Child Care Rockstar Radio – Détails, épisodes et analyse

The Child Care Success Academy

The Child Care Success Summit

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Liber8

Maverick Next

The Everything School: Grow Your Leaders, Grow Your Empire with Tameenah Adams

Saison 1 · Épisode 84

jeudi 17 septembre 2020 • Durée 55:52

Tameenah Adams is a Child Care Business Coach for The Child Care Success Company and has over 18 years of experience in personnel management. She joins Kris for a conversation about gaining confidence through preparation and action and how she has continued to expand her empire and development centers throughout the pandemic. Tameenah also talks about the ways that Jeff Bezos inspired her business model to be the Everything School, the power of connection, and how to create a team where everyone feels bought-in and part of the future vision.

Key Takeaways:

[15:33] Tameenah has three different Child Care Brands, along with a temporary staffing company. She was inspired by how Jeff Bezos started Amazon with just books, then expanded to being the go-to place for everything.

[20:28] Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Tameenah stayed transparent about her own energy and kept it real with her team and parents. She frequently checked in and made sure she unplugged at stressful times to come back with restored energy.

[28:42] There were three cases at Tameenah’s school, but they only had to close one time. This is in large part due to the fact that they stayed up on health regulations and really got their prevention and response plans in order.

[31:01] A pandemic is no reason for Tameenah to slow down — she is closing deals, working on letters of intent, and looking at securing a commercial space for a catering company to serve child care centers.

[34:52] There are many ways to stay connected and involved during this time: keep up with the development in your area, ramp up on marketing, get involved with your community, and volunteer.

[44:11] When you let your team know you are all growing together and the leader welcomes getting “called out” from employees, they feel bought-in and empowered.

Quotes:

“Being real as an owner empowered my team.” — Tameenah
“I had to relinquish power, control, and fear.” — Tameenah
“The only way to be successful is to fight these fears, relinquish control to my team, and let them know when they make a mistake we will work through it together.”
— Tameenah

Mentioned in This Episode:

Child Care Success Summit — offering $1 ticket

Early Learning Leaders

Happy Faces

Water Babies

Peeling Back the Layers: How to Feel Better and Help the People in Your Life Feel Better with Alyssa Campbell

Saison 1 · Épisode 83

jeudi 10 septembre 2020 • Durée 49:37

Alyssa Campbell is an emotional development expert, podcaster, and founder of Seed and Sew. She joins the show to talk with Kris about the method of Collaborative Emotion Processing that she co-created, how developing emotional intelligence skills saved her life, and why this work is of the utmost importance for leaders and teachers to deal correctly with the tiny humans of tomorrow.

Key Takeaways:

[2:28] Once Alyssa developed the emotional intelligence tools she now teaches today, she went from feeling exhausted and drained to now being able to recognize her triggers. Through this, she can give herself proper self-care so that she shows up as her best self to the world.

[9:13] Alyssa got her master’s degree in Early Childhood Education and after many different careers in early education, landed at a school that had great resources and support. This is where she co-created the Collaborative Emotion Processing method and launched Seed and Sew.

[11:02] Although the focus is the children, the real work begins with ourselves. The more emotional intelligence we master in our own life and heal our nervous system, the more we can teach kids to do the same.

[13:22] A career highlight for Alyssa was getting to work alongside an occupational therapist who opened her eyes to how crucial it is to regulate our central nervous system in everything we do.

[14:44] Seed and Sew provides that village mentality where everyone is working together to help one another. They offer several free resources including her podcast Voice of Your Village, and paid services such as the Tiny Humans, Big Emotions course, and a S.E.E.D Certification program.

[20:06] Fun Fact: Alyssa studied abroad in Austria and knows how to speak German!

[23:19] Important steps of emotional intelligence as leaders and teachers prepare for adult/child interaction:

Self Awareness. Daily check-ins and keeping tabs of how we are really doing.
Biases — Uncovering our biases and working on what’s really driving our behavior.
Scientific Knowledge
Self Care

[35:25] If Alyssa could tell her past self some advice, it would be to start your personal work earlier, and dig into anti-racism and bias work sooner as well.

[42:55] Teachers are not often seen as professionals, and this can lead to a fear of not being perfect. It’s really about realizing that it’s about the marathon, not the sprint, and that progress is more important than perfection.

Quotes:

“It’s never a child’s job to get calm for us, it’s our job to get calm for the child.” — Alyssa
“When we are using these tools it’s not just going to affect how you show up with the tiny humans or at work, it affects how you show up in relationships with others because it affects how you show up with yourself.” — Alyssa
“Good is good enough.” — Kris
“Life does not have to be perfect to be wonderful.” — Kris’s new magnet

Mentioned in This Episode:

Child Care Success Summit — offering $1 ticket

Implicit Association Test

Voices of Your Village

Seed and Sew

Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents

How to Be Anti-Racist

A New Twist on Classic Topics in ECE: Quality, Diversity, Head Start, and More with Dr. Calvin Moore

Saison 1 · Épisode 82

jeudi 3 septembre 2020 • Durée 56:39

Dr. Calvin Moore was recently named Interim CEO of the Council for Professional Recognition. He joins the show to talk about what first attending the Head Start Program as a student meant to him as he moved up the ranks into executive positions. He and Kris also discuss why obtaining a CDA (Child Development Associate) certification is so important, and how we attract and retain a more diverse workforce.

Key Takeaways:

[10:15] Dr. Calvin Moore was recently named interim CEO of the Council for Professional Recognition. He’s also the first CEO of the Council to hold its early education credential, the CDA. Previously, he was the regional program manager for the Office of Head Start in Atlanta within the Administration for Children and Families for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

[13:29] Calvin started his journey with Head Start as a child in 1969 and began working for the program in 1991. He worked his way up as a teacher, center manager, coordinator, and eventually Executive Director.

[15:19] Calvin and his wife love living in Alabama, and they have a very busy household with both a 19- and 10-year-old.

[19:31] It is the 45th Anniversary of the CDA credential. While they were affected by the pandemic, they are rebuilding and seeing a strong interest from teachers for community and keeping their skills sharp. They also have seen double the numbers of CDA renewals and an extremely large turnout at their Leadership and Learning Series.

[26:49] Calvin believes in equitable systems in the way that every community should get access to a Head Start program, no matter what socioeconomic bracket they fall in.

[30:28] Consistency is a big part of Head Start, and consistent messaging is something we need more than ever.

[31:50] Calvin’s book, Men Do Stay, discusses myths of male teachers in the early childhood field and ways that we can do a better job of retaining our talented future male leaders and life changers. He gives his own example of how male leadership at a school helped other male teachers feel more welcome, and why continued professional development is so important.

[36:02] Look back at your program and see if you market in a way that supports diversity. We can do better than the 2–3% statistic of males in ECE now.

[41:11] Calvin did four years in the Air Force, which gives him a different perspective than most.

[49:11] There are so many benefits to getting a CDA, a few of the key ones being a place for new professionals to feel oriented and welcomed in the industry.

Quotes:

“People were looking for ways to connect in this crisis, and we were glad to provide them with an outlet, information, and skill set.” — Calvin
“No matter what your budget is, you should not spend an inordinate amount for child care.” — Calvin
“Let’s get every child care professional a CDA. It will allow us to have a base level of confidence in the ECE field.” — Calvin
“I really believe the CDA catapulted me into life-long learning about child development that I might not have discovered otherwise.” — Calvin

Mentioned in This Episode:

Child Care Success Summit — offering $1 ticket

calvinm@cdacouncil.org

CDA Council

Men Do Stay

Supporting Families with Integrity and Grit with Sarah Cudnik

Saison 1 · Épisode 81

jeudi 27 août 2020 • Durée 51:35

Sarah Cudnik is the Executive Director and Owner of Kids’ Work in Chicago, with two very active and successful locations. Sarah shares her insight from growing up in an environment where childcare was important, and what she learned from starting as a mother-daughter duo. She and Kris also discuss goal setting, creating a great work culture, and the key components of making a website look great. Sarah also discusses her goals to better understand her finances and the leaps and bounds she has made through mentorship and joining groups of like-minded individuals committed to success.

Key Takeaways:

[9:44] Kids’ Work has two locations in the North Center of Chicago and has room for 230 families between the two centers. They are a combination of play-based and academic and strive to see the child for who they are as a unique individual. Sarah’s mother started an in-home daycare when she was younger, so early childcare is in her bloodlines.

[12:07] Sarah and her mother started with an in-home daycare themselves and quickly went from a waitlist of 12 to 100 families.

[14:55] Not only does Sarah have a busy professional life but she is also the proud mother of two active boys, ages 12 and 13.

[16:28] Fun Fact: Karaoke is one of Sarah’s weaknesses, and don’t be surprised to see her rocking out to some Janis Joplin.

[17:40] One unique thing about Kids’ Work is that they have plenty of play space in an urban environment. A few other strong suits that Sarah is very proud of include the amount of detail they put into their work and the way they naturally build rapport with the kids and families.

[25:06] Kids’ Work worked with Grow Your Center to create a website that had beautiful photography, captivating copy that clearly explains their unique benefits, and a section dedicated to their core values.

[29:26] Sarah and her team spent time getting clear on the words that surround their core values, and now the whole team is clear on how their actions every day are instrumental in staying in alignment.

[31:23] The walls in preschool can be a great space to display fun and visually exciting imagery. For Kids’ Work, their core values are on the wall for all to see as they walk by.

[37:15] Sarah’s late husband was extremely instrumental in setting up the business and making sure it consistently was financially sound. After his passing, Sarah knew she had to dedicate time and effort into learning for herself, before she handed the finances off to a bookkeeper.

[49:10] A real rockstar to Sarah is someone with integrity who does the right thing and gives their all in their unique way.

Quotes:

“Parents of young children need a lot of support and understanding. Not only do we do that with children, but also with parents.” — Sarah
“Nothing makes a parent happier than to feel like someone is excited about their kid, and that is the way our teachers are.” — Sarah
“I just want our teachers to love work and to absolutely love coming to work.” — Sarah

Mentioned in This Episode:

Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable, by Patrick Lencioni

Child Care Success Summit — offering $1 ticket

Embracing the Pandemic: The Ultimate Leader Shift to the Positive with Linda Hassapis

Saison 1 · Épisode 80

jeudi 20 août 2020 • Durée 39:38

Linda Hassapis is the owner of Magical Beginnings daycares and learning centers, with six locations around the Boston area. Linda shares her beginnings in the industry from opening up a childcare facility in her home to now growing Magical Beginnings with a full staff and bustling capacity. Linda talks about the importance of teamwork, how her culture got even stronger throughout the pandemic, and ways they have communicated with their families to make sure there is nothing but trust and confidence in sending their children to school.

Key Takeaways:

[7:12] Magical Beginnings has six locations, which keeps Linda very busy. The capacity is up to about 65% even during the pandemic, with 500 children and more expected in the fall.

[8:43] Linda has been in the industry since 1990 and opened up a family childcare in her home before she had her two children.

[11:02] It’s definitely a family affair at Magical Beginnings — Linda’s daughter has dreams to help run the company and has been working there since she was 16.

[12:19] Fun Fact: Linda is a huge Bon Jovi fan, and will always catch him when he comes to town.

[14:58] During the pandemic, Linda kept four locations open, which was really great for the staff and families. Despite needing to use all PPE gear, they still encouraged play and joy through music and connection.

[15:06] Linda kept the company culture high by checking in with staff and making sure they were personally each okay. They also used the Emergency Care funding to service the teachers and children, so there was no extra cost at a time when the families needed it most.

[22:18] Magical Beginnings did a Zoom call with parents about how things would look when they opened up the schools, and that way parents felt more in the know and secure about what to expect.

[24:11] Linda joined an advocacy group called Daycare United, where she felt supported by other leaders with a similar passion to make sure teachers get the respect they need.

[27:00] The pandemic has shifted Linda’s mindset to be okay with uncertainty and she and her team have adapted amazingly to the current realities of the necessary safety precautions.

[34:39] If Linda could go back and do it again, she would take more business classes and get more experience with negotiation.

Quotes:

“The kids were the definition of rockstars.” — Linda
“I want to change the mindset of the general public on how they look at early childhood.” — Linda
“High-quality early learning is interconnected with being able to have an economy with working parents.” — Kris

Mentioned in This Episode:

Child Care Success Summit — offering $1 ticket

Your World-Class Assistant, by Michael Hyatt

Magical Beginnings LLC

The Power of a Positive Team: Proven Principles and Practices that Make Great Teams Great,
by Jon Gordon

Simon Sinek

Leadership and Mindset Shifts from an ECE Veteran with Pamela Piekarski

Saison 1 · Épisode 79

jeudi 13 août 2020 • Durée 54:42

Pamela Piekarski is the President and CEO of Exploring Minds Academy, which has two programs in two different states: Colorado and Kansas. Pamela joins the show this week to discuss her journey into ECE as a Kindergarten teacher in 1978, and share a few amazing golden nuggets of advice and wisdom she has gained from a long and successful career. Pamela talks about her work in Bilingual studies, the value of a coach and mentoring peer group, and how we can feel confident about raising tuition rates. She and Kris also talk about the foundational pieces to have in place before delegating, and how to get out of overwhelm to work on your business instead of in it.

Key Takeaways:

[1:00] Exploring Minds Academy has two locations, one in Colorado and one in Kansas. This showed Pamela the different needs for each culture, and her responsibilities as the operating director fluctuate according to the two different locations.

[12:20] Pamela opened her first child care center in 1985 and used her bilingual resources to connect even further with the children and their families.

[18:22] Fun fact: Pamela spends most of her time living in Kansas enjoying work and her 11 grandchildren while her husband holds down the ranch in beautiful Colorado.

[22:38] Having a good coach and mentor helps us see outside of ourselves and shines a light on our blind spots.

[30:31] Our leadership is inside of the culture, and when you view your job as an “occupation” you want not only yourself but others around you to succeed and reach their goals and dreams.

[33:38] Pamela had a mindset shift that gave her the confidence to raise her tuition rates, which she had not done in several years. It is important to have strong communication with families so they know the value that comes with the rates, and why your school and programs are worth it.

[41:51] Leaders must delegate so they aren’t in the weeds all the time mowing the grass. This means you must trust the people around you and honor the skills and talents that they have.

[46:03] Pamela defines a child care rockstar as someone who can be flexible to adapt to new circumstances. A rockstar is different, according to the community, environment, and culture, but they always have passion and drive.

Quotes:

“If it wasn’t for coaches and mastermind groups, I never would have come this far.”
— Kris
“I could still pause and take care of myself in a way I hadn’t been able to do before.”
— Pamela
“I knew that by teaching teachers, I could impact more children.” — Pamela
“I’m only able to do today from what I learned yesterday.” — Pamela

Mentioned in This Episode:

Child Care Success Summit — offering $1 ticket

Exploring Minds Academy

Best Practices for Successful Licensing Visits with Ronnae Williams

Saison 1 · Épisode 78

jeudi 6 août 2020 • Durée 48:55

As a previous licensing consultant herself and now part of the Child Care Success team, Ronnae Williams has some great insight into how child care leaders can make the best of licensing. She shares practical tips to get organized and in a positive mindset, both of which will set up a good foundation for a visit from a licensing representative. Ronnae also has helped large chains and franchise organizations with everything including marketing to enrollment and stresses how not just knowing the rules, but really understanding them can make a world of a difference.

Key Takeaways:

[11:33] Ronnae started working for KinderCare and Kids R Kids but found her way into Licensing after helping in a multitude of positions and roles. The expertise of working with large chains and franchisees helped give her different perspectives on the industry.

[16:00] Fun Fact: Ronnae is a new gardener and even just braved the Georgia heat to plant her first pear tree!

[17:16] One of the best practices for a successful licensing visit is clear communication and not just knowing the rule book, but understanding the information and general rules. If you have questions, Ronnae recommends emailing them so there is a saved thread of information.

[21:10] A positive mindset before a licensing visit is crucial, so you aren’t stressed or nervous but instead assured and confident.

[23:57] Organization is key! You can be the binder queen like Ronnae, or use electronic filings if your state allows it. The more you have the information easily accessible and organized, the more confident you will feel.

[31:20] Two sets of fresh eyes on your building may be better than just one. That way, they may see things you aren’t able to.

[32:18] A few of the areas where issues tend to pop up are supervision and ratio, the playground, and medicine.

[38:22] We assume that parents understand quality, and it’s our job to really step up and educate parents on what they should look for throughout their journey of finding the right school for them.

[43:33] To Ronnae, a rockstar is someone who sets goals with passion and focus, and then continues to hit those goals and exceed even their own expectations.

Quotes:

“People that did better had a grasp of the rule book.”
“You want to understand the rule, not just understand previous actions.”
“Visit day is test day.”
“Parents know child care, but they don’t really know quality.”

Mentioned in This Episode:

Child Care Success Summit — offering $1 ticket