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 Professional development

Professional development for educators, leaders, and teams

Your team builds shared language, calmer responses to behaviour that challenges them, and practice that lasts, with a facilitator working alongside you.

Plan your team’s next step

Not sure where to start? See the ways we work with teams

Sandi Phoenix, microphone in hand, speaking to a room of educators at a conference
For education and care teams and leadersEarly years to school age careDelivered Australia-wideIn person or online

 Our approach

Professional development for educators, shaped by your community

Work in education and care is rewarding, and it asks a lot of you. Your team holds big feelings, complex moments, and the needs of every child, often all at once.

When educators feel supported and capable, children are more able to flourish. Our facilitators work alongside teams from the early years through to school age care, building shared language, stronger relationships, and educator wellbeing.

The work draws on contemporary education, neuroscience, positive psychology, and the guidance approach. Educators leave ready to respond with calm confidence when a child or young person is having a hard time.

Meet our facilitators

Walking alongside you

Some teams start with a single session. Others build a longer partnership: a workshop to set shared language, coaching across the year, and leadership support to keep the change going. We plan it with you and adjust it as your team grows.

Coaching builds your team’s own capacity, so the change stays when we step back.

 Ways to work with us

Choose the support that fits your team

A facilitator leading a Phoenix Support for Educators workshop with a group of educators

For your whole team

In-service workshops

 

Practical workshops that build shared language, strengthen relationships, and grow confidence, with reflective tools your team can use the next day.

Explore our workshops

Two educators talking through notes on a clipboard during a coaching conversation

Support over time

Coaching and mentoring

 

One-to-one or team coaching that helps you clarify priorities, strengthen practice, and take steady next steps that fit your service.

See coaching and mentoring

Christopher Phoenix on stage with a group of educators taking part in a conference keynote

For conferences and events

Keynotes and conference presenters

 

Warm, evidence-informed keynotes on behaviour guidance, educator wellbeing, leadership, pedagogy, and inclusive practice, with plenty of ‘what this looks like on Monday’.

Meet our conference presenters

Specialist support for your service

  • Strength-based consultancy: tailored support across wellbeing, inclusion, pedagogy, and team culture, in ways your service can sustain.
  • Leadership support: practical tools for communication, reflective practice, and leading steadily through complexity.
  • Assessment and Rating, and QIP support: prepare for Assessment and Rating, and write or refresh your Quality Improvement Plan with a skilled facilitator.
  • School age care: OSHC support that honours the rhythm of the school day, so children experience autonomy, belonging, and engagement.
  • Family day care: support for mixed ages, home-based rhythms, and independent practice, with tools that fit your documentation requirements.

Ask us about specialist support

For individual educators

  • Online self-paced courses: learn in your own time, grounded in contemporary education, neuroscience, psychology, and the guidance approach.
  • Reflections of an Educator: diaries, calendars, and journals, made by educators, for planning ahead and pausing to reflect.
  • Early Years TV: free short videos with strategies for everyday practice, sent to you as each one is released.
  • ParentTV: on-demand videos and courses for educators and families, available through Phoenix Support for Educators.

 From services

What teams say about working with us

‘We have recently had the pleasure of having Chris into several of our centres to deliver workshops with our educators. These workshops were entertaining and thought provoking, and have opened up some great discussions between our teams. Chris’ style of delivery was charismatic and enjoyable, keeping everyone engaged and focused, the time flew by and it was great to see the high level of participation from the educators.’

Lisa Guest

‘The Educator Toolkit for Behaviour is a fantastic resource for assisting Educators to become curious about children’s behaviour and ask ourselves the “Why” behind what we are seeing. Angela was great and both a fantastic presenter and mentor.’

Amaze Education Redbank Plains, Google review

‘The overall organisation and packaging of this professional development was fantastic. The core content and learning was thought provoking, inspiring and at times challenging but through the delivery from both Sandi and Louise, it made the journey amazingly accessible and meaningful.’

Carmen, Google review

‘Thank you so much Linda for spending the day with us. Your knowledge, expertise, understanding and enthusiasm was greatly appreciated and filled our cups. The children and educators enjoyed having you at our little Kindy.’

Nicole, Google review

 Case studies

How three services changed their practice

Victoria

Kinglake Ranges Children’s Centre

 

The team moved from Meeting the National Quality Standard to Exceeding in all areas. Children vulnerable in one or more AEDC domains fell from 24.1% in 2015 to 7.8% in 2021.

Read the Kinglake Ranges case study

Victoria

Nido Early School Trafalgar

 

Two years of coaching, mentoring, and workshops, funded through School Readiness Funding, in a community where 30.3% of children are vulnerable in at least one area of development.

Read the Nido Trafalgar case study

Queensland

Water Street Childcare and Kindergarten

 

After an Assessment and Rating visit found Element 5.2.2 Not Meeting, the Cairns team worked with a coach for 12 months through Innovative Solutions funding, and moved to confident practice.

Read the Water Street case study

 How booking works

From first conversation to working together

  1. Tell us about your team

    Use our contact form to share your service, team size, location, and what you’d like to work on.

  2. Plan it together

    We talk through your goals, suggest a mix of workshops, coaching, or consultancy, and send you a quote.

  3. Work alongside us

    Your facilitator works with your team in person or online, and plans next steps with you.

Start planning your team’s support

 Topics

What your team can focus on

Every workshop and coaching plan is shaped around your goals, so your team can combine any of these.

  • Guiding children’s behaviour
  • Supporting children’s wellbeing
  • Inclusion
  • Pedagogy and reflective practice
  • Curriculum planning and programming
  • Documentation and learning inquiry
  • NQF outcomes and QIP recommendations
  • Team building
  • Supporting families
  • Starting school and transitions
  • Crisis management
  • The Phoenix Cups® framework

 Where we work

Support for regional, remote, and First Nations communities

Every community is different, and so is every early learning environment. Our facilitators listen first, then shape support around your team’s goals and realities.

That might mean guiding children’s behaviour, strengthening adult and child relationships, refining safety practices, or building centre operations and complaints management.

Rivers of Wellbeing is a place-based co-design program for community wellbeing in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Read about Rivers of Wellbeing

A family laughing outdoors in the bush as two adults lift a patterned blanket over two children

 Queensland and Victoria

Using state funding for professional development

If your service is in Queensland or Victoria, state funding may cover part of your professional development.

Queensland

Kindy Uplift

 

Eligible Queensland kindergarten services can use Kindy Uplift for programs across its six priority areas. Our Kindy Uplift page shows how our workshops and coaching connect to each one.

See Kindy Uplift programs

Victoria

School Readiness Funding

 

School Readiness Funding is for Victorian kindergarten services and their educators. Some of our programs are on the School Readiness Funding Menu, and services receiving over $10,000 can spend up to 25% of their funding flexibly.

See School Readiness Funding packages

Source: Queensland Government Kindy Uplift page (checked 18 October 2026) and Victorian Government School Readiness Funding page (updated 22 October 2026, checked 26 October 2026).

 Quality Areas 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7

NQS alignment

Planning professional learning for your Quality Improvement Plan? Open each area for the Standards our workshops, coaching, and consultancy support. Each program’s own page maps its Elements.

Quality Area 1: Educational program and practice

Standard 1.1Program

The educational program enhances each child’s learning and development.

Standard 1.2Practice

Educators facilitate and extend each child’s learning and development.

Standard 1.3Assessment and planning

Educators and co-ordinators take a planned and reflective approach to implementing the program for each child.

Quality Area 3: Physical environment

Standard 3.2Use

The service environment is inclusive, promotes competence and supports exploration and play-based learning.

Quality Area 4: Staffing arrangements

Standard 4.2Professionalism

Management, educators and staff are collaborative, respectful and ethical.

Quality Area 5: Relationships with children

Standard 5.1Relationships between educators and children

Respectful and equitable relationships are maintained with each child.

Standard 5.2Relationships between children

Each child is supported to build and maintain sensitive and responsive relationships.

Quality Area 6: Collaborative partnerships with families and communities

Standard 6.1Supportive relationships with families

Respectful relationships with families are developed and maintained and families are supported in their parenting role.

Standard 6.2Collaborative partnerships

Collaborative partnerships enhance children’s inclusion, learning and wellbeing.

Quality Area 7: Governance and leadership

Standard 7.1Governance

Governance supports the operation of a quality service that is child safe.

Standard 7.2Leadership

Effective leadership builds and promotes a positive organisational culture and professional learning community.

Australian Children’s Education & Care Quality Authority. (2026). Guide to the National Quality Framework. ACECQA. https://www.acecqa.gov.au/nqf/about/guide

 Before you book

Frequently asked questions

Where do you deliver professional development?

Australia-wide. Workshops and coaching run in person at your service, and some are also available live online. Self-paced courses suit individual educators anywhere.

Can you tailor a workshop for our team?

Yes. Every workshop is shaped around your team’s goals, your service, and what matters to your community. Tell us what you’re working on when you get in touch.

How much does professional development cost?

Each workshop, coaching plan, and consultancy package is quoted for your service, based on your team, location, and goals. Send us an enquiry and we’ll send you a quote.

What’s the difference between a workshop and coaching?

A workshop brings your team together around one topic in a single session. Coaching and mentoring continues over time, one-to-one or with your team, so new practice is supported as it happens. You can combine the two.

Can we use Kindy Uplift or School Readiness Funding?

Possibly. Kindy Uplift is for eligible Queensland kindergartens, and School Readiness Funding is for Victorian kindergarten services. Our Kindy Uplift and School Readiness Funding pages explain how each one works.

Do you work with school age care and family day care?

Yes. We support OSHC and family day care teams as well as long day care and kindergarten services, with support shaped to each setting.

Is there something for individual educators?

Yes. Our online self-paced courses and the Reflections of an Educator collection are made for educators learning in their own time.

 Get started

Talk with us about your team

Tell us about your service and what you’d like to work on. We’ll come back to you with ideas and a quote shaped around your team.

Plan your team’s next step