Kate and Carrie have over 62 years in the childcare business industry and bring that background to their conversations. Having worked with over 5000 childcare programs across the country in the last 30 years together they are a fun and powerful team - ready to help you tackle your problems with practical solutions.
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Send us Fan Mail Great teachers don’t automatically become great directors. But too often, they’re promoted into leadership and expected to figure it out on their own. Kate Woodward Young and Carrie Casey explore why early childhood administrator training needs to be built around the real work of leading a childcare center, from budgets and enrollment to hiring, payroll, culture, and business…
Send us Fan Mail What does it take to go from early childhood educator to CEO? Jessica Van Hoose, CEO of The Nest Schools, joins Kate to talk about early childhood leadership, business strategy, personal branding, and executive confidence . They explore why ECE leaders need to understand both quality and the business side of childcare, from operations and financials to revenue and profit. Jessica…
Send us Fan Mail What if the behavior you’re trying to manage isn’t really a child problem—but an environment problem? Kate Woodward Young sits down with Carla Ward, early childhood educator, director, entrepreneur, and host of The Everything EC Podcast , for a candid conversation about challenging the “way we’ve always done it” in early childhood. From creating “yes spaces” that give children…
Send us Fan Mail What happens when the passion that brought you into early childhood education starts to feel like burnout? Kate Woodward Young sits down with LaTroya B. of The Preschool Posse for an honest, energizing conversation about finding your fire again—and realizing you don't have to do this work alone. They talk burnout, mentorship, leadership, and the kind of practical support educators…
Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Childcare Conversations, Kate and Cindy Morgan tackle something every childcare director needs but few actually have: written Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for staff training and compliance. They dig into why keeping training records organized is such a common violation across states, and how easy it is to lose track of CPR renewals, background checks,…
Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Childcare Conversations, Kate Woodward Young drops some serious truth bombs about why handing a new hire a handbook and saying "let us know if you have questions" just doesn't cut it. She breaks down the real difference between orientation, training, and onboarding, and why completing a training checklist doesn't automatically mean someone is competent. Kate…
Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Childcare Conversations, Kate and Erica sit down for a really inspiring chat about what's next when you've spent decades in early childhood education. Erica shares her incredible 27-year journey from furniture sales to childcare director in just four months, to opening her own chain of schools! They dig into recognizing early childhood as a true profession,…
Send us Fan Mail In this episode, you'll meet Danielle, who has spent nearly 35 years in early childhood education, and her story of how she got there is genuinely heartwarming! She sits down to talk about leading multiple childcare centers, the real challenges of managing diverse teams, and why listening to understand beats listening to respond every time. The big conversation? Switching…
Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Childcare Conversations, Kate sits down with Cindy Morgan from One Place Childcare to dig into a topic every early childhood leader needs to hear — "Change is inevitable. Growth is optional." Cindy shares her incredible journey from family childcare to running a massive nonprofit food program, and now helping centers ditch the paper chaos with smart, cloud-based…
Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Child Care Conversations, Kate chats with Amy Cowan, CEO of Ivy Brook Academy, about her incredible journey from public school teacher to leading a franchise with 60+ locations! Amy shares how a strong female mentor helped shape her leadership style, why saying "yes" to uncomfortable opportunities is where real growth happens, and what it means to be bold but…
Send us Fan Mail Get ready for conference season! In this episode, Kate and Alisha break down how to make the most of vendor halls at early childhood education conferences. Think of it less like trick-or-treating for swag and more like a strategic opportunity to find the right partners for your program. They share smart tips like coming prepared with questions, knowing your budget and inventory,…
Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Child Care Conversations, Kate talks to Jennifer Clements, who shares her journey from growing up in her mom's home daycare to running three childcare centers in Kansas. She dives into the unique challenges of serving military families and college students, and how building a true "village" became the heart of her business. Jennifer also gets real about the…
Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Childcare Conversations, Kate sits down with Coach Rae — an early childhood education specialist and consultant — to bust some myths about quality rating systems. They dig into why these systems aren't about control, but accountability and funding. One of the biggest takeaways? Transparency matters! When directors share the real financial picture with staff,…