Children enter educational settings with a wealth of literacy understandings and competencies. They engage with language and literacy through play, movement, talk, mark-making, imagination and creativity. A playful pedagogical stance builds on these strengths, values children's agency, and recognises them as capable and competent learners.

The Playful Literacy professional learning program takes a strengths-based approach that honours children's right to play. Research shows that oral language, symbolic representation, executive functioning and early concepts about print form the foundation for later reading and writing success. These capabilities develop through rich play experiences.

This program deepens educators' understanding of symbolic play, oral language, executive functioning and mark-making as the roots of literacy development. Participants are guided to reflect on their pedagogical practices and learning environments, identifying opportunities to strengthen playful literacy experiences.

Workshops can be delivered face-to-face, online or through a self-paced eCourse, providing flexibility across settings. Three follow-up site visits enable consultants to personalise the learning, support implementation within each context, and help teams embed new understandings into sustained shared practice.

Expected outcomes include:

• Deeper pedagogical knowledge about the essential foundations for literacy learning
• Sharpening of educators' observational skills regarding children’s emergent literacy understandings and behaviours
• Learn strategies for curating language and literacy-rich learning environments
• Improved opportunities for children to engage in language and literacy-rich play

This PL program has 2 components: workshop and site-visits. The workshop can be delivered in person, online or through a self-paced eCourse, of approx. 6-8 hours duration. Three follow-up site-visits enable consultants to tailor support to each context, personalise learning and assist teams to embed new knowledge into shared pedagogical practice. When possible, the site visits will be in-person and of 2 hours duration each. A resource pack is included.

This program is delivered for $5,000 per site (5 and under staff) or $6,500 per site (6+ staff). If travel is required, this will be charged based on location. Travel of over 1 hour from Adelaide CBD incurs travel fee at ATO 2025-26 rate of 88 cents/km. Airfares invoiced if driving to site visits is not time efficient or appropriate. Accommodation costs when travel is more than 1.5 hours from Adelaide CBD. Travel time is not invoiced. All fees are GST exclusive.