McCormick Center for Early Childhood Leadership

Kristine J., with South Carolina First Steps, has had the unique opportunity to work for the funding agency and serve as?an Aim4Excellence Cohort Facilitator. "After successfully completing our sixth cohort of leaders, with over 100 participants to date, we've consistently heard positive feedback from graduates of our National Directors Credential program," Kristine said. One graduate said, "This certification helped me to identify and enhance my leadership skills and improve operations of the business on many levels such as: staff, students, parent engagement, community involvement, finances and more." Many others have also shared that the certification program helped them recognize and strengthen their leadership abilities, leading to improvements in various aspects of their early childhood education businesses. These areas include staff management, student outcomes, parent engagement, community involvement, and financial stability. The program is effective in boosting confidence, fostering a sense of accomplishment as business leaders, and positively impacting generations of families. Learn more about Aim4Excellence and cohort opportunities: https://lnkd.in/dNUdGsV5

Our professional learning team led the session, "From the Inside Out," for the Early Learning Indiana Ready to Lead (RTL) cohort. Learn more about RTL and our leadership academies: https://lnkd.in/gw_TZGRM

Wendy Connell?has been promoted to Manager of?Early Childhood Leadership Coaching! Wendy has been with McCormick since 2017, serving as the IDHS Report and Certification Specialist and then the Leadership Coach for the Smart Start Quality Support program (formerly ExceleRate Pilot).

For early childhood program administrators, a lot of the work involves balancing the demands of leadership, communication, and conflict resolution while fostering a supportive environment for staff and children alike. Read more: https://buff.ly/3Czyc1p

Ready to Lead (RTL) 10 met for its final in-person session today to focus on Leadership in Action. RTL is a professional learning community of recently hired center-based early childhood administrators. https://buff.ly/35wqzm6

Join our team! View open positions and apply online: https://buff.ly/3wMsBhg

Here are a few things that our The Goddard School early childhood director cohort participants are saying about their experience as they continue to learn and grow together utilizing the Aim4Excellence? program model: "As a director of 16 years, I have been pleasantly surprised with the learning that has happened through my participation in the Director Leadership Cohort. I am also embracing the opportunity to network and collaborate with other directors during our cohort calls." -Katie H. Want to learn more about starting a cohort in your area? Reach out to our Program Manager, Lorena Rodriguez, who is happy to talk more with you!? https://lnkd.in/dipv_Tsj

Members of our staff have travelled to present at early childhood conferences in the past month! Iris Corral presented, "Leading Well: The Power of Prioritizing," at the ILAEYC Growing Futures Conference. Jane Humphries presented, "Early Childhood Leadership: Navigating Generation Z," at the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Annual Conference. Teri Talan co-presented, "Leading with an equity lens: Building on leadership essentials to energize and strengthen your impact in guiding program change," at the NAEYC Annual Conference.?

On this #VeteransDay, we honor and remember the brave men and women who have served in the armed forces. Let’s take a moment to thank a veteran, reflect on their service, and support those who have given so much for our country.

Cassandra Ibarra is our Conference and Special Events Planner! Before assuming this role, Cassandra worked as a Professional eLearning Assistant at the McCormick Center. She is currently planning our 2025 Leadership Connection National Conference, ensuring an unforgettable experience for all attendees.