Nature Talking is offering a comprehensive professional development for early childhood educators in Bush Kinder and other in-nature or outdoor learning programs, as part of the SRF (School Readiness Funding Program) in Victoria.

It's delivered by Certified Practising Speech-Language Pathologists with nature-based practice experience, and builds educators' confidence to support children's communication, emergent literacy and participation outdoors.

Everything is taught as responsive, in-the-moment practice within child-led and guided play, with strategies that adapt across children aged 2 to 6. The program covers four evidence-based skill areas:

• Quality adult-child interactions

• Explicit literacy instruction outdoors

• Storytelling and oral narrative

• Supporting peer-to-peer interaction

How it works

1. Full-day workshop (6 hours). Ends with a facilitated planning session where your team builds a shared learning plan.

2. Two 1-hour coaching cycles, 2 to 4 weeks apart, for at least two lead educators per service. A nature-based speech therapist works with your educators in your outdoor setting or by video, using Practice-Based Coaching to put the strategies into practice.

The total time commitment with coaching is about 8 hours over 6 to 10 weeks.

What we ask of your service

• An established or developing outdoor learning program (a big yard where children spend lots of time outdoors counts).

• At least two lead educators nominated for coaching. They'll lead the team learning plan with the educators who attended the workshop, and having two means they can work on it together and sustain change across your service.

• Staffing and backfill so educators can attend the workshop, and can work one-to-one with the coach during coaching cycles.

• Video conferencing access for online workshops or video coaching.

Options and fees (inc. GST)

• Hosted venue workshop: $400 per person, morning tea included

• Onsite whole-centre workshop: $2,200 flat rate plus travel (Min 15 ppl max 25 ppl)

• Online whole-centre workshop (live): $2,200 flat rate (Min 15 ppl max 25 ppl)

• Coaching: $350 per cycle by video, $400 per cycle in person plus travel

For on-site workshops, travel applies more than 15 km from the facilitator's base: 88c per km plus $180 per hour of travel time, with accommodation at cost.

You are able to pool funding with other services for whole-centre workshops (if you would like to do this each centre should fill in an onsite workshop form and note that they are pooling funding)

How to book

1. Fill in the relevant form to log your expression of interest:

   • [Open workshop form link] for places at a hosted venue workshop

   • [Whole-centre form link] for onsite or online training for your team

2. We'll come back to you with a workshop offer and a quote. If one doesn't closely suit your location or timing, we'll offer a few alternatives.

3. Once you confirm your preferred option by email, we'll confirm your booking and send an invoice for a 50% deposit of the total (workshop and coaching).

4. The remaining workshop balance is invoiced 14 days before the workshop, and the remaining coaching balance after your coaching cycles are delivered.

Workshop locations

Hosted venue workshops are scheduled according to interest. Proposed locations for 2027–2028 are Melbourne, Ballarat, Traralgon and Shepparton.

Cancellations

• Workshop: full refund 30+ days before; full credit 14 to 30 days before; 50% refund under 14 days.

• Coaching: full credit 7+ days before; 50% refund under 7 days; free transfer to another educator with 24 hours' notice.

If you have any questions about the details of the training, don’t hesitate to contact us at hello@naturetalking.com.au .