ChildCare Conversations with Kate and Carrie
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.
Episodes
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 staffing puzzle of hiring college studen...
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, trust grows, and resistance...
Unlock the secret to rapid growth in early childhood education—without burning out your team or drowning in disjointed systems. Laura Biederman, from Ebenezer's eight locations, reveals how she transitioned from classroom teacher to business leader, and the surprising lessons she learned along the way. If your expansion feels overwhelming or you're managing chaos with patchwork technology, this episode is your...
Ever wonder what lifeguarding has to do with running a child care program? Turns out — a lot! In this episode of Childcare Conversations, Kate shares how becoming a lifeguard at 15 shaped everything she believes about training, preparation, and staffing in early childhood education.
The big takeaway? Training must come before responsibility. She draws eye-opening parallels between lifeguard certification ...
In this episode of Childcare Conversations, we chat with Robert Rodriguez, co-owner of Texas Christian Preschool in Brownsville, Texas. Robert shares how his mom founded the business back in 1981, and how he brought his corporate retail and finance background to the family biz about ten years ago. The real gold nugget here? His journey from Post-it notes to discovering Playground, a childcare management software tha...
This episode of Childcare Conversations is such a good one! Kate sits down with Annette Eberhart, a 19-year family childcare veteran from Florida, to talk about something we all need to hear: self-care and wellness for early childhood educators. We're not just talking bubble baths here! Annette digs deep into boundaries, mindset, discipline, and even shares a bit of her personal journey.
If you're feeling b...
In this episode of Childcare Conversations, Kate sits down with Tom Melhorn, president of North Star School Supply, for a really refreshing chat about something every childcare owner deals with: supplies and equipment. Tom shares how North Star takes a totally different approach than just handing you a catalog. They actually talk to you, assess your space and budget, and help you invest in quality, U.S.-made product...
In this episode of Childcare Conversations, you'll meet Vineeta; her story is truly something special! What started as a mom's response to her daughter's Type 1 diabetes diagnosis turned into a preschool empire spanning 59 schools and 100 franchise agreements. Vineeta shares how she built a TV-free, academics-meets-performing-arts program from the ground up. She also gets real about women in leadership, financial ba...
Parent Engagement Gets a Tech Upgrade!
This episode of Childcare Conversations is one you'll want to share with every director you know. Kate and Carrie sat down with Jamie Selig from Perfect Day Live to talk about live video streaming for childcare centers, and here's the kicker: it's completely free for programs! Parents pay a small weekly subscription to watch their little ones in real time. Carrie,...
This episode of Childcare Conversations is such a good one! Kate and Carrie sit down with Crystal Johnston, founder of Hire Up Recruiting, to talk all things staffing in early childhood education. Crystal shares her wild journey from economics grad to middle school teacher to recruiting specialist, and gets real about why hiring quality staff post-COVID is SO much harder now that childcare programs are competing wit...
In this episode of Childcare Conversations, Kate and Carrie chat with Beth Heyer, founder of Babysitting Connection — and honestly, it's such a fun conversation! Beth shares how she turned her own struggle to find reliable babysitters in Austin into a thriving membership-based agency that vets and matches sitters with families. For childcare directors, this is worth a listen; it could mean a flexible substitut...
In this episode, Kate Woodward Young and Jason Lody have a really eye-opening conversation about leadership stability in early childhood education. Kate shares her impressive journey from family home provider to business coach, then dives into findings from a survey of 620 programs across 30 states. Spoiler alert - the results are concerning! Over half of programs feel they're one crisis away from closing, and accou...
In this episode, Kate, Carrie, and guest expert Alisha Kriege dig into the world of outdoor play spaces, and it's such a good one! They tackle the big question: do you really need an expensive playscape? Spoiler: probably not! From repurposing tree stumps to creating "tiny towns" with donated playhouses, they share budget-friendly, creative ideas that work for real programs. Alisha brings her outdoor learning expert...
In this episode of Childcare Conversations, Carrie and Kate dive into a really fascinating topic: the role of keynote speakers at early childhood education conferences. They chat about how the term "keynote" has gotten a bit watered down lately, with some conferences featuring multiple keynotes that blur into workshops.
They also uncover a surprising stat: despite the ECE workforce being 98% female, mos...
Child Care Conversations: Music, Joy & Early Childhood Magic
Get ready to smile! In this episode, Carrie and Kate sit down with the absolutely delightful Debbie Clement — musicologist, author, illustrator, and self-described "best kept secret" in early childhood education. With nearly 30 years of experience, Debbie shares why music isn't just fun; it's brain science! From behavior support to litera...
In this episode of Childcare Conversations, Kate Woodward Young gets real about something so many childcare leaders feel but rarely name — decision fatigue. It's not just the busyness, it's the endless stream of high-stakes decisions that wear you down. Kate introduces Center IQ, a decision intelligence tool built specifically for childcare leaders to help connect the dots between staffing, enrollment, and fin...
In this episode of Childcare Conversations, the hosts sit down with the wonderful Prerna Richards to talk about something every childcare leader faces: coaching staff through tough mindsets and tricky behaviors. Think victim mentality, resistance to change, and team conflict. Prerna drops some real gems, including her "connection before correction" philosophy and the SBA strategy (Stop, Breathe, Anchor) for managing...
In this episode of Childcare Conversations, Kate and Carrie get real about the hidden costs of delayed decision-making in childcare leadership. Using everything from melted Easter ice cream to "emotional support underwear" as metaphors, they break down how holding onto disengaged staff can quietly drain your program — we're talking potentially $62K a year in lost tuition! They also tackle slow enrollment strat...
In this episode of Childcare Conversations, the hosts chat with Pietro from BRIT AI about smart marketing strategies for childcare centers. Pietro breaks down why Meta ads (Facebook & Instagram) are often a better investment than Google Ads right now, and introduces the Meta Pixel as a game-changer for targeting the right families. He also gets real about budgeting — think 5-8% of gross revenue for meaning...
In this episode of Childcare Conversations, Kate and Carrie get real about something many childcare leaders avoid — the numbers! They walk you through how to track your enrollment funnel, from first inquiry all the way to a signed contract, and why knowing your data is actually empowering, not scary. You'll pick up practical tips on qualifying families, using consistent call scripts, nailing your follow-up gam...
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