Schools of Excellence: The No. 1 ECE & Private School Leadership Podcast

What if I told you that you didn't have to be at your center 40+ hours a week?

Would you believe me?

The reality for a lot of owners is that the line between home and school is so blurred it's almost nonexistent. They spend so much of their time wrapped up in the day-to-day operation of their centers that they end up spending more time there than they do at home with their families.

This was the case for Ashley Corthell, owner of Daybreak Academy in Utah. When I first connected with her, she was spending 45+ hours per week at her school. During the few hours she was at home, she was too stressed to truly be present.

In Ashley's words, school was sucking the life out of her.

But all of that changed when she joined the Schools of Excellence Owner's HQ membership program. Inside the membership, Ashley built skills and gained access to resources and coaching that helped her adjust her mindset, better manage her time, and transform her school's culture.

With the support of other owners, she learned to use her hours at school more productively and set healthier boundaries, which made her more intentional about how and where she was spending her time. 

As a result, not only did the line between school and home become better defined, but Ashley was able to reduce the number of hours she spent at her center to just 10 hours per week!

And Ashley isn't the exception either. She's one of hundreds of owners and directors who have transformed their schools—and lives—thanks to the opportunities available in the membership.

So, when I asked you whether you thought it was possible to spend less than 40 hours per week at your center, it wasn't hyperbole. It was a question based on the very real experiences of leaders just like you.

If you're ready to start spending less time running your center and more time focused on its growth and development, I encourage you to check out this week's podcast episode. You'll hear more about Ashley's story and how the membership impacted her life and leadership.

Join us for a conversation about:

• The struggles Ashley faced before joining the membership
• What she learned by being surrounded by other like-minded owners
• How her center looks now that she's a more confident leader
• What's next for her and her school

Learn more and apply for the Director’s Inner Circle & Owner’s HQ: http://Chanie.me/jointhedic  

If Ashley's story resonated with you, don't wait and apply for the membership today. Within the Director's Inner Circle and Owner's HQ membership programs, you'll gain access to the same tools, resources, coaching, and community that made such a huge impact on Ashley's leadership.

If you don't think you're quite ready for the membership, we have a variety of other resources that can help you become a more effective leader, such as our Time Management & Accountability bundle. It contains a series of tools and templates that will help you make better use of your time so you can spend fewer hours at school and focus on the growth and development of your center. https://schoolsofexcellence.com/time

More about the show:

If you are an Early Childhood director or owner, prepare to transform your school and life with the Schools of Excellence podcast. Tune in each week to learn from Chanie Wilschanski, the founder and host of the Schools of Excellence Podcast and a mom of 4 little kids. Each episode will be packed with tools and strategies – equipping you to build schools with higher staff retention, teacher motivation, parent partnership, collaborative culture, and beautiful quality of life. 

Every week, Chanie shares the truth about the journey to excellence, the strategies that are working TODAY, and the mindset about the critical decisions and choices that you make every day which impact yourself, your teachers, parents, family, and children who you serve every day.

I know that the impending chaos of a new year is incredibly unsettling. You’re preparing for new kids, new teachers, new protocols, and new expectations, and you know everyone will look at you like deer in the headlights.

It's inevitable… and believe it or not, that's a good thing.

Confused? Stay with me.

When you operate under the assumption that the start-of-the-school year mayhem is avoidable, any disorder that occurs becomes a reflection of your competency as a leader.

The chaos becomes your fault, and it produces feelings of anxiety, self-doubt, and even shame.

But when you recognize that chaos is simply an inherent characteristic of transition—not a result of your leadership—you give yourself the opportunity to take a deep breath, adjust your mindset, and create a plan for how to deal with the inevitable disarray of a novel environment.

In other words, the mark of a strong leader isn't the absence of mayhem. It's the presence of a calm and collected state-of-mind that helps you weather the storm.

In this week's podcast episode, I'm helping you set yourself up for success by talking you through how to prepare for the chaos at the start of the school year.

Join me for a conversation about:

• Where the start-of-the-year chaos comes from
• How it shows up in your life and leaderships
• What can be gained by embracing the mayhem
• Strategies to help you plan for what's to come

Learn more and apply for the Director’s Inner Circle & Owner’s HQ: http://Chanie.me/jointhedic  

An important part of navigating the chaos is having people you can rely on for support. In our Director's Inner Circle and Owner's HQ membership programs, you'll have the opportunity to connect with other like-minded leaders who can validate your experience and offer solutions as you work through the transition. As a member, you'll also gain access to tools, resources, and coaching that can help you build and sustain a school of excellence. 

Or, if you're looking for easy-to-implement resources that can help you remain focused, check out our Time Management & Accountability bundle. It contains a series of tools and templates that will help you make better use of your time so you can focus on the growth and development of your center. https://schoolsofexcellence.com/time

More about the show:

If you are an Early Childhood director or owner, prepare to transform your school and life with the Schools of Excellence podcast. Tune in each week to learn from Chanie Wilschanski, the founder and host of the Schools of Excellence Podcast and a mom of 4 little kids. Each episode will be packed with tools and strategies – equipping you to build schools with higher staff retention, teacher motivation, parent partnership, collaborative culture, and beautiful quality of life. 

Every week, Chanie shares the truth about the journey to excellence, the strategies that are working TODAY, and the mindset about the critical decisions and choices that you make every day which impact yourself, your teachers, parents, family, and children who you serve every day.

The first staff meeting of the year—we've all been there.

You go into the meeting filled with the ripe excitement of possibility, ready to share your ideas, goals, and expectations. You have all the energy of a student showing off sparkly new notebooks on the first day of school.

Then the meeting happens and… you end up word vomiting over your entire staff.

Sound familiar?

Without a doubt, the deluge of information comes from the very best of intentions. You're optimistic about the school year and want to set your staff up for success by telling them everything they need to know.

But in trying to enmesh every detail into a single meeting without structure—without purpose—you end up spewing information in all directions instead of uniting everyone under a common goal.

In this week's podcast episode, I'm walking you through how to prepare for your first staff meeting so you can start this school year off on the right foot.

Join me for a conversation about:

• The importance of creating structure for your staff meeting
• The three segments of a successful meeting
• What to discuss (and not to discuss!)
• Questions to ask your staff to promote teamwork and school values

Learn more and apply for the Director’s Inner Circle & Owner’s HQ: http://Chanie.me/jointhedic  

While there's definitely a formula to running a successful staff meeting, it's also a skill that takes time to build. I can help you develop that skill within our Owner's HQ and Director's Inner Circle membership programs, which provides leaders like you with ongoing access to tools, resources, coaching, and community that can help you build and sustain a school of excellence.

Or, if you're looking for easy-to-implement resources that you can start using today, check out our Time Management & Accountability bundle. It contains a series of tools and templates that will help you make better use of your time—whether at staff meetings or at the desk in your office. https://schoolsofexcellence.com/time

More about the show:

If you are an Early Childhood director or owner, prepare to transform your school and life with the Schools of Excellence podcast. Tune in each week to learn from Chanie Wilschanski, the founder and host of the Schools of Excellence Podcast and a mom of 4 little kids. Each episode will be packed with tools and strategies – equipping you to build schools with higher staff retention, teacher motivation, parent partnership, collaborative culture, and beautiful quality of life. 

Every week, Chanie shares the truth about the journey to excellence, the strategies that are working TODAY, and the mindset about the critical decisions and choices that you make every day which impact yourself, your teachers, parents, family, and children who you serve every day.

Take a moment to remember why you became a school leader.

If you’re anything like me and the leaders in my programs, you’re interested in leaving a legacy in your community.

You want to positively impact the next generation of children and the community you serve.

To leave a lasting legacy, you have to play the long game. 

The concept of legacy is one we’ll be exploring during this final episode of our five-part series of the Pyramid of Excellence. 

This week, we’re at the top of the Pyramid of Excellence: Aligned and Legacy Stages.

In the Aligned Stage, you’re introducing new initiatives and levels of programming to carry your center forward, while the Legacy Stage is all about your long-term vision and creating sustainability beyond your own tenure.

It’s time to go beyond the leadership development of the previous Integrated Stage and identify the people I call “lifers.” These are the “ride-or-die” individuals who will link with you to ensure the ongoing, long-term success of your center.

Join me for a conversation about:

• Developing a succession plan for your center with those most equipped to carry the torch
• Evaluating and refining the long-term sustainability of your center
• What it looks like to work in the Aligned vs. the Legacy stage
• Managing your stress, attitude, and capacity for discomfort
• The emotional journey of stepping into a new, legacy role

Learn more and apply for the Director’s Inner Circle & Owner’s HQ: http://Chanie.me/jointhedic  

In the Schools of Excellence Owner's Only HQ and Director's Inner Circle membership program, we’re used to complicated emotions. By joining our community, you'll get tools, resources, and coaching to help you flourish, even in the face of complexity.

At the Aligned and Legacy Stages of your business, you’re also learning to hand over some of the responsibilities you’ve clung to. In the Delegate to Elevate Workshop, you’ll learn how to approach delegation in a way that will allow you to truly set yourself up for a legacy role. https://schoolsofexcellence.com/delegate

More about the show:

If you are an Early Childhood director or owner, prepare to transform your school and life with the Schools of Excellence podcast. Tune in each week to learn from Chanie Wilschanski, the founder and host of the Schools of Excellence Podcast and a mom of 4 little kids. Each episode will be packed with tools and strategies – equipping you to build schools with higher staff retention, teacher motivation, parent partnership, collaborative culture, and beautiful quality of life. 

Every week, Chanie shares the truth about the journey to excellence, the strategies that are working TODAY, and the mindset about the critical decisions and choices that you make every day which impact yourself, your teachers, parents, family, and children who you serve every day.

Many of the school leaders I meet are in the midst of growing their centers, and they all share one common challenge.

Balancing expansion with the quality of education.

Can you relate?

Striking this balance is no small feat, and it requires complete trust in your team. More than that—it’s crucial work for the long-term development of your center. 

The good news is you have the Pyramid of Excellence as a guide to help you think about how to expand your center while ensuring the quality of your programming.

It’s the primary focus of the next stage of the Pyramid of Excellence: Integrated.

To navigate this stage, you must get strategic, clarify roles and responsibilities, and hold yourself accountable.

Feeling comfortable within this stage is so important, because this is where most center leaders spend the vast majority of their career. 

We’ll explore the Integrated Stage in this week's podcast episode—the fourth in our five-part series about the Pyramid of Excellence. If you missed any of the previous episodes on Survival or Disordered, make sure you give them a listen first!

Then, join me for a conversation about:

• Practical tips and insights for navigating the complex Integrated stage
• Aligning your center’s team with the values of the company
• How to navigate this stage in a healthy, balanced way
• Developing a strategic plan for the next stage in the Pyramid

Learn more and apply for the Director’s Inner Circle & Owner’s HQ: http://Chanie.me/jointhedic  

 At the Integrated Stage, it’s so important to find a support system. Within the Schools of Excellence Owner's Only HQ and Director's Inner Circle membership programs, you’ll have access to a community of other owners and directors who are actively working through the Pyramid of Excellence, along with tools, resources, and coaching that will help you move forward with confidence.

Another important aspect of the Integrated Stage is delegation. You have a team and now it’s time to trust them! With our on-demand Delegate to Elevate Workshop, you can learn how to hand off responsibilities, free up more of your time, and enhance your quality of life. https://schoolsofexcellence.com/delegate

More about the show:

If you are an Early Childhood director or owner, prepare to transform your school and life with the Schools of Excellence podcast. Tune in each week to learn from Chanie Wilschanski, the founder and host of the Schools of Excellence Podcast and a mom of 4 little kids. Each episode will be packed with tools and strategies – equipping you to build schools with higher staff retention, teacher motivation, parent partnership, collaborative culture, and beautiful quality of life. 

Every week, Chanie shares the truth about the journey to excellence, the strategies that are working TODAY, and the mindset about the critical decisions and choices that you make every day which impact yourself, your teachers, parents, family, and children who you serve every day.

Does any of this sound familiar?

• You know you need a strong team, but you don’t feel like you have the infrastructure to support it
• Constant questions are coming your way, pulling you in every direction
• Work-life balance has become a thing of the past, and your personal life is feeling the strain

If any of the above are true for you, your center might be in the Disordered Stage of the Pyramid of Excellence.

This is where you need to build communication and trust… but are also dealing with a lot of overwhelm. Everyone is busy, and slowing down feels impossible.

Fortunately, there’s some good news buried within that stress. For one, if you’ve recently entered the Disordered Stage, it means you’re growing. That’s something to celebrate!

More importantly, there are clear steps for moving forward.

In this week's podcast episode, we're continuing our deep dive into the Pyramid of Excellence by exploring the second phase of your center's journey through the pyramid: the Disordered Stage. 

Join me for a conversation about:

• How to build trust, communication, and transparency within your team
• The impact of the Disordered Stage on self-care, personal relationships, and work-life balance
• What to do to stabilize operations in a sustainable way that allows you to avoid burnout and maintain school culture
• Steps to move to the next stage in the Pyramid

Learn more and apply for the Director’s Inner Circle & Owner’s HQ: http://Chanie.me/jointhedic  

Feeling like you’ve lost any sense of harmony between your center and your home is a challenging place to be. Finding this balance is a frequent topic in the Schools of Excellence Owner's Only HQ and Director's Inner Circle membership programs. As a member, you'll gain ongoing access to tools, resources, coaching, and a community that will help you find the equilibrium you're looking for so you can continue building a school of excellence.

You can also learn how to create more space for your personal life through our on-demand Delegate to Elevate Workshop. In this 90-minute online workshop, I'll show you how to delegate effectively so you can better respond to your team’s needs, manage your schedule, and decrease your workload. https://schoolsofexcellence.com/delegate

More about the show:

If you are an Early Childhood director or owner, prepare to transform your school and life with the Schools of Excellence podcast. Tune in each week to learn from Chanie Wilschanski, the founder and host of the Schools of Excellence Podcast and a mom of 4 little kids. Each episode will be packed with tools and strategies – equipping you to build schools with higher staff retention, teacher motivation, parent partnership, collaborative culture, and beautiful quality of life. 

Every week, Chanie shares the truth about the journey to excellence, the strategies that are working TODAY, and the mindset about the critical decisions and choices that you make every day which impact yourself, your teachers, parents, family, and children who you serve every day.

Everyone starts somewhere.

You may have just opened a new center. Or maybe you’re coming through the other end of a crisis.

Either way, this major phase of transition has placed you in the first stage of the Pyramid of Excellence: Survival.

Survival isn’t inherently bad. In fact, it can be connected to beautiful moments of surrender, opportunity, and hope.

It’s also finite: Most centers only exist in Survival for a few months. During that time, there are a lot of questions and decisions to make.

In this week's podcast episode, we’re diving deep into this busy period of a center’s life to help you better understand what it looks like and what you can do to move through it as gracefully as possible.

Join me for a conversation about:

• What causes a center to hit Survival, even if they’ve been around for a while
• The different characteristics of a center at the Survival stage
• Specific steps for getting out of Survival and moving to the next stage

Learn more and apply for the Director’s Inner Circle & Owner’s HQ: http://Chanie.me/jointhedic  

 If you’re feeling the pressure, this is a wonderful time to join our Owner's Only HQ and Director's Inner Circle membership programs. No matter which stage your center is at, we can help you get the tools you need to thrive.

Or, if you’re looking for resources you can implement quickly, consider enrolling in our on-demand Delegate to Elevate Workshop. This 90-minute workshop will help you learn what to hand off, so you can start to calm the chaos. https://schoolsofexcellence.com/delegate

More about the show:

If you are an Early Childhood director or owner, prepare to transform your school and life with the Schools of Excellence podcast. Tune in each week to learn from Chanie Wilschanski, the founder and host of the Schools of Excellence Podcast and a mom of 4 little kids. Each episode will be packed with tools and strategies – equipping you to build schools with higher staff retention, teacher motivation, parent partnership, collaborative culture, and beautiful quality of life. 

Every week, Chanie shares the truth about the journey to excellence, the strategies that are working TODAY, and the mindset about the critical decisions and choices that you make every day which impact yourself, your teachers, parents, family, and children who you serve every day.

For years, I've been developing, cultivating, and nurturing the mindset and skills of owners and directors in early childhood education so they can build and sustain schools of excellence.

But it wasn't until somewhat recently that I started to take a hard look at the processes I was using to help leaders. 

I wanted to distill them down into a repeatable, consistent framework that allowed leaders to better understand where they were at and what they needed to work on next. 

That’s how the Pyramid of Excellence was born.

It’s a trademarked system that allows you to see exactly where you are on your journey so you can lay the proper foundation for building a school of excellence.

In this week's podcast episode, I'm kicking off a 5-part series about the Pyramid of Excellence where I'll break down each part of the pyramid to give you deeper insight into what each stage looks like, as well as what you can do to move forward.

Join me for a conversation about:

• The 5 stages of the Pyramid of Excellence: Survival, Disordered, Integrated, and Aligned, and Legacy
• What each stage looks like from the outside and the inside
• How to gauge which stage you’re in along your journey to building a school of excellence
• What you can do to transition from one stage in the Pyramid to the next

Learn more and apply for the Director’s Inner Circle & Owner’s HQ: http://Chanie.me/jointhedic  

Moving through the Pyramid of Excellence is no small feat. Every step of the way comes with unique challenges and opportunities. If you’re looking for support along the way,  join our Owner's Only HQ and Director's Inner Circle membership programs. As a member, you'll gain ongoing access to tools, resources, coaching, and community that will help you build and sustain a school of excellence. 

More about the show:

If you are an Early Childhood director or owner, prepare to transform your school and life with the Schools of Excellence podcast. Tune in each week to learn from Chanie Wilschanski, the founder and host of the Schools of Excellence Podcast and a mom of 4 little kids. Each episode will be packed with tools and strategies – equipping you to build schools with higher staff retention, teacher motivation, parent partnership, collaborative culture, and beautiful quality of life. 

Every week, Chanie shares the truth about the journey to excellence, the strategies that are working TODAY, and the mindset about the critical decisions and choices that you make every day which impact yourself, your teachers, parents, family, and children who you serve every day.

Let me ask you a couple of questions:

When you're looking at making a big-ticket purchase to update the infrastructure of your school, how long does it take you to pull out the credit card?

What about when you're looking at investing in the professional development of your leadership team?

I'm willing to bet there's a pretty large discrepancy between your first answer and your second, and it's worth asking yourself why.

When you look at everything through a financial lens, it's much easier to measure the ROI of a new carpet in the toddler classroom than leadership training for your education director. 

But here's the thing: Humans aren't cash registers.

They have feelings, families, and goals—things that don't cleanly factor into mathematical calculations. And that means that "profitability" in the traditional sense isn't an adequate way of measuring ROI when it comes to your team.

In this week's podcast episode, I'm exploring the shortcomings of traditional ROI in education and leadership development and how school leaders need to change their perspective for the benefit of their teams and centers.

Join me for a conversation about:

• Why traditional ROI doesn’t work in the education field
• Rethinking ROI in a way that doesn’t solely encompass financials
• How to make more aligned ROI decisions

Once you stop using traditional measures of ROI to make every decision, you can start investing more in your team, which will not only help with retention but also the overall success of your center.

Learn more and apply for the Director’s Inner Circle & Owner’s HQ: http://Chanie.me/jointhedic  

If you're looking for long-term support, join our Owner's Only HQ and Director's Inner Circle membership programs. As a member, you'll gain ongoing access to tools, resources, coaching, and community that will help you build a school of excellence. 

One investment that can make a huge difference for your center is enrolling in our on-demand Delegate to Elevate Workshop. During the 90-minute workshop, you'll learn how to delegate effectively so you can reclaim your time, improve your quality of life, and lead a high-performing team. https://schoolsofexcellence.com/delegate

More about the show:

If you are an Early Childhood director or owner, prepare to transform your school and life with the Schools of Excellence podcast. Tune in each week to learn from Chanie Wilschanski, the founder and host of the Schools of Excellence Podcast and a mom of 4 little kids. Each episode will be packed with tools and strategies – equipping you to build schools with higher staff retention, teacher motivation, parent partnership, collaborative culture, and beautiful quality of life. 

Every week, Chanie shares the truth about the journey to excellence, the strategies that are working TODAY, and the mindset about the critical decisions and choices that you make every day which impact yourself, your teachers, parents, family, and children who you serve every day.

For the first time in history, we have 5 different generations in the workplace: the Silent Generation, Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z.

And it's causing a whole lot of tension across various industries, including early childhood education.

But the source of this tension isn't the fact that there are 5 generations working alongside each other. Instead, the issue stems from the way we're choosing to address this unique time in history.

Whenever you bring different people together in one space, there are bound to be contrasting opinions, varying perspectives, and distinct ways of doing things.

What comes to mind as the perfect example is Passover—children, parents, grandparents (and even great-grandparents!) all in one room, coming together to commemorate a story that each generation experiences differently.

But do those differences prevent us from telling that story and celebrating together as a family?

Of course not! Quite the opposite, in fact. It's our differences that add nuance and develop  a deeper understanding of our heritage.

The same can be said within the context of the workplace.

Instead of seeing generational differences as something you need to overcome, manage, or fix, you should look at them as an opportunity to create a more inclusive environment that encourages personal and professional growth.

How you go about shaping that environment is what I'm exploring on this week's podcast. I'll take you through a detailed comparison of the 5 generations and discuss how you as a leader can navigate those differences within your center.

Join me for a conversation about:

• The 5 generations in our modern workforce
• The core characteristics of each generation based on their unique experiences
• How each generation compares in terms of communication styles and motivation
• Strategies for navigating generational differences to create an inclusive environment

Learn more and apply for the Director’s Inner Circle & Owner’s HQ: http://Chanie.me/jointhedic  

If you're looking for support in navigating generational differences that you can rely on long-term, join our Owner's Only HQ and Director's Inner Circle membership programs. As a member, you'll gain ongoing access to tools, resources, coaching, and community that will help you level up your leadership, transform your culture, and build a school of excellence. 

One issue that comes up frequently with regard to generational differences is delegation, as different generations tend to prefer different management styles. If this resonates with you, I encourage you to attend our on-demand Delegate to Elevate Workshop. During this 90-minute online workshop, you'll learn how to delegate effectively so you can manage a high-performing team that will help you achieve your goals. https://schoolsofexcellence.com/delegate

More about the show:

If you are an Early Childhood director or owner, prepare to transform your school and life with the Schools of Excellence podcast. Tune in each week to learn from Chanie Wilschanski, the founder and host of the Schools of Excellence Podcast and a mom of 4 little kids. Each episode will be packed with tools and strategies – equipping you to build schools with higher staff retention, teacher motivation, parent partnership, collaborative culture, and beautiful quality of life. 

Every week, Chanie shares the truth about the journey to excellence, the strategies that are working TODAY, and the mindset about the critical decisions and choices that you make every day which impact yourself, your teachers, parents, family, and children who you serve every day.