Professional Development
For Early Childhood Educators
Because when educators grow, children thrive.
At Words To Grow, we believe confident educators create confident communicators. Our professional development programs are designed to give you practical, evidence-based tools you can implement straight away—whether you’re just starting out or ready to deepen your expertise.
Our professional development programs are designed to meet you where you are—whether you want the flexibility of self-paced learning, the interaction of live workshops, tailored presentations for your centre, or ongoing coaching to embed change.
With every program, you’ll gain:
Practical, ready-to-use strategies you can apply immediately in your classroom
Research-backed tools that support children’s communication and literacy success
Culturally safe and inclusive approaches for all learners
Confidence to make a lasting impact on children’s learning and development
Self Paced Learning Academy
Our Growing Words® self-paced learning packages are perfect for educators who want to build skills in their own time and revisit learning whenever they need. Choose the full bundled package for a complete foundation, or mix and match modules to target the areas most relevant to your centre.
An Australian professional learning experience created by a Certified Practising Speech Pathologist, Growing Words helps early childhood educators:
Set up interactions for communication success
Foster belonging for children who find social participation difficult
Use evidence-based techniques to strengthen pre-literacy success
Reduce frustration for children who struggle to be understood
With Growing Words®, you can learn at your own pace while gaining practical strategies to use in your classroom the very next day.
Growing Words® Level 1
Mix and Match
Growing Words® Level 2
Live Online Workshops
Our Growing Words® Workshop is a full-day (6-hour) online training for early years professionals to identify and support children with developmental language challenges. You’ll gain practical tools, engaging resources, and evidence-based strategies to use straight away.
In this workshop, you will:
Set up interactions for success in communication
Foster belonging for children who find social participation difficult
Use evidence-based techniques that strengthen pre-literacy skills
Reduce frustration for children who struggle to be understood
Modules included: Speech Sounds, Literacy Ground Work, Telling My Story, Learning To Listen & Understand, Putting Ideas and Thoughts into Words
Includes: Workbook, certificate, and support materials
In-Person Workshops at Your Centre
Prefer face-to-face professional learning? Growing Words® presentations can be delivered directly at your centre, customised to your team’s priorities. We focus on practical, evidence-based strategies that link directly to your daily practice and the unique needs of the children in your care.
In-person delivery gives your team the same benefits as the online workshop—evidence-based strategies, engaging activities, and comprehensive resources—with the added advantage of real-time collaboration and team reflection in your own setting.
Your team will benefit from:
Real-time collaboration and reflection
Engaging activities and evidence-based strategies
Comprehensive resources, including workbook and certificates
Includes: Workbook, certificates, and support materials
Tailored To: Your team’s professional learning needs and goals
Want to find out more? Submit a request below.
In-person coaching can be arranged by request in Ipswich, Brisbane Metropolitan, and Moreton Bay Areas.*
Travel costs will be incurred at the following rates for each occasion of service:
- Radius 1 – within 10-25km (up to 30 mins one way) from Everton Park, QLD = $102.50
- Radius 2 – within 26-50km (1 hour one way) = $205
- Radius 3 – within 51-100km = $350
Please note a minimum of 6 attendees required.
*For locations outside this area workshops are considered on a case by case basis, and further travel/accommodation costs may apply. Please still submit your enquiry and we will contact you to review.
Early Learning Products
Do you have funding to use on your Professional Development? We work with the following:
The Kindy Uplift program supports Early Years Teachers’ and Educators’ Professional Development. The Kindy Uplift program enables selected kindergarten services to respond to the educational and developmental needs of kindergarten children – and to do that, Early Childhood Teacher and Educator professional development is key.
Your Centre’s Kindy Uplift funding can be used to support your professional development, to:
- build your capability as an educator
- support inclusion
- improve children’s learning and development
You can use your Kindy Uplift Funding on the following programs:
✅ Growing Words® self-paced learning packages
✅ Growing Words® Online Workshop
✅ Growing Words® Coaching and Consulting
The Victorian School Readiness program supports Early Years Teachers’ and Educators’ Professional Development. The program enables selected kindergarten services to respond to the educational and developmental needs of kindergarten children – and to do that, Early Childhood Teacher and Educator professional development is key.
Your Centre’s School Readiness funding can be used to support your professional development, to:
- build your capability as an educator
- support inclusion
- improve children’s learning and development
You can use your School Readiness Funding on the following programs:
✅ Growing Words® self-paced learning packages
✅ Growing Words® Online Workshop
Words to Grow learning and development courses include:
✅ Evidence-based techniques that strengthen pre-literacy success
✅ Quick, simple and evidence-based activities you can implement in the classroom in seconds
✅ No prep, evidence-based strategies to improve expressive skills
✅ Culturally safe, responsive and inclusive methods to support language development
✅ Simple ways to increase children’s vocabulary in activities you are already doing at kindy
✅ Free learning plan and ready-to-go practical activities
✅ Links to QKLG Communication, QKLG Identity, QKLG Connectedness
✅ Links to VEYLDF Outcome 1: Children have a Strong Sense of Identity
✅ Links to VEYLDF Outcome 2: Children are connected with and Contribute to their world
✅ Links to VEYLDF Outcome 5: Children are effective communicators
✅ Options for enrolment in individual modules or the entire (7 module) package
✅ Options for live training or self-paced online
✅ Completion certificate
The Words to Grow Difference
✅ Practical learning sessions and easy to implement in your classroom
✅ Ready-to-go materials to use in your classroom
✅ Activities trialed and tested by real teachers
✅ Evidence-based information
✅ Developed and delivered by a highly experienced Certified Practising Speech Pathologist
What Skills Can You Expect To Learn From Words To Grow?
We empower Early Childhood Teachers and Educators with content that helps them enhance communication and speech amongst children in their classroom. Our content is evidence-based and includes guided education to help Educators manage a diverse range of common communication challenges within their classrooms.
Our comprehensive learning materials cover important topics, including:
✅ Hearing health
✅ How does speech develop
✅ Managing individual and cultural diversity in the classroom– bilingual differences
✅ How the mouth makes sounds
✅ Tips and techniques for communicating with warmth, empathy and respect
✅ How to speak so children listen
✅ Helping children follow directions
✅ Communication milestones and recognising signs of speech challenges in children
✅ Strategies for engaging with nonverbal children
✅ Ideas to help children talk with small and large groups
✅ Culturally safe, responsive and inclusive methods
✅ Australian Aboriginal English
✅ Bridging home and school language (how to communicate with and support parents)
✅ Quick and simple activities for pre literacy
✅ Grammar and vocabulary building
✅ Culturally sensitive ways of storytelling and oral storytelling
✅ And much more!
Links to the Early Years Learning Framework -v2.0
Outcome 1: Children have a strong sense of identity
- Feel safe, secure and supported to communicate
- Develop autonomy and agency
- Build a confident self-identity and positive self-worth
- Interact with care, empathy and respect
Outcome 2: Children are connected with and contribute to their world
- Build connectedness
- Showing respect for diversity
Outcome 3: Children have a strong sense of wellbeing
- Build strength in social, emotional and mental wellbeing
Outcome 4: Children are confident and involved learners
- Develop curiosity, cooperation, confidence, persistence
- Transfer and adapt learning to other contexts
Outcome 5: Children are effective communicators
- Interact verbally and nonverbally with others
- Engage with and gain meaning from a range of texts
- Express ideas and make meaning
- Understand how symbols and pattern systems work
Supporting children with speech development, communication and literacy is of huge national importance.
Did you know?
Approximately 20% of children starting school in Australia have a speech, language or communication impairment.
Communication disorder was the most important predictive factor that students required a high level of support at school.
Children who begin school with under-developed oral language skills will not be ready for the intensive focus on learning how to read.
All academic skills are language based and rely on language competence.
The ability to use oral language effectively impacts on a student’s ability to learn in the classroom.
International evidence shows that communication disorders lead to early school leaving, unemployment, and increased likelihood of involvement with the juvenile justice system.
Meet Tania, Director of Words to Grow
Tania Herrington
Speech Pathologist. Educator. Academic. Entrepreneur.
Tania has presented professional learning workshops to teachers and speech pathologists in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria. She has worked as a consultant for teachers in the Lismore Diocese of Northern New South Wales.
Tania holds a Bachelor of Speech Pathology (Honours) and postgraduate degrees in Counselling and Education. She has worked as a Clinical Educator and Casual Academic at the University of Queensland for the Bachelor of Speech Pathology and Graduate Entry Masters of Speech Pathology Programs.
Words to Grow is proud to provide professional development services to Early Childhood Teachers and Educators.
Words to Grow offers online and in-person training to Kindergarten Teachers and Early Childhood Educators to help children communicate with confidence so that they are ready for school.
We have provided evidence-based, high-quality training and development for Early Learning Educators across Queensland and other states since 2022. We are excited about the positive impact of the Kindy Uplift Program; on both educators and the children you care for.
Together we can help your 2024 students gain the confidence and skills they need to be ready for school and ensure their bright future.
We look forward to being a part of this wonderful program, supporting Early Childhood Teachers and Educators like you with the tools, resources and skills you need to have an impact on your students’ speech, communication and social development.
Words to Grow stands apart from other speech pathology learning and development providers. Words to Grow not only helps build the capacity of Early Childhood Teachers and Educators to help all children in the areas of speech and communication, but we also incorporate aspects of well-being, connectedness, and identity since communication is the foundation for each of these domains.
This is what sets us apart.
A child understands themselves (identity) and others (connectedness) through the stories they hear, tell themselves, and share with others. The ability to tell their own story and be understood and valued by significant others has a direct impact on their well-being.
Our mission at Words to Grow is to support children to develop speech, language and literacy skills through individualised and engaging evidence-based therapy so that they can build positive relationships with themselves, others and engage in all learning activities at school.
