Child Care Success Blog
Inspiration! Business Strategies! Ideas From Top Performers!
Empowering Child Care Leaders Worldwide!
Eliminating Isolation In This Crazy World with Maureen “Mo” Thompson
Kris welcomes Maureen “Mo” Thompson, M.Ed., founder of the Rocky Mountain Kids Club, for the first in-person interview. Mo talks with Kris about creating a mobile learning space by outfitting her RV, how we can break barriers between children and adults, and how to help children embrace their weirdness....
How to Win The Hiring War: Real Talk About Staff Compensation
Kris welcomes two outstanding ladies in the field of early childhood education, Donna Jensen, who owns The Learning Station and who many of you know as “Coach Donna,” along with Audrey Pallone-Bugeja, owner of Little Scholars Preparatory School. They dive into the hot topic of how to win the...
The Miracle Morning For Educators & Leaders with Hal Elrod
Hal Elrod is on a mission to elevate the consciousness of humanity, one morning at a time. As a keynote speaker, podcaster, and the author of best-sellers The Miracle Morning and The Miracle Equation, he has helped millions of people overcome their challenges and become who they need to...
Play and Wellness As Learning Foundations with Drew Vernon
It’s all about the power of play this week as I welcome Drew Vernon, the U.S. Marketing Lead at tonies, a popular European children’s audio system that has recently launched in the United States. Drew talks about his former experience as Brand Director at Lego and in marketing at...
Redefining Normal For Families and Kids with Justin Black
On this episode I welcome Justin Black, founder of The Redefining Normal company. Between his book, podcast, speaking, and mentorship, Justin and his wife Alexis have impacted thousands of individuals and families with the work they are doing. Justin shares his unique story of coming up through the foster system,...
Why You Need to Implement Enrollment Trackingin Your Child Care Business
Are you truly and accurately tracking the enrollment in your child care business? You might be thinking, “I’m already using a CRM or some kind of childcare management system to track my enrollment.” But enrollment tracking is much more than just tracking the physical enrollments you have. Why Track...
Changing The World Of Non-Profit Early Education with Joan Dillon
If you are feeling overwhelmed, burnt out, and under-appreciated, this episode is for you. I welcome friend and Child Care Success Academy member Joan Dillon with the Glassboro Child Development Centers in New Jersey. Joan is also the “Change the World Winner,” and after hearing her talk about her...
“I Never Knew Life Could Be So Fun” with Donna Naleway
I am so happy to welcome Donna Naleway, Owner & Director of Kid Country Childcare, who is celebrating her 20th anniversary in business. In October 2015, Kid Country Childcare earned the Silver Circle of Quality designation from ExceleRate Illinois, the state’s quality recognition and improvement system for early learning...
The Secret of Being Happy Every Day with Marshall Goldsmith
I am thrilled to welcome world-renowned coach and author Marshall Goldsmith for a fun conversation on learning to accept feedback, balancing achievement and aspirations, and the fact that we all need help. Marshall talks about his new book, The Earned Life: Lose Regret, Choose Fulfillment, and the reasons he sees...
The Real Deal on Eliminating Overwhelm From Your Life with Tanya Dalton
Kris welcomes nationally recognized productivity expert, Founder & CEO of inkWELL Press Productivity Co., bestselling author, speaker, and growth strategist, Tanya Dalton, this week. Tanya talks about a few of her most successful habits and hacks for getting out of overwhelm and harnessing your energy in a way that...
Be The Change You Wish To See with Stephanie Parra
Kris welcomes Stephanie Parra, Executive Director of All In Education, a non-profit advocacy group for underserved communities and families, particularly the Latino communities. Stephanie talks about All In’s mission to focus on closing the performance gap of Latino students and the Latino community and how we can help parents...
How to Create Better, Badder, Boss-Level Job Ads For Your Preschool
Recruitment marketing doesn’t have to be dry and boring; it can be fun, dynamic, and interesting – actually, today it HAS to be. Staffing was tough in 2019 pre-pandemic, and today it’s even worse. You’re competing for talent not just with other child care centers, but with EVERY business...
An ECE Pioneer: The Secrets of Her Success with Carol Levins
On this episode, I am honored to be joined by Early Education pioneer Carol Levins to the show. Carol created a school from nothing and ended up with a business that now has 14 locations, serving over 3,500 children. Carol talks about how a passion for learning sparked her...
Helping Foster Growth In Others with Christine McNally
Christine McNally is a heartfelt leader and educator in our space and has been doing childcare for close to 25 years, since 1998. You may also recognize her from appearing on stage at the Child Care Success Summit, telling her story and sharing her amazing video for hundreds of...
How to Outsource for Productivity in Your Child Care Business with a Virtual Assistant
“A man is rich in proportion to the number of things he can afford to let alone.” – Henry David Thoreau We are currently living in an understaffed world because of the hiring crisis, and there is just too much for us to do, not enough time to do...
Elevating Hard Conversations with Little Ones Featuring Dr. Lauren Starnes
Kris welcomes Dr. Lauren Starnes this week, VP of Early Childhood Education at Primrose Schools, where she supports curriculum development, implementation, and evaluation. Lauren’s new book, Big Conversations with Little Children, helps provide tools and techniques to help teachers and leaders overcome the stress and hurdles in education. Dr. Lauren talks...
Life Gives To The Giver with Andre Norman
Author, speaker, and leader Andre Norman truly exemplifies what it means to turn your life around and turn your blessings into gifts for others. This week, Andre joins Kris for an impactful and important episode about how we can shift our life to be something we are proud of...
The Health of Your Preschool’s Staff Culture Depends on Employee Reviews
When was the last time your employees were evaluated? And I’m not just talking about your director or leadership team, I mean each and every one of your teachers and staff. Regardless of whether you call it an evaluation, review, or appraisal, they should be conducted on a smaller...
What Makes a Great Preschool Brand with Isobel Wheatcroft
Isobel Wheatcroft, Creative Director of Grow Your Center, joins us from snowy Ottawa to talk about GYC, embracing your marketing message, creativity in all its forms, and the elements of great design. Isobel shares how she melded her background in business as a former yoga studio owner and entrepreneur...
Flipping Challenges Into Confidence: A Powerful Love Story with Janaki Patel
I am so happy to kick off this holiday week by having Janaki Patel, owner of Kiddie Academy and Child Care Success Academy member, on the podcast! Janaki talks about how she went from one person at an open house and questioning what she was doing in child care...
A Quick Guide to Intentionally Planning Successful Events in Your Preschool
Being intentional with your calendar, in both your child care business and personal life, can make all the difference in the world. It will help you go from being unorganized, scrambling, and sometimes even dropping the ball altogether, to a place of being calm, cool, and collected! To help...
Leaning In to Excellence with Jerzell Pierre-Louis
Kris kicks off this week with a fun new announcement about a recent purchase she made and then welcomes Jerzell Pierre-Louis, Founder of Sprout Early Education Center and Bloom Early Education Center. Ever since Kris heard Jerzell talking next to her table in Las Vegas at this year’s past...
Adding Layers to Preschool Marketing with Storytelling: A Hero’s Journey
In 1949 Joseph Campbell published a work comparing mythologies from around the world and across time. Roman, Native American, Greek, Norse, Japanese; regardless of origin, many of the stories followed a similar structure. Campbell book was titled “The Hero with a Thousand Faces” and depicted a framework called a...
The Power of Being A Book Author with Mike Capuzzi
Today’s episode will get you all “shook” up! It is all about the power of becoming a published author. Becoming an author is one of the three things that has changed my life the most. I wrote my first book, The Ultimate Childcare Marketing Guide, in 2012 and it has...
Creating & Documenting Systems for Growth in Your Child Care Business
Any business needs systems to grow. To ensure the efficiency, consistency, and quality of your operations documented systems and processes are essential. I’d like to speak to any child care business owner that is are: a. working on opening their first center b. wanting to gain back some of...
5 Pieces of the Parent Experience That You Can’t Afford to Neglect
So far, this school year has probably felt like a breath of fresh air compared to the previous year – enrollments are trending upwards, processes are gradually returning to normal, and slowly but surely people are starting to return to work, and you have a new sea of potential...
Congratulations to Our Winners: Awards Night Recap from the Child Care Success Summit 2021
Here at The Child Care Success Company, we are honored to have a tribe that is continuously striving to reach for the stars. Our annual Awards Night at the Child Care Success Summit is our way of giving the amazing rockstars in our tribe a chance to be recognized...
Creating a Win from The Great Resignation
The Child Care Success Summit 2021 in Las Vegas just wrapped up earlier this month, and there was so much love, support, and fun throughout those three days! On this week’s solo episode, Kris shares the three big takeaways that were shared during the Summit from leaders and keynote...
Feeling Alive In Your Work With Vernon Mason
Kris welcomes back Vernon Mason to the show. Not only is he the first guest to return three times, but he is also a highly sought-after influential speaker and the Senior VP of Growth and Professional Development at the Nest Schools. Vernon and Kris discuss the importance of advocacy...
How to Take a Vacation from Your Preschool with Confidence
For child care business owners, leaving your center for a few days, whether it’s to go on a vacation, due to a family emergency, or just needing a few days to recharge, can be a scary thing to do. In fact, it can be so scary for some of...
Why Different Is Better Than Good with Mike Michalowicz
Author and speaker Mike Michalowicz brings his wisdom and expertise to the podcast this week. Mike talks with Kris about his bestseller, Profit First, and his latest book, Get Different, created to inspire small business owners to get out of the sea of sameness and stand out. He and...
Meet Our CCSS 2021 Sponsors: Learn What They Can Do For Your Child Care Business
We are only a month away from The Child Care Success Summit™ 2021: 10th Anniversary event and my excitement continues to grow by the hour! My team and I are pumped to bring you the best virtual conference ever. We have been hard at work over the past few...
How Virtual Collaboration is a Game Changer for Team Building in Your Preschool
In many early learning environments, I have found that there is often resistance and hesitation to incorporating a virtual team collaboration tool into communication processes. However, the truth is that in today’s world, implementing a virtual team collaboration app can be a huge positive game-changer for your center’s culture,...
Keeping It Real: Why We Struggle With Being Good Leaders Featuring Shelley Smith
In this incredibly powerful episode, Kris sits down with Shelley Smith, culture curator, author, speaker, and consultant. Shelley has a passion for making the lives of others easier and less stressful and has created a world of incredible tools that serve as absolute game-changers. She talks about why culture...
How to Close the Communication Gaps in Your Preschool This School Year
In a busy child care center it is very easy to fall into the “Communication Gap Trap.” A communication gap happens when information that should be passed along to parents or staff is forgotten, partially communicated, or not communicated at all. The reality is that usually the cause of...
Why ECE Leaders and Teachers Should Earn or Renew Their CDA
Whether you’re just starting out in the early childhood field or you’ve been teaching for years, chances are you’ve heard the term “CDA” at least a few times before. The Child Development Associate Credential (CDA) is the most widely accepted and acknowledged credential in the early childhood industry. When...
Getting Back To Your Purpose With Love And Confidence with Joy Clore Willis
Kris welcomes Joy Clore Willis, aka Mama Joy, Director of A Kids Gym in Oviedo, Florida. In between cruising around Alaska and spending time with her children and grandchildren, Joy is the busy mind behind A Kids Gym, where they incorporate activity and play as well as traditional physically-oriented...
4 Actions You Can Take to Start Improving the Culture in Your Preschool Right Away
Creating a positive company culture is a vital must-do for child care business owners if they want to keep their doors open for years ahead. Having a strong company culture within your school will help to reduce employee turnover rates, increase the quality of care the children receive, boost...
How to Flip Your Mindset In Your Preschool For the Second Half of 2021
It’s the middle of 2021 and to be completely blunt, people are exhausted. After 15 months of a world-changing pandemic, many child care leaders are burnt out, frustrated, and ready to throw in the towel at this point. It can be easy to fall into a rut right now...
You Are a Badass: Believe in Yourself with Karina Wyllie
Today’s episode will inspire you to get out there and be the true badass that you are! My guest today, Karina Wyllie, is a motivated self-starter that owns two daycares in New York, Koala Park Daycare. While an incredibly accomplished entrepreneur, Karina is still committed to being a forever...
A Roadmap to the American Resource Plan and Proper School Sanitization
As businesses open back up and parents return to work, child care is an essential service that is needed more than ever before. However, many centers that struggled through the pandemic are still finding it difficult to tread water, even with the world slowly returning to something like normal....
Back to Basics: The Little Things That Will WOW Parents During a Tour
You have spaces to fill in your center. You’ve marketed like crazy to get your phone to ring and trained your staff to use your phone script when discussing the specific benefits and unique aspects of your school. And it’s worked! You’ve booked a tour with an amazing prospect....
Meet Our New Second-In-Command: Driven By Connection and Impact with Tom O’Connor
I’m so pleased to welcome our new Chief Operating Officer and Integrator of the Child Care Success Company, Tom O’Connor, to the podcast. And welcome to the team, Tom! Tom brings 30 years of experience in education, after-school care, and early learning expertise. He’s also considered a bit of a master in...
A Beginners Guide to Creating Video Content to Leverage on Your School’s Social Media Sites
If we weren’t already addicted to scrolling social media pre-COVID, we all sure are now from continuously scrolling as a way to pass time, so now more than ever before does your school have to be showing up on parent’s news feeds because that’s where their eyes are and...
The Best Recipe for Creating Winning Marketing Materials
At this stage in the pandemic, even if your school isn’t back to full yet, your enrollment rates are starting to trend positively again and you’re looking to hire great teachers so you can continue to fill your school. But in order to attract families and staff back to...
How She Leads! The Power of a Growth Mindset with Jody Zabriskie
Today’s episode is one of my favorites that we’ve done. My guest Jody Zabriskie is an Empire level member here in the Child Care Success Academy with 23 years of experience in the industry. She’s based outside of Salt Lake City and recently expanded to five locations of her...
3 Routes to Starting Your ECE Business During This Golden Time of Opportunity
The time is now – opportunities to open an ECE business or acquire another location are currently everywhere because right now there is a greater demand for quality child care than there is a supply for it. But what is the best route to acquiring a location; should you...
How to Build a Loyalty Fence with Your Team to Transform Your School Culture
To cultivate a positive environment within your school, you must first create a strong loyalty fence with your team. Sometimes it can be tough to create a bond with your staff and get them to buy into your vision and mission, but with a little consistency and implementation, you...
Six Ways to Get the Most Out of Your Professional Development This Summer
That’s right, summer is right around the corner. And while it’s a time to unwind and recharge for some, it’s also an excellent opportunity to get in professional development hours to help you learn and grow as an educator. I’m Leslie Coleman, the education director for ChildCare Education Institute...
Training Half a Million Early Educators Over Two Decades with Maria Taylor
I am pleased to bring you an episode focused on professional development with my wonderful guest Maria Taylor. Maria truly knows the child care industry inside and out as a 30-year veteran and CEO of ChildCare Education Institute (CCEI). CCEI is one of our newest partners and they are...
Using Staff Surveys to Improve the Company Culture in Your Center
If you are wondering where you stand currently when it comes to your workplace culture conducting a staff survey is a great way to find out what your team really thinks. I’ve seen what a difference the atmosphere and vibe of your school can have on your staff & student...
Planting SEEDs For Future Growth and Success with Mallorie Malloy-Coe
In today’s episode, I am pleased to share the positivity and inspiration of Mallorie Malloy-Coe. Mallorie is a childcare veteran, joining the industry when she was only 14, and the owner and founder of Inheritance Academy in Baltimore. She talks to us about her core values which she refers...
How to Hold Your Teachers Accountable and Lead with Confidence
As child care businesses continue to struggle to find teachers due to the hiring crisis that is happening across America, many ECE leaders are left feeling forced to keep their D-players on their payroll out of fear that they won’t be able to find a replacement for them. Some...
20 Tips to Fill Your Empty Spaces As Your Center Begins Operating at Full Capacity Again
As pandemic restrictions and capacity limits continue to be further lifted across the country, the more child care centers can work on filling their empty spaces and closing their gaps. While many centers experienced their families leaving during the shutdowns and reopened with low enrollment numbers, the number of...
74 Fun and Festive Ways to Celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week
We couldn’t do it without them – OUR TEACHERS & CAREGIVERS! Teacher Appreciation Week is right around the corner (the first week of May) and to help you show your staff some extra love and appreciation this week, we have compiled our most extensive list yet of fun and festive...
Scaling Your Company with Power in The Second Seat with Cameron Herold
I am overjoyed and honored to bring you this episode today with one of the top entrepreneurial coaches in the world, best-selling author and speaker Cameron Herold. He has been coaching clients across the globe for 30 years to become multimillion-dollar businesses and is most notably behind the growth...
10 Steps to Excite New Hires At Your Preschool That Decrease Turnover Rates
At this point, our schools have adjusted to operating in a post-lockdown world, and our enrollment rates are finally increasing and getting back to normal. But to accommodate our new enrollments, many of us are now on the hunt for quality new hires as well. In some markets, finding...
10 Ways to Improve Client Retention in Your Preschool
The success of any child care business depends on many factors, with enrollment being at the top of that list. The key is to get as close to 100% FTE as possible. That can’t happen if as you enroll new families, other families are sneaking out the back door....
Helping Employees Achieve Their Personal and Professional Dreams with Alix Hall
I am so excited to welcome our guest today who has over FOUR DECADES of experience in early childhood education. Alix Hall has seven centers in California, Discovery Tree and Arista Schools, and is also partnered with Child Care Business Coach Rachel Supalla on multiple Montana locations of Discovery...
The Perfect Recipe for Collecting 5-Star Reviews in Your Child Care Business
We are constantly preaching the importance of collecting reviews and testimonials for your school, and even more so during the pandemic crisis that we are still overcoming. Why? Because according to BIA/Kelsey, 97% of people read online reviews for local businesses, and 91% of millennial parents out there trust...
3 Concrete Hiring Strategies to Use in Your Child Care Business That Will Help Solve Your Hiring Issues
As the pandemic panic beings to slow and your school starts to fill up again, many of you are now faced with the challenge of making sure that you have enough staff and teachers in place to handle your new wave of enrollments. In the YouTube video below, I...
Four Must-Have Building Blocks That Your Preschool Needs in Place to Prosper
In today’s competitive and online review-driven market, it’s important for child care and preschool owners to stay current on how what they’re doing to drive enrollments compares to industry enrollment trends. Whether your school is prospering or is struggling to fill empty spaces, forfeiting on keeping tabs on what...
5 Strategies to Improve the Financial Health of Your Child Care Business
The past year may have been a financial whirlwind of ups and downs for some child care business owners, and for others (let’s call them the lucky ones), revenue continued to steadily stream in. Regardless of your current financial situation, it is always a recommended beginning-of-the-year best practice to...
A New Season of Female Entrepreneurship with Ali Brown
We did it! We made it to Episode 100! For this milestone episode, I am ecstatic to welcome Ali Brown to the podcast. Ali is one of the top female entrepreneurs and coaches in the world and host of the very successful podcast “Glambition Radio.” Ali also founded the emerging...
Rolling With the Changes Into A Successful 2021 with Brittany Luther
IIn this episode, I am so happy to be joined by the wonderful Brittney Luther. Brittney is an early childhood education leader, owner of two Young Sprouts locations in Texas, and an Empire member in our Child Care Success Academy. During our time together, she shares so many valuable nuggets of...
Experiences Over Environment: How Your School Vibe Impacts Quality & Culture with Lori Buxton
In today’s episode, I’m joined by the incredible Lori Buxton — the managing director of the Association for Early Learning Leaders. Lori has been involved in early care and education in many different facets since 1995, and she is just so passionate about what she does. Lori is a...
WOW Parents By Adding Virtual Enrichment Classes to Your Preschool
We know child care and preschool owners are always looking for ways to add value to their programs. Looking for ways to stand out and be different from their competitors, to be unique, to offer MORE. After all, the more appealing that you are to prospective families, the more...
Overcoming Licensing Challenges with Danielle Paige
I am thrilled to welcome Danielle Paige back to the podcast! She first appeared in Episode 60 and today she rejoins me to talk all about licensing. Danielle now owns two centers, Academic Explorers, in New York and she talks us through how she expanded to her second location. She...
Bringing High Quality Care to Our Inner Cities with Jamarrion Tabor
In this new episode, I am joined by Jamarrion Tabor of Madalyn’s House Childcare in Georgia. I couldn’t think of a more heartfelt, fun, and creative thinker to speak to than Jamarrion. She is bringing her vision of high-quality early child care and education to inner-city, minority, and underserved...
6 Figures in 7 Days Challenge: How Our Challengers Keep Rocking It!
For those of you who have signed up for for my newest challenge 6 Figures in 7 Days: From Fear to Financial Freedom, you are rockin’ it! Beginning with mindset and moving through the 4 M’s: metrics, market, message, and media; contestants are developing concrete strategies to increase their...
2020: Year in Review, Predictions, and Controversies
Kris digs in this week to recap the crazy year of 2020 and reflect on her biggest accomplishments and challenges, both personally and professionally. She gives a roundup of the best moments of 2020, the top three insights from the year that we can take into 2021 and beyond,...
Is Your Next Director Already On Your Team?
Hiring a new director for your school can be one of the most important decisions you’ll make it comes to the success of your business. The director sets the tone for so many aspects of how your school will run, and chaos can ensue rather quickly with the wrong...
The Five Guardians of Life with Mecca Johnson
Mecca Johnson is an incredible and heartfelt speaker, trainer, and founder of the professional development consulting company My Joy Speaks. Her long and very successful career in early childhood education with Primrose Schools plus corporate experience led her to develop The Five Guardians of Life, which she shares in...
Choosing Broadway Over Mom’s Basement with Bari Baumgardner
I am thrilled to have Bari Baumgardner on the podcast to share her truly inspiring journey. Bari is the founder of SAGE Event Management; a boutique event production company best known for creating a purpose-driven payday for speakers, authors, and influencers with her “Sales IS Service” approach. If you’re...
A Quest of Creative Culture Building with Rachel Supalla
This week I am joined by rockstar Rachel Supalla. Rachel is a multi-site owner of Discovery Kidzone in Montana as well as one of the newest coaches here at The Child Care Success Company. She has shared her expertise as a national speaker at Association for Early Learning Leaders,...
How to Grow Your Enrollment Using the 4 M’s of Marketing
The holidays are a busy time, but before we know it January will be upon us and we will be in the swing of the first enrollment season of the year! Whether you are opening your first location, expanding or rebranding a current center, or reopening after COVID lockdowns,...
A Dream of 10 Schools and a Cabin in the Woods with Chantel & Zack Pettengill
This week I am joined by Chantel and Zack Pettengill; a husband-wife duo that owns the Pettengill Academy in Maine. They placed second in our Child Care Rockstar 2020 contest and have managed to keep their center nearly full during the pandemic. We talk about overcoming the pitfalls they’ve...
Never Giving Up: An Interview with Child Care Rockstar Winners 2020 — Heather Jensen and Diane Havens
In this episode, Kris is joined by the mother-daughter team and owners of Kids In Action, Heather Jensen and Diane Havens, located in Kingwood Texas. They share their stories of having a business survive two natural disasters, how they were able to still stay positive, and the importance of...
Tips to Increase Enrollment in Lower-Income Communities During a Pandemic
We love helping all types of early childhood programs. But most often when we think of the type of child care program that ALL parents want, we think of high-quality education, pristine environments, and only the best of the best in supplies for the kiddos. Unfortunately in lower income...
Why You Should Use a Family Wealth Office to Get Rich with Jim Dew
Child Care Rockstar Radio returns this week for the first time since the Child Care Reimagined: The Success Summit 2020 event that took place earlier this month. Kris is joined by Jim Dew, CEO of Dew Wealth Management and creator of the Functional Wealth Management process. Jim has 23...
5 of the Greatest Social Media Contest Ideas of 2020 to Use in Your Preschool
Social media is a great way to create awareness, encourage engagement, and showcase your fun culture! Contests build an incentive for current and potential clients to become more involved in what your school has to offer and will lead to referrals through community engagement. You can even encourage your...
Child Care Rockstar & 2020 Award Winners Announced
Here at The Child Care Success Company, we make a difference for child care business owners and their communities. Our Rockstar Contests are a way to give back, shine the spotlight on you, and celebrate your hard work and accomplishments. Sharing and being a part of your success means...
Creating a Partnership with Colleges to Recruit Teachers & Staff
We understand that today’s pandemic has created unusually difficult hiring dynamics for you as child care business owners, and we would like to help you advocate new ways of reaching out and finding talented candidates. According to the data, 80% of child care businesses are struggling to find hires...
The Powerful Benefits of Using a Coach with Brian Duprey
This week, Kris is joined by Brian Duprey, Certified Child Care Coach and the Director of Business Development at The Child Care Success Company. He is a 20-year veteran who came to his first Child Care Success Summit in 2015 and became a coach in 2017. Last year, Brian...
Becoming a Stronger, More Resilient Leader with Nefertiti Poyner
Kris couldn’t think of a better time to bring in the wonderful Dr. Nefertiti Poyner, to talk about resilience and the right protective factors that will serve us through the storms of life. In this episode, Dr. Poyner shares her unique insights for staying resilient in times of crisis...
Meet Our CCRI 2020 Sponsors: Learn What They Can Do For Your Child Care Business
We are less than two short weeks away from our first-ever Child Care Reimagined: The Success Summit 2020 virtual event and my excitement continues to grow by the hour! My team and I are pumped to bring you the best virtual conference ever. We have been hard at work...
The One About What Shark Tank Is Really Like (and much more) with Dave Vasen
This week Kris is joined with Dave Vasen, founder and CEO of brightwheel, one of the leading parent management software platforms that features best-in-class parent communication. Dave shares his journey into developing and launching brightwheel and gives us an exclusive behind the scenes story of appearing on Shark Tank...
The Everything School: Grow Your Leaders, Grow Your Empire
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...
7 Practices for Operating Safely & Efficiently This Year
According to recent data, almost 20% of child care facilities in the U.S. have closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, and approximately 70% of centers that are still open have seen a drop in enrollment. There’s no doubt COVID-19 has disrupted our industry, and we’re all learning how to handle...
Peeling Back the Layers: How to Feel Better and Help the People in Your Life Feel Better with Alyssa Campbell
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...
4 Ways to Create a More Diverse and Inclusive Classroom
In recent months, the social justice movements that have erupted across the country have permeated every aspect of not only our lives, but the lives of children. As educators, we’re tasked daily with addressing important societal issues and conversations (whether directly or indirectly). And recent events are no exception. ...
A New Twist on Classic Topics in ECE: Quality, Diversity, Head Start, and More with Dr. Calvin Moore
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...
Get More Enrollments Without Feeling Pushy
“I just don’t want to be too pushy,” she said to me. I was looking at the numbers and trying to figure out why the marketing wasn’t working. Turns out the numbers told a different story: conversion on and after the tour had dropped. More tours had been done, but...
Supporting Families with Integrity and Grit with Sarah Cudnik
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 child care was important, and what she learned from starting as a mother-daughter duo. She and Kris also...
Embracing the Pandemic: The Ultimate Leader Shift to the Positive with Linda Hassapis
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 child care facility in her home to now growing Magical Beginnings with a full staff and bustling capacity. Linda...
CCSC Has Been Ranked in the Inc. 5,000 Fastest-Growing Private Companies in America!
Impact. Outside the Box. Passion. Integrity. Fun. These are the 5 core values of my company. Around here, we live and breathe them. Having those values guide us towards huge growth has been an incredible ride. And I want to thank YOU for being a part of this 10-year...
Leadership & Mindset Shifts from an ECE Veteran
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...
5 Content Ideas You Need to Leverage on Social Media This School Year
The start of a new school years means it’s time to start stepping up your social media game! Maintaining your social media pages and building a positive online reputation in your community is essential to gaining enrollments from millennial parents. If you’re ready to throw in the towel on...
Best Practices for Successful Licensing Visits with Ronnae Williams
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...
Four Steps to Get Out of the Overwhelm Loop
It’s a common feeling for business owners and directors to feel completely overwhelmed and unable to get to the core of their purpose because they are so busy putting out fires on the “hot mess express” every day. Kris takes this week’s episode to give a roadmap to get...
