Feedback on New Program for Early Childhood Service Leaders • Gowrie Victoria

Gowrie is developing a new leadership program, on behalf of the Victorian Department of Education, which will be delivered for service leaders across Victoria from 2027. The program aims to support leaders to reflect on their leadership skills, connect with their peers, and enable leaders to apply new ways of thinking to some of the everyday challenges they face every day.

The program’s foundation will be a new leadership capability framework for ECEC. It will offer a combination of online learning, intensive face-to-face workshops, and regular online workshops. It will focus practical activities, real-world case studies, and a specific inquiry or goal that each leader will focus on through an Action Research project. Leaders will be supported by facilitators and mentors, but most importantly, also by their peer group.

Glyn Williams, Executive Manager of Adult Learning at Gowrie says “We all understand the impact that strong leadership can have in ECEC, but busy service leaders rarely have the opportunity to step back, reflect on their leadership journey and identify their own learning needs. We’re aiming to ensure this program is highly practical, and supports leaders to work through real-world challenges together, but we also want to ensure that it builds individuals’ confidence and identity as leaders and not just managers.”

Further program details and information on how to enrol will be available later in the year.

We want your feedback!

As we develop the program, we would really value hearing from service leaders directly. A 13-minute survey on the draft structure is now open until 12 August 2026, and your feedback will shape a program to ensure it is accessible and meets your needs.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts and supporting this program.

Complete the survey here

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