with rights, agency, and voice? How does this impact educational actions? This workshop explores how a respectful image of the child transforms pedagogy and leadership choices in early childhood education. Inspired by Reggio Emilia principles and Dewey’s vision of educational democracy, we will confront “near-enough-is-goodenough” attitudes to inspire professional joy! Participants will play with rhizomatic mindmapping to explore the implications of positioning children as citizens. Together, we will reframe children’s rights as the grounding motivator for our mission, responsibility and commitment as professional educators.
Workshop Title: Building strong foundations through motor skill development and physical literacy
Presenter: Phoebe Marais
This workshop explores how movement supports whole-child development. We examine how early movement experiences strengthen brain development, attention, and regulation, creating the foundations for wellbeing and school readiness. Participants will follow the journey of motor development - from sensory awareness and primitive reflexes to rudimentary and fundamental movement skills, and ultimately lifelong engagement in movement. We clarify what physical literacy means in early childhood and why confident, motivated movers are better equipped to participate and learn.
Practical Playball activities will demonstrate how movement-rich environments nurture capable, curious, deeply engaged learners.
Workshop Title: Spirit of Summer
Presenter: April Cunningham
This Workshop will yarn about how First Nations storytelling is meaningful and respectfully embedded in Early Childhood. This workshop will highlight oral narratives, songlines,
art, dance and playbased stories.