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 commitment to her core values, it’s quite clear why. Joan talks about the shift she made from feeling like she needed to do everything at her center to learning to trust her team and helping them feel empowered and on board with the company’s values. Joan talks about taking control of her own health and wellness, and how that freed her up to put more energy into building up her team, leadership, and culture. She discusses how Glassboro has grown from an early childhood center to a multifaceted agency, and how she hires in accordance with her mission and core values in mind.

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Here Are the Key Takeaways From This Episode:  

  • [5:27] Kris gives an update on how she’s been “clearing out the junk” energetically, and making space for even more things to come with what she is aligned with at her highest level.

  • [10:26] Glassboro Child Development Center is a private nonprofit organization, and Joan has been there since 1988 when she started out doing school-aged child care.

  • [11:33] Joan is proud of the work they do to help families which they describe as ALICE (asset limited, income constrained, and employed). She was in an ALICE family herself and knows that they too deserve the highest quality of care and attention to detail

  • [16:00] Fun fact! Joan would describe herself as an even-tempered dance mom. Yes, they do exist!

  • [21:54] Joan talks about driving to the Summit in 2017 because she had bad flight anxiety, and how the event changed her life and began to show her that she didn’t do everything all on her own.

  • [28:22] Instead of asking for permission or forgiveness, ask for support.

  • [29:05] You have to believe in yourself and believe in what could be, and then garner support for that.

  • [30:36] Joan talks about how her team and leadership and culture got stronger, as she learned to ask for support.

  • [33:20] Joan never knew life could be so much fun.

  • [38:55] How does Joan hire and train to her core values, and what about when they brought everyone back after COVID-19?

  • [42:14] Good leaders learn to take care of the managers in a way that helps them get what they need.

  • [49:08] Employees should know that they are working there because they want to be, not because they have to.

  • [50:11] Nonprofit doesn’t have to mean reduced quality.

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