In early childhood education, the best teaching teams know something important: we’re stronger when we work together. It’s not about being the “best” teacher in the room—it’s about making sure every child gets the best version of all of us. That’s what collaboration is all about.
Read MoreIn early childhood education, strong teams aren’t built by avoiding hard conversations—they’re built by leaning into them with trust, empathy, and the shared goal of getting better together. Feedback, when done well, isn’t about pointing out flaws—it’s about lifting each other up, learning from one another, and creating space for continuous growth.
If we want thriving classrooms, we need thriving teams—and that starts with creating a culture where feedback feels safe, supportive, and part of our daily rhythm.
Read MoreIn highly effective teams, feedback isn’t something to fear—it’s something to welcome. These teams don’t view feedback as judgment or critique but rather as a means of learning, improving, and supporting one another toward shared goals. They see feedback not as a scorecard—but rather as a conversation. Their goal is never to tear down, but to lift up.
Read MoreIn preschool settings, challenges are inevitable—whether managing classroom dynamics, adapting to new curriculum changes, or finding creative ways to engage young learners. But what if we saw these obstacles not as roadblocks but as steppingstones to growth?
Read Moreanguage shapes our culture. How we talk about challenges, feedback, and mistakes can limit our potential or open the door to continuous learning and improvement. In early childhood —and any collaborative setting—leaders and educators who use growth mindset language help create an environment where every setback becomes a stepping stone to success.
Read MoreThink back to your school days. Do you remember the red pen? The sharp contrast of red ink circling a mistake, crossing out a misspelled word, or marking an incorrect answer? The red pen often signaled, “You’re wrong,” rather than, “You’re learning.” And for many of us, those red marks left an impression far beyond the classroom. They shaped how we viewed mistakes, learning, and even our self-worth.
Fast forward to the work you’re currently doing with children and families.
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Before we delve into learning from our mistakes or failing forward, let's take a moment to celebrate our successes from last year. This reflection is not just a trip down memory lane, but a powerful tool to empower us for the journey ahead.
While we might not consider our actions successes, this is my first challenge of the year for you!
Read MoreAs we begin a new year, it's natural to reflect on the ways we hope to grow and improve. Many of us tend to focus on what we didn’t achieve or what fell short in the previous year, particularly in our professional lives as educators.
Read MoreLeadership development is a multifaceted journey, and one crucial aspect is learning to navigate change. But let's be real: How many of us actually enjoy change? And let's get even more real: How many of us have learned how to navigate change well?
Leadership development has many aspects, and learning to manage change is an important one.
Read MoreDid you know research shows your success is influenced and impacted by the five people you spend the most time with? And the five people they spend the most time with?
It makes sense, doesn't it? I mean, if you're spending a lot of time with certain people, it makes sense that they would have some influence over your decisions, behaviors, beliefs, values, etc.
And this is where being "community-minded" comes in. It's about having a mindset of giving and receiving support from those around you.
Read MoreWhen I was "growing up" as a teacher new to the field, there was an emphasis on cultural competency, which focused on understanding specific cultures.
While knowing about the communities we serve is essential, over the last five to ten years, the focus has shifted to cultural humility, which emphasizes a process of self-exploration combined with a willingness to learn from others.
Ultimately, the goal is to develop skills for approaching individuals from any culture with the intention of honoring their beliefs, customs, and values. This is easier said than done, and I was personally put to the test when I recently visited a preschool program in Jordan, in the Middle East.
Talk about practicing what you preach!!
Read MoreWay back in May of this year, I discussed emotional intelligence and its role within highly effective teams. Today, I’m going to discuss emotional intelligence as it relates to personal leadership.
Read MoreLast week, I started on the topic of integrity in our personal leadership.
We explored Jack Canfield's equation of E (event) + R (our response) = O (the outcome). This powerful tool empowers us to reflect on and take responsibility for our behavior, knowing it directly influences our team dynamics.
I use the same equation when I go out and do Highly Effective Teams training. I just approach it differently.
Read MoreThe other day, I came across a great word: "coherence," which means to be consistent or unified (Oxford Dictionary).
When it comes to being ethical or in integrity, it refers to being consistent or unified in our thoughts, words, and actions.
Integrity or ethics is a big one for our field. We have a whole book dedicated to it (NAECY Code of Ethical Conduct) and what it looks like in early childhood.
Yet, I rarely hear it discussed, and I have yet to see it embedded within professional development.
Read MoreEveryone knows I love a good quote, and here's one I found for commitment:
"Commitment means staying loyal to what you said you would do long after the mood you said it in has left you."
Read MoreCourage means being afraid and doing it anyway.
We don’t often think about needing courage in our leadership so I want you to think about the last time you needed to have an uncomfortable conversation.
Read MoreA quote I use often when talking about having a clear vision is: "If you don't know where you're going, how do you know when you get there?"
And the reason I use it often is because it's rare to begin working with a person or program that genuinely knows what they want. It's more common for people to understand what they don't like.
Yet, when talking about personal leadership...
Read MoreLast week, I facilitated a two-day leadership retreat, and one of the phrases I used frequently was, “How you do anything is how you do everything.”
This phrase was made popular by Martha Beck and refers to your mindset or your approach to life.
I use it often because it raises awareness about our thoughts and beliefs, which are often unconscious yet greatly influence how we behave both in and outside of the workplace.
Read MoreFront-loading. While we all do this, we often do it by default rather than intention.
So, what is front-loading? Dictionary.com defines it as the act or practice of concentrating on something at the beginning of a process or period.
We do this when we prepare for staff to return, and they, in turn, prepare for children and families.
Read MoreStaff are trickling back in or have already arrived.
You've begun your "check-in" and "welcome back" one-on-one meetings.
And now, it's time to meet with all staff to set the tone for the year, starting with norms and expectations.
Setting the tone for how we, the adults, get to "BE" with each other.
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