Early childhood · 6 units · Delivered in-service
Preschool Boost: Attachment, Trauma & Child Development
A comprehensive professional development program for early childhood educators who want to understand the children in front of them more deeply, not just their behaviour, but what drives it.
Drawing on attachment theory, developmental neuroscience and trauma-informed practice, this six-unit series gives educators a shared language, a coherent framework, and practical tools they can use every single day.
The most powerful thing in a young child's life is a consistent, caring adult who shows up every day. This training helps your team become exactly that.
Program content
What the six units cover
- The science of early brain development
- Reading attachment patterns and stress responses in children aged three to five
- Building an environment that communicates safety at every turn
- Co-regulation and emotional literacy as everyday practice
- Embedding therapeutic approaches into everyday routines rather than adding new ones
- Working alongside families using an attachment lens, including when those relationships feel difficult
How the series runs
This series is grounded in current research and shaped by years of clinical experience in early childhood settings. It is designed to be meaningful for the whole team, from room leaders to educators new to the field, and to create lasting, whole-of-centre change rather than a one-off training tick.
The program is delivered in-person as 3-hour sequential training modules across multiple sessions, with dates set to fit with you. Units build on each other, which gives teams time to practise, reflect and embed learning between sessions. Everything is delivered in-service, in your centre, so nobody has to travel and the learning stays connected to the children your educators already know.
Alongside the training you get one-on-one mentorship and co-facilitation from AkindaCo's multidisciplinary team, so strategies are embedded into daily routines rather than left in a workbook. Families receive targeted support too, strengthening attachment, routines and emotional co-regulation at home, so children meet the same approach in both settings.
It runs all year round
There is no fixed intake and no waiting for a term to start. The series runs continuously, so you can reach out at any time and we will book your centre in. A free 30-minute virtual consultation comes first, so you can work out whether it fits before committing to anything.
We adapt it, and we travel
Every program is customised to your centre's specific needs and goals. We also specialise in working with families, so if what your service needs sits between this program and Learn to Play, or outside both of them, we can build that instead. Reach out to talk about how we would change it.
We travel to regional and remote South Australia. This program is approved for delivery across all areas of the state. Travel within 10km of 183 Tynte St, North Adelaide and 21 Philip Highway, Elizabeth is included in the cost. Beyond that, travel is charged at $285 per hour. Being a long way out is a logistics question, not a reason we cannot come.
Cost
Training is delivered in 3-hour sessions at $285 per hour, so $855 per module. A free 30-minute virtual consultation is available to explore how AkindaCo can support your team before you commit. Travel is included within 10km of our North Adelaide and Elizabeth locations, and charged at $285 per hour beyond that.
Who it is for
- Whole early childhood teams, including room leaders and educators new to the field
- Preschools and long day care services wanting a shared framework rather than scattered PD
- Services supporting children with developmental delay, trauma histories or significant behaviour of concern
Who delivers it
AkindaCo therapists, with Kate Maitland, Psychotherapist and Preschool Boost Lead, leading the program. AkindaCo also delivers Positive Behaviour Support to children and families across Adelaide, so the practice you are taught is the practice we use. Meet the full team.
About Preschool Boost
Preschool Boost is a South Australian Department for Education initiative. You can read about the wider program on the Office for Early Childhood Development website.
This program is an approved Preschool Boost listing. You can see it in the government provider directory as Attachment, Trauma and Child Development, alongside Learn to Play Group and Various Allied Health Supports. All three are listed under AkindaCo in the Preschool Boost directory.
AkindaCo also runs Preschool Boost: Learn to Play Group, a therapist-led weekly group delivered in your preschool room.
Bring the series to your centre
Tell us about your team and we will work out what the year could look like.