Kia ora, Talofa Lava, I'm Helen Cartwright!
I'm a Dunedin based Early Childhood coach, mentor and facilitator I have been teaching and facilitating in ECE for over 20 years! I have been privileged to work in some important projects for the Ministry of Education in my local area and at a national level such as Te Whāriki 2017 webinar roll out and most recently the Practiced based Leadership Coaching programme.
I love the diversity that exists within early childhood and the amazing kaiako whom I collaborate with. I am passionate about all things ECE and wanting to find practical solutions to support services to transform and thrive.
I use practical strategies to coach kaiako, leaders and services to strengthen learning, develop collaborative teaching teams and to achieve personal leadership goals.
Recent professional learning projects for the Ministry of Education and private contracts.
ECE Leadership Coaching Programme: MOE funded One-year coaching for ECE leaders to enhance their leadership and coaching skills (2024).
SELO Governance and Management Contracts: Supporting services on provisional licenses, including meeting licensing criteria, strategic planning, policy and procedure development, curriculum strengthening, assessment and planning, and internal evaluation (2022/23).
SELO Leadership Contract: Providing authentic and collaborative leadership coaching focused on teamwork, trust-building, mentoring, curriculum strengthening, internal evaluation, and courageous conversations (2022-2024).
SELO Oral Language Contract: Implementing strategies to support oral language development (2023).
Mathematics Facilitation: Offering pedagogy and strategies to enhance mathematical learning (2023).
Visiting Teacher Home-Based Hui : Coaching and mentoring skills and strategies to empower educators (2023).
● Culturally attuned and competent – selected by Ministry to facilitate with Pasifika Services, Islamic Faith services and Christian Faith services.
My journey
I began my ECE teaching journey, with four years study at the tender age of 18! I worked both in Aotearoa and overseas in a variety of roles including head teacher. My goal was always to coach and. mentor teachers but I knew I had to have a diverse range of teaching experiences to do this successfully. I also loved teaching tamariki and working with whānau.
I was encouraged to become a facilitator in an area I knew nothing about ICT in ECE - so started one of the hardest and most rewarding learning journeys of my life. I have now been mentoring, coaching and facilitating for over 14 years and I just love my job! I love the diversity that exists within early childhood and the amazing passionate kaiako whom I collaborate with.
ECE - Facilitator, Mentor and Coach
Whether I am facilitating, mentoring or coaching - My clients appreciate my professional and empathetic approach, as well as my ability to provide practical guidance and support.
If you're ready to take the next step on your journey, I would be honored to work with you. Book a free 15 min no obligation call me to learn more about my services and how I can support you.