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The Dandelion Project

Confident Mentoring In Practice
A professional learning program for early childhood leaders

The Dandelion Project is a 10-month professional development journey designed for early childhood leaders who are ready to deepen their mentoring practice and create lasting impact across their service. Rooted in current research on leadership, communication, and educator development, the program blends practical mentoring tools, relational communication strategies, and real-world application.

Build practical mentoring skills that enhance team engagement

Learn relational communication
for confident, constructive conversations

Develop emotional resilience to lead in fast- paced environments

Implement a flexible mentoring model tailored to your service context

Strengthen leadership capabilities, and a culture of collaborative professional growth

Program Overview

The Dandelion Project equips early childhood leaders to mentor with clarity, confidence, and professionalism through a mix of structured learning, reflective practice, and embedded application.

Practical Application Framework

You’ll move beyond theory, using mentoring tools in real-time with your team. Peer-supported learning and practical frameworks create space to build capacity, shift team dynamics, and influence lasting change.

Mentor Guidance

Each participant is paired with a Dandelion Mentor who offers personalised insight, encouragement, and sector-specific support, ensuring your growth is grounded in your day-to-day leadership practice.

Download Timeline

A Slower, More Sustainable Way to Lead - We know that early childhood leadership can feel fast, pressured, and performative. This program invites you to slow down, not in ambition, but in how you show up. It offers a space to pause, reflect, and reconnect with what matters: your presence, your people, and your purpose. When we lead from that space, we don’t just meet expectations we transform the culture around us, one conversation at a time.

Ideal for:

Educational leaders
Room leaders
New directors
Mobile leaders
Professional practice leaders

What's Included in the Program

National Quality Standard

All Early Education Leadership programs are aligned with Australia’s National Quality Standard (NQS), supporting strong relationships, continuous improvement, and sector best practice.

A competency-based implementation project

Orientation session to set expectations and goals

Two-day in-person intensive (mentoring, communication, emotional agility)

Monthly online peer mentoring sessions for real-time skill development.

Final session to reflect, sustain, and celebrate growth

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Are You Facing These Challenges?

Feeling overwhelmed by the expectations of your role and unsure how to lead your team with confidence?

You’re confident in your understanding of curriculum, theory, and the value of intentional practice, but influencing change is a different challenge. Whether you're leading a room, a team, or new to leading an entire service, you may find it difficult to gain buy-in, support reflective thinking, and navigate the discomfort that often arises when inviting others to question habits and shift long-held ways of working.

Learning Outcomes

Confidence in Distributed Leadership

Learn how to share responsibility, tap into your team’s strengths, and support collaborative decision-making.

Stronger Team Collaboration
Foster a culture of trust, engagement, and shared accountability.

Clear, Trust-Building Communication

Lead professional, respectful conversations, offer purposeful feedback, and guide reflective dialogue.

Emotional Agility

Stay rounded and lead with clarity during times of change, challenge and uncertainty.

Mentoring Capability

Build confidence and gain practical tools to support educator growth and reflective practice.

Applied Leadership Practice

Apply new mentoring and communication strategies directly within your service setting.

Deepened Reflective Practice

Create space for slow thinking, insight, and perspective-taking that renews your leadership purpose.

Mentoring Proposal

Design a practical mentoring service approach that supports educator growth, strengthens reflective practice.

Meet Your Dandelion Mentors

The Dandelion Project is led by Sarah Moore, Program Coordinator and Director of Early Education Leadership. With over 25 years of experience in the not-for-profit sector, Sarah specialises in leadership development, communication training, coaching and mentoring. She is a Certified Conversational Intelligence®, Coach and Emotional Fitness Consultant, bringing neuroscience-informed strategies to support early childhood leaders in building reflective team cultures and sustainable mentoring frameworks .

Supporting Sarah is a select group of experienced early childhood Service Directors who have successfully led meaningful change within their own services. These mentors bring lived wisdom, sector knowledge, and a deep commitment to mentoring others. Their diverse experiences span various early childhood settings, including rural, remote, and community-managed services, enriching the program with a broad range of experience & perspective.

Personal Mentor Pairing

Each participant is matched with a Dandelion Mentor who provides individualised support and reflective feedback. This one-on-one mentorship ensures that your learning is grounded, personal, and directly connected to your day-to-day work, helping you build confidence and embed mentoring skills within your service.

Collective Wisdom

Beyond individual support, the mentors contribute to the collective project development, learning experience, sharing insights and strategies that foster a culture of collaborative professional growth. Their shared wisdom adds depth to every aspect of the program, keeping you grounded, inspired, and supported throughout your leadership journey.