The Preschool Podcast

Phone skills are often an overlooked aspect of running a child care program. In this episode, we have a conversation with Jaren Hall, CEO of Intellikid Systems on why training your preschool staff to have good phone skills is so important in making a good first impression on prospective families.  Resources:  Intellikid Systems

In this episode, Tessie Ragan from Perfect Start Learning joins us to shed some light on the unique advantages and challenges of providing child care to military families in a home. Without many of the resources available to larger centers and restrictions specific to military providers, Tessie has many lessons of resourcefulness and perseverance that all child care providers can be inspired by. To learn more about Tessie's program, visit https://www.perfectstartlearning.com.

In the 45 years since Council for Professional Recognition was founded, A LOT has changed in the field of early childhood education. The Council's CEO, Dr. Valora Washington, joins us in this episode to discuss these advancements and ongoing efforts to support early childhood educators in their professional development, including the Child Development Associate Credential. To learn more about the CDA Credential and how it can help your career, visit https://www.cdacouncil.org/

Are kids really 'misbehaving' or are we simply setting unrealistic expectations for them? In this episode, Rae Pica returns to the podcast to discuss her new book, "Acting Out!: Avoid Behavior Challenges with Active Learning Games and Activities," and provide actionable techniques for you to use to harness children's natural behavior into activities that will make everyone happy. Resources: https://www.raepica.com www.RedleafPress.org

Onboarding a new employee isn't just a quick tour of your center and calling it a day — it starts from their first interview and takes anywhere from 6 months to a year to get them fully assimilated into their new environment. In this episode, Carla Rogg, President of ProSolutions Training, explains how to properly onboard a new teacher so they are happy — and stay that way! Resources: ProSolutions Training

Episode 169 - Play is how children learn and develop in their early childhood years. In this episode, we interview Dr. Elanna Yalow, Chief Academic Officer at KinderCare, on how teachers can support children as they learn through play. She highlights how play and academics are not separate from each other. Instead, it is the instinctive way that young children learn how to problem solve and develop skills. We discuss some strategies that educators can use to incorporate play into their practice. Resources:  KinderCare Children Do Better The Longer They’re With Us What Will They Find Next? Sensory play for babies builds their brains  Want to light up your baby’s brains? Talk, coo and smile too  Expert infant teachers share what to look for in a daycare KinderCare celebrates 50th Portland anniversary

Owning and operating a child care business is highly entrepreneurial. In this episode, Tony D’Agostino, CEO and Founder of Inspire Care 360, shares the importance of setting a strong operations foundation in order to build a sustainable business. We talk about the key elements that child care business owners need to pay attention to and why making the investment in developing business savvy on your team is worth it.  Resources:  Inspire Care 360 Website Why Inspire Care 360 (Video) Get The Support You Need To Build Your Child Care Center (Video)

As much as early education is all about working with kids, it is also about supporting young parents in their journey of raising their child. In this episode, we interview Mary Muhs, the Department Chair of Early Education at Rasmussen College, on how to build a strong family culture at your program. She shares how family relationships can influence the quality of your work with the kids in the classroom and strategies on communicating with parents that center on relationship-building. Resources: Connect with Mary at mary.muhs@rasmussen.edu Family Engagement In Early Childhood Settings  

Early education has been getting more public attention as parents become more informed about the importance of quality early education for their children’s development. In this episode, we chat with Laura Fallsgraff, Co-Producer and Campaign Director of No Small Matter, about the impact of their documentary about the urgency and possibility of making quality early education a reality. She shares tips on how local advocates for child care can use the resource and involving communities in the conversation.    Resources: No Small Matter 

Bringing some playfulness into the daily routine of our early educators can be a great way for early learning leaders to build a team that will grow with your business. In this episode, we interview Glory Ressler, Director of Education, Training & Data at Mothercraft about the importance of having fun at work and maintaining a sense of playfulness. She shares actionable tips on what child care Directors and Owners can do to prioritize some fun at work and build meaningful connections between staff. Resources: Connect with Glory at glory.ressler@mothercraft.org

Child care can be an isolating field where professionals are siloed in their work. In this episode, Lisa Guerrero, Co-Founder of Positive Spin, shares her work on systems thinking to bring more connection between professionals in the field. She talks to us about shifting from a mindset of being subjected to the system with no agency, towards seeing each person as part of a system of leaders that can have an impact and lead positive change. Resources:  Positive Spin LLC Positive Spin Facebook

Financial health directly impacts the ability for a child care business to provide quality programming and grow. In this episode, Kathy Ligon, CEO of Hinge Brokers, shares her top 5 elements that child care business owners should monitor to achieve good financial health - occupancy rates, tuition rates, discounting, expenses and rent. She also talks about the benefits and challenges that child care owners might face when growing the business.   Resources:  Hinge Brokers You can email Kathy at info@hingebrokers.com

Child care is an entrepreneurial field. In this episode, Anne Douglass, the founding Executive Director of the Institute for Early Education Leadership and Innovation, talks about the concept of entrepreneurial leadership and how it applies to all levels of the sector. She shares the goals of the Institute, the mindset required to become an entrepreneurial leader, the skills to develop, and concrete steps that early educators can take to improve their childcare programs! Resources:  Institute for Early Education Leadership and Innovation Connect with Anne at anne.douglass@umb.edu

Early childhood is an important time for kiddos to develop the fine and gross motor skills needed for a healthy life ahead. Mary Lynn Hafner, Physical Therapist and author of The Joy Of Movement, shares her passion for movement and strategies for age-appropriate activities to support physical development. She explains how to incorporate exploration, discovery, selection, repetition, and imitation when working with young kids as well as how patience is key as each individual will develop at their own pace!   Resources:  The Joy Of Movement [Book] Free Lesson Plans 

Continuous professional development is so important, especially now as the sector is going through a labor crisis. In this episode, we chat with Susan Macdonald about her upcoming book, Inspiring Professional Growth. She shares some pointers on vision-focused professional development, professional accountability, supporting the growth of different staff members and achievable goal-setting. Resources: Inspiring New Perspectives Inspiring Professional Growth [Book]

How is your child care business doing relative to your peers? This year, HiMama partnered with Kris Murray from The Child Care Business Success Company on the report. This is the fourth consecutive year that labor is listed as the biggest organizational risk in the industry. We discuss the impact of leadership, culture, and how to have and live your core values. Resources:  2019 Child Care Benchmark Report The Child Care Success Company Child Care Rockstar Radio Child Care Success Summit 2019  

Socioemotional skills are developed when children are young. Positive relationships have a big impact on how children grow into productive adults. In this episode, Christine Schmidt, shares the 7 Cs of social competency which are curiosity, control, conflict resolution, coping, confidence, communication and community building. She also offers some practical tips on how to create an environment that encourages children to build their skills.  Resources:  Developing Social Competency In Young Children  2 CR Solutions

Making Lemonade is a book that teaches optimistic thinking in an early learning context. We had the opportunity to chat with Laura Colker and Derry Koralek, co-authors of the book, about their belief that learned optimism is key to helping young children grow into healthy and well-rounded individuals. They share their passion for the subject and some practical activities that educators and parents can incorporate into their routines.  Resources:  Making Lemonade Learned Optimism

Getting accredited is becoming the standard as parents are getting more knowledgable on the importance of early childhood education. In this episode, Storm Webb, Executive Director of the National Early Childhood Program Accreditation (NECPA), talks about different things that providers should be thinking about before getting accredited, how the accreditation process works and shares trends that she’s noticing in the field.  Resources:  NECPA Website NECPA Resources Connect with Storm at stormw@necpa.net1

Teaching young children should be a fun and creative process. In this episode, Stuart J Murphy, children’s author, shares his experience developing his book series, Math Start and I See I Learn. He gives us tips on combining and engaging story, illustration and the learning material through visual learning. Stuart emphasizes that children learn through contextualizing their experience and why he’s passionate about using stories as a teaching tool.  Resources: Check out Stuart’s Website I See I Learn book series MathStart book series