Starting Strong

This program supports preschool educators and families to build children’s early speech, language and literacy skills through practical, evidence-based strategies that can be embedded into everyday preschool experiences.

What the program includes

1. Initial consultation

A 20-minute online or phone consultation with a preschool representative to discuss the centre’s goals and provide an overview of the program.

2. Professional learning workshop

A 1.5-hour workshop for educators focused on:

Early speech sound and language development
Early literacy and pre-literacy skills
Key developmental milestones
Practical strategies to support communication and early literacy
Embedding learning opportunities into everyday preschool routines, play and interactions

3. Three onsite coaching visits

Three 1.5-hour visits delivered by a SPELD SA speech pathologist

Onsite Coaching Visits

1. Model

The speech pathologist models evidence-based strategies and demonstrates how speech, language and early literacy skills can be supported through play-based activities, shared book reading and classroom interactions.

2. Share

The speech pathologist and educators work together to lead activities, allowing educators to begin applying strategies with guided support.

3. Lead

Educators plan and implement communication and early literacy activities while the speech pathologist observes and provides feedback to support ongoing practice and confidence.

Parent Information Session

A 1.5-hour information session for families covering:

Speech sound and language development
Early literacy development
What to expect as children develop their communication and early learning skills
Simple strategies families can use to support communication and early literacy at home

Ongoing Support

Additional onsite visits can be arranged where further support is required to help educators confidently implement strategies within their preschool program.

Practical support for communication, language and early literacy

Delivered by SPELD SA speech pathologists through a combination of professional learning, onsite coaching and family education.

"The session was fantastic and very well received as evidenced by the high engagement of participants and the quality and quantity of questions they were asking."

"We have been talking about how to improve the capacity of parents and their skills in encouraging and developing early language skills, so your input on what this can look like at a practical level was very timely."