Coaching for Early Childhood Educators: An insight into the effectiveness of an initiative

Abstract

Professional development in the form of coaching has the potential to support practitioners who are being inducted into new policy and curriculum initiatives. This paper examines the efficacy of a coaching program in its support of educators to align their practice with the Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework for all Children from Birth to Eight Years (the Victorian Framework) and Belonging, Being, Becoming: The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia (EYLF). Aspects of the Coaching Program that were considered in the mixed-methods evaluation included the program's effectiveness, the intensity of its delivery, the approach used, and the coaching relationship. The evaluation found that the coaching program was an effective way to support educators align their practice with the Frameworks, and that readiness and commitment to change and the coaching relationships impacted on this process. The evaluation also identified possible refinements and improvements to the Coaching Program, which are noted in this article to further support early childhood educators to engage with aspects of the early childhood reform agenda.