SA preschool directors to receive wellbeing support

A wellbeing program to support South Australian preschool directors in managing the significant emotional demands of their roles has begun this week, thanks to the South Australian Department of Education.

The program, which is part of a broader package of measures to support employee wellbeing, is designed to meet the needs of preschool directors and school principals, and will kick off with 35 leaders from metropolitan and regional locations.

Developed by senior psychologists and informed by national best-practice, the program has been created in response to national research into the effects of complexity and workload demands on early childhood and school leaders.

The National Excellence in School Leadership Initiative (NESLI) will deliver the five session program, which begins this week with a self-evaluation process. The first session, focussing on Psychological Safety and Wellbeing, will take place on 7 March 2019.

Subsequent sessions cover:

• Conflict
• Communication
• Managing emotional demands
• Coping strategies (self and others).

Coaching support is provided throughout the program.

The program will be further refined based on the feedback of the initial pilot cohort, with the next intake expected in Term 3.

SA Department of Education Manager of Employee Psychology and Wellness, Jane Richards, said that the program “is a major building block in the delivery of a comprehensive, evidence-based package of measures to support the mental health and emotional wellbeing of our educators.

“We are excited that the first cohort of 35 principals and preschool directors is commencing the program this week and look forward to continuing to refine and improve the program as it expands.

“Our overarching aim is to proactively support all of our employees to build wellbeing and resilience with a range of targeted support based on the risks and challenges associated with their work.”

NESLI also runs programs focusing on all educating staff wellbeing. For more information, visit their website.