I am Brave

Jayneen Sanders

Jayneen Sanders (aka Jay Dale) is an experienced Australian early years educator, children’s book author, and publisher. She began her teaching career in the 1980s as a primary school teacher in rural Queensland, Australia, before moving to Melbourne, Victoria, to teach at several inner-city schools. In 1985, Jayneen transitioned to a career as an educational editor and publisher.

In the early 90s, Jayneen and her partner lived in Japan for over three and a half years, working as English teachers. Her first daughter was born in Japan.

Upon returning to Australia, Jayneen began working as an educational author and packager, authoring and producing numerous award-winning titles for the educational publishing industry. She is also an accomplished children’s book author, contributing to literacy series such as ZigZags, Totally Kidz, Deadly and Incredible, and a children’s picture book series for Penguin.

Jayneen is currently the lead author of the ‘Engage Literacy’ series, published by Capstone, for which she has written over 150 titles.

A mother of three daughters and a former school councillor of over seven years, Jayneen’s experiences inspired her to address child protection in schools. Recognizing the need for preventative education, she authored ‘Some Secrets Should Never Be Kept’ to help parents, carers, and teachers discuss inappropriate touch and encourage children to speak up.

Following the positive reception of her book, Jayneen pursued further education in protective behaviours and attended conferences on child safety. This led her to develop and publish a comprehensive Body Safety and Respectful Relationship Teacher’s Resource Kit and write more children’s books on topics including body safety, consent, respect, gender equality, social and emotional intelligence, and diversity and inclusion.

Jayneen currently co-runs Educate2Empower Publishing with her partner, Mark Sanders. Her dedication to children’s safety and empowerment continues, with new manuscripts and free resources frequently in development.

Iryna Boiarska

Iryna Boiarska grew up in Ukraine surrounded by books, curiosity, and a love for learning. Holding a PhD in Theoretical Physics, she began her career in science before discovering her passion for illustration after the birth of her son. She finds great joy in captivating young minds with her artwork and aims to share important life values and help children understand the world better through her illustrations.

Today, Iryna creates warm digital illustrations inspired by childhood, family life, and everyday magic. She loves telling gentle stories through images that spark curiosity and emotion in young readers.