The Interest Forest offers a unique mentoring program to Australian early childhood educators. Mentoring is a form of professional development that is highly valued in our sector.
Our mentoring program is suitable for all educators and teachers who work with children between birth and the start of school. They are matched with a mentoring teacher outside of their service, who supports them in building skills, solving problems, and exploring new ideas.
We specialise in programming & communication
Our mentors specialise in the areas of:
- programming, planning and documentation
- integrating the EYLF into daily practices
- and professional communication.
Mentoring teachers have extensive experience in designing and delivering early years programs. They have worked with a wide range of children's services and are familiar with different philosophical approaches.
They are also passionate about communicating and presenting educational programs. In addition to teaching, our mentors have fulfilled roles in writing, marketing, and or the media.
Whether you have big plans for your program or you're struggling with communication and documentation, we’re ready to help.
Flexible, affordable and personalised
Our mentoring program is incredibly flexible. All communication is online or via telephone, so it doesn't matter where you live. Educators are welcome to come and go from the program. And our rates are competitive.
The process is personalised. Unlike training courses that follow a prescribed format, mentoring allows educators to target the issues that are most important to them.
Mentoring often develops into a long-term and meaningful relationship. However, our mentors are focused on immediate results. They brainstorm ideas for educators to quickly and easily put into action. They are collaborators who respond to educators’ needs, by providing specialist tools, resources and inspiration.
Individuals and teams
Our mentors can work with individuals, small teams, and large teams. Educators can engage a mentor themselves and organisations can provide mentorship as a benefit to their employees.
The benefits of ECEC mentoring
Enhanced educational outcomes
Our mentoring program specialises in improving children's educational outcomes by exploring better ways to program and plan. Our mentors can help brainstorm learning provisions to engage and delight your children.
Effective communication and documentation
Our mentors are passionate about effectively articulating children's learning to families and stakeholders. We know that children’s learning isn't linear, but getting it on paper doesn't have to be challenging. Our mentors can teach skills in professional writing, visual communication, use of technological tools, and children's documentation.
Stronger relationships
ECEC mentoring is professional development that occurs through relationship building. Mentors and educators can build trusting and ethical partnerships with each other, helping educators feel a sense of belonging to the broader sector. Also, through improved programming and communication skills, educators can build stronger relationships with their families and community.
Improved efficiency and wellbeing
The Interest Forest was built on the belief that Australian early childhood educators need less paperwork and more play. Our mentors offer a wide range of ideas that are quick and easy for educators to implement. We also provide tools and resources that you can keep and use forever.
Renewed motivation and confidence
Mentoring can help educators revive their passion for early childhood education, which is essential as our sector has a transient workforce. Mentoring can help educators define their professional identity and present themselves as knowledgeable and confident practitioners.
Educator and teacher experiences
Read some of the experiences educators have had with our mentoring program:
- “The best part is connecting with an early childhood teacher outside my team. I like having a new perspective. The parents say our program is more playful and interesting. I'm motivated and feel supported.” – Michelle, Salisbury Park SA
- "I’ve learned so much about play-based learning. It has not only improved how I set up my space but also helped me communicate the framework to parents in a way that makes more sense.” – Tara, Newton NSW
- “I love childcare but I have ADHD and terrible at organising stuff. My mentor has taken a weight off my shoulders because she made a calendar and sends suggestions for special days. I spend more time with my children without stressing about forgetting little things.” – Yuan, Townsville QLD
- “As a leader, I am too rushed to mentor junior staff. They have a lot of Reggio questions and having an external teacher step in is relieving as she is someone for motivation and bouncing ideas off. Our program is really flourishing so we will continue mentoring next year.” – Alex, Regional NSW
Meet your mentor!
Let's get started. Educators and organisations can sign up online and they will be quickly matched with a mentoring teacher.
Mentoring can be short-term or long-term and is provided as a subscription service which can be continued for as long as you like and cancelled at any time. Whether you're with us for a few weeks or a few years, it's totally fine.
A:One-on-one mentoring for educators
Educators can receive one-on-one mentoring for their own professional development. Organisations can also sign up multiple employees for individual mentoring. Most communication is through email, SMS and file-sharing programs.
B: In-depth mentoring for educators
This option is perfect for leaders or educators who require more time each week to address complex issues and multiple topics. There is also more availability for phone conversations with your mentor.
C: Small teams
This is the best option for mentoring a group of educators who work together on the same program, and have similar goals and challenges. Most communication is through email and file-sharing programs to ensure everyone stays in the loop.
D: Large teams
Organisations wanting to provide mentorship to a larger team can sign up multiple educators or small teams using the options above. However, we can definitely arrange a custom quote and chat with you first.
Let's chat
We would love to answer your questions about mentoring. Send an email to if@interestforest.com.au. A mentoring teacher will respond to your enquiry or arrange a time to chat.