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

One of the most important skills I help owners and directors develop is discernment.

But…what exactly does that mean?

Let me give you an example: Two different patients go to the doctor with a headache. One of the patients is suffering from a hangover, and the other has a brain aneurysm.

How does the doctor properly diagnose and treat each patient?

Discernment!

Discernment is all about getting to the heart of the matter and understanding what lies below the surface so that you can come up with the right solution.

To diagnose their patients, doctors accumulate years of practice, learn from their mistakes, and avoid black-and-white thinking.

You and your staff can do the same.

When a situation arises in your center—like a teacher quitting on the spot—it can be easy to flounder in the chaos that ensues. Where’s the SOP for that?

But when you know how to ask the right questions, see past the surface, and consider the big picture, you can be an effective leader regardless of the scenario.

Discernment is like a muscle—to make it stronger, you need to use it! And the more you practice discernment, the smoother decision-making in your center will become. 

This week, we’re diving into the fourth component of my B.R.I.D.G.E series on the six meta-skills you need as a 21st century leader: discernment.

Join me for a conversation about:

• What makes a discerning leader
• What questions you should ask to become a more discerning leader
• How to grow your discernment muscle (HINT: It’s something kids do)

I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again: You can’t SOP your way out of everything. No matter how great your systems and processes are, you’ll still have conflict and issues. But if you focus on training your discernment muscle, you’ll be prepared to make informed and wise decisions—no matter the situation.

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

As you’ll learn in the podcast episode, one important part of becoming a discerning leader is knowing when and where to seek wise counsel. By joining our Owner's Only HQ or Director's Inner Circle programs, you’ll have access to a welcoming community of peer school leaders who can share their real-world experience and advice, whenever you need.

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.

Some of my biggest coaching Aha! moments happen when I talk to my kids.

Earlier this summer, my son came to my husband with a question that was bothering him. His friend hadn’t been accepted into summer camp, and he wanted to understand why.

My husband answered that, unfortunately, our son’s friend didn’t have anyone to advocate for him.

“What does it mean to ‘advocate’ for someone?” he asked.

My husband explained that advocating for someone helps them get the things they need, usually because they’re unable to do so on their own. It can look like talking to a teacher about homework, buying supplies for a school project, or—in the case of my son’s friend—applying for summer camp. 

Without intending to, my husband had provided a crystal clear example of how children differ from adults when it comes to advocacy.

When kids are still growing and learning, they need parents or other adults to advocate for them. Without this support, they can’t get what they need, because they don’t yet have the tools to do so on their own.

But adults are different. Although they may still be growing and learning, adults are capable of accessing the skills and resources necessary to advocate for themselves and others…even if it takes some practice.

That goes for your staff, too.

When you’re running around giving your time and energy to solving all the problems throughout your center, it may feel like you’re doing a good thing—after all, you’ve got the answers and want to keep people happy!

But the reality is that this causes two major issues:

• Leader burnout: Giving 100% of yourself with the expectation that it will make everyone happy and keep them at your center isn’t generosity—it’s emotional horse trading, and it’s exhausting.
• Hindered development: Solving others’ problems for them robs them of the opportunity for self-development, which prevents growth in your center.

In this week’s episode, which is the third of my B.R.I.D.G.E. series about developing critical meta-skills as a 21st century leader, we’re talking all about individual advocacy and how it can transform your center.

By practicing your own advocacy skills and modeling them for your staff, you’ll help them learn to communicate their own needs, solve problems on their own, and develop stronger relationships amongst themselves.

This is a conversation about:

• What individual advocacy looks like
• Why it’s an important meta-skill
• The benefits of helping your staff learn to self-advocate

At the end of the day, YOU are your greatest advocate. With individual advocacy skills, both you and your staff will be more self-aware, balanced, and able to handle whatever life throws at you—whether there’s an SOP in place or not.

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

Take your first step in practicing self-advocacy by joining our Owner’s Only HQ or Director’s Inner Circle programs. There, you’ll connect with a community of fellow school leaders who have valuable stories, insights, advice, and feedback to offer you as you build your 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.

One of the hallmarks of a great leader is how you understand and respond to emotions, and, then in turn, how that understanding helps you cultivate relationships. 

Have you ever encountered these kinds of scenarios with your leadership team after staff meetings and retreats? 

• Someone on your leadership team was too afraid to mention something they didn’t agree with.
• Some members had questions but felt too intimidated to ask them.
• Someone with a dissenting opinion buried it because they didn't want to “rock the boat.”

If so, you’re not alone. These are common and challenging scenarios. I know because I’m coaching members in my Owner's HQ or Director's Inner Circle programs who are facing them right now.

And I’m sure you’ve experienced at least one with your own leadership team.

When your team reacts with feelings of fear, intimidation, and withdrawal, there’s a larger issue going on. 

It usually means your team doesn’t feel enough trust or connection with you and the rest of the team to say what’s really on their minds.

As the school leader, improving this begins with practicing a meta-skill I call relational intelligence.

Relational intelligence refers to your ability to connect with others, understand their emotions, and ultimately form relationships. Relationally intelligent people recognize body language, have the ability to be vulnerable, and are unafraid of difficult conversations.

In the stressful, emotionally-charged environments within early childhood centers, relational intelligence is an incredibly important meta-skill for you to have and to model for your team. It’s the second meta-skill of the six I’m introducing in my latest podcast series on the B.R.I.D.G.E. Concept.

You’ll want to make time for this week’s podcast episode if you’re looking to initiate productive conversations with your leadership team, break down silos, and encourage effective teamwork.

Join me for a conversation about:

• The importance of reflecting on your own relational intelligence skills 
• Creating a leadership team based on trust, connection, and vulnerability
• Questions to ask your team to get them to open up and be honest with you
• The difference between professional relationships and dysfunctional codependency

You’ll get clear on how to use relational intelligence to encourage your leadership team to share information freely, experiment with new ideas, and think outside the box.

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

As a school leader, you must first be in tune with yourself before your leadership team can be in tune with their own emotions, feelings, and needs. This kind of inner work is challenging, and you’ll likely have questions along the way. 

Right now there’s a group of like-minded school leaders grappling with this very same meta-skill. You can connect with them and find support inside our Owner's HQ or Director's Inner Circle programs. 

Together, you’ll work on relational intelligence as well as the other five meta-skills you need to build and sustain your 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.

Starting off the new school year on the right note will set up your school for excellence. As a school leader, the last thing you’d want is overloading your staff with content, hence the reason why you need to break it down into segments. And the segments are divided based on how the brain processes information. 

In today’s episode, I share a segment of training that took place inside our Director’s Inner Circle & Owner's HQ flagship program. I created this training to teach our members how they can lead and prepare for their first staff meeting. And as our amazing podcast listeners, we are sharing this section as a special gift to you!

Tune in to learn more about:

• How to lead your first staff meeting.
• What to talk about during your first staff meeting.
• How to divide the time blocks during your meeting.
• Some of the exercises to do and the questions to ask your teams.
• Staff meeting headline ideas and tips for choosing them.
• How to tell if you and your team are getting results and growing your mindset
• Why you should be specific about the kind of results you are after as the school leader.
• Ideas for helping your staff lean on each other.
• And how to wrap up your staff meeting.

Sign up for the Director’s Inner Circle & Owner's HQ chanie.me/jointhedic

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 that impact yourself, your teachers, parents, family, and children who you serve every day.

Recently, I was reflecting on my parenting style and how it’s evolved over time. 

As much as we think we’ll parent in our own unique way once we have little ones, we often do things just like our parents.

Can you relate?

There was a time, as a new mother, when I used blame and shame just as my parents had to set boundaries with me and my siblings.

I used their approach on my own children because I had weak boundaries at that time. This approach is effective for controlling little ones, but it doesn’t produce responsible, happy children with high self-esteem.

Eventually two things happened: 

• I became more self-aware of my boundary setting style, and 
• I learned healthier boundaries. 

Eventually, I replaced blame and shame with peace and confidence to set healthy boundaries.

This has made all the difference with my children, improving my relationship with each of them. It’s also helped me professionally as an executive director who was responsible for a leadership team. 

If you’ve been struggling with setting clear boundaries inside your center—with other leaders, teachers, or even parents, this is the podcast episode for you. 

It’s the second episode in my new B.R.I.D.G.E. series that’s all about helping you gain the critical meta-skills you need as a 21st-century school leader. 

This week’s focus is on raising awareness of boundary setting styles in order to help you develop healthy boundaries within your center.

Join me for a conversation about:

• How and why you need to overcome rigid black-and-white thinking
• The different types of boundary setting styles and why yours may not be working
• Trading ineffective boundary setting styles for ones that are both assertive and respectful 

It’s your turn to stop setting boundaries from a place of anger, blame, excuses, or apologies and start practicing them from a place of calm, confidence, peace, and serenity.

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

The truth is, you’ll never fully master boundaries. No one ever does, especially because boundaries can change depending on the season of your life. But here’s the good news: Schools of Excellence can help you strengthen your boundary-setting muscles.  

I invite you to take a closer look at our Owner's HQ or Director's Inner Circle programs, where you’ll connect with a welcoming community of peer school leaders who can share their real-world experience with setting boundaries in their early childcare center and so much more.

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.

As a school leader, you’re likely a pro at creating systems, processes, and checklists.

You’ve trained your leadership team on them so things run more smoothly at your center—both inside and outside of the classroom.

With these resources in place, you’re prepared for the school year and your team has what they need to handle issues that arise with students, parents, and co-teachers.

Or so you think. But it’s actually more complicated than that.

Yes, systems, processes, and checklists are all important and necessary, but they aren’t the be-all and end-all in your center. They don’t guarantee that things will run smoothly day in and day out.

No matter how detailed your operational resources are—and I’m sure yours are very thorough, {{ subscriber.first_name }}!—there will always be confusing, ambiguous, or uncomfortable moments at your center that weren't covered in your training.

What will your team do then? How will they respond?

In order to handle confusion, ambiguity, and discomfort, you and your leadership team need a special set of 6 meta-skills.

They’re actually SUPER skills to help you lean into uncomfortable situations and make decisions more calmly and with greater confidence.

The 6 meta-skills I’m teaching over the next 6 weeks form an acronym, B.R.I.D.G.E., and they include:

• Boundaries
• Relational Intelligence
• Individual Advocacy
• Discernment
• Generosity
• Emotional Regulation

In many ways, these meta-skills are more important to running a center than technical skills. And, as the school leader, you must develop and practice these skills. They’re required to build and sustain your own school of excellence.

This week on the podcast, you’ll get a special introduction to the 6 meta-skills that make up the B.R.I.D.G.E. They’re the same skills I’m teaching in my members-only Owner’s HQ and Director’s Inner Circle programs.

There’s so much to explore around these meta-skills that I’ve also decided to dedicate an entire podcast episode to each one. I want to help you gain the skills that I believe are absolutely essential for 21st-century school leaders like you.

Join me as I introduce the B.R.I.D.G.E. concept and break down how you can:

• Examine and start to overcome your own all-or-nothing thinking
• Connect more effectively and establish trust with your team (Hint: It’s not the same thing as emotional intelligence)
• Overcome feelings of stress and overwhelm to reach your goals
• Learn to anticipate what’s coming next and make wise decisions
• Resist the temptation to step in and fix things at your center (This one’s the hardest!)
• Respond to stressful events in a rational, regulated way

It’s time to put your systems, processes, and checklists down for a moment and focus on how you can be more intentional about how you show up and approach school leadership. I’ll be here every step of the way to support you on that journey.

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

Communicating with parents can be challenging, but you can still find joy and celebration in your work. If you’re ready to learn more, this might be the right time to join our Owner's HQ Program or Director's Inner Circle. Inside you’ll find the support you need to do hard things and a community of like-minded school leaders to share in your wins along the way.

Other Resources:

School leadership is always demanding—even more so at the start of the school year. You’re challenged to give extra support to your team, your staff, and your school community. 

Now it’s time that you received the support you need.  We’ve compiled a series of resources to help you as a school leader. Learn more about our School Leadership Tool Kit here.

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.

This week I'm sharing a new 3-episode podcast series, How to Prepare for the New School Year, to give you strategies for navigating the first few weeks and months of the academic year. You'll learn how to take better care of yourself, your team, and your school community.

We'll explore the importance of prioritizing your daily routines to stay grounded and finding greater peace during the chaos of the new school year. We'll also take a look at the special kinds of activities that require everyone's full attention this time of year.

One of the greatest joys of working with children is watching their precious faces light up as they grow and learn with their peers.

But it's not always discoveries, breakthroughs, and camaraderie.

Each September, as the new school year kicks off, your staff doesn't need a new checklist from you. Instead, they need you present both mentally and emotionally. And they need to see you modeling how to ride the waves of discomfort, chaos, and uncertainty that inevitably rise up.

And it doesn't stop there.

As a leader at the start of the school year, you must manage your own emotions and use discernment to handle each new situation—each parent question, each new hire training, each crying child.

The good news, is you don't have to do it alone.

Join me for a 3-part conversation about:

- Practicing and cherishing the meaningful daily habits, or "anchors," in your life

- Overcoming perfectionism to find greater creativity and innovation

- Relaxing expectations and appreciating what's "good enough" for this time of year

- Supporting staff and admin at the start of the new school year (Hint: It has nothing to do with creating another checklist!)

- Re-assessing when to turn your attention back to other projects at your school

This series will remind you of the importance of self-care, offer up proven leadership strategies, and help you prioritize what matters most in September.

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

Communicating with parents can be challenging, but you can still find joy and celebration in your work. If you’re ready to learn more, this might be the right time to join our Owner's HQ Program or Director's Inner Circle. Inside you’ll find the support you need to do hard things and a community of like-minded school leaders to share in your wins along the way.

Other Resources:

School leadership is always demanding—even more so at the start of the school year. You’re challenged to give extra support to your team, your staff, and your school community. 

Now it’s time that you received the support you need.  We’ve compiled a series of resources to help you as a school leader. Learn more about our School Leadership Tool Kit here.

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.

This week I'm sharing a new 3-episode podcast series, How to Prepare for the New School Year, to give you strategies for navigating the first few weeks and months of the academic year. You'll learn how to take better care of yourself, your team, and your school community.

We'll explore the importance of prioritizing your daily routines to stay grounded and finding greater peace during the chaos of the new school year. We'll also take a look at the special kinds of activities that require everyone's full attention this time of year.

One of the greatest joys of working with children is watching their precious faces light up as they grow and learn with their peers.

But it's not always discoveries, breakthroughs, and camaraderie.

Each September, as the new school year kicks off, your staff doesn't need a new checklist from you. Instead, they need you present both mentally and emotionally. And they need to see you modeling how to ride the waves of discomfort, chaos, and uncertainty that inevitably rise up.

And it doesn't stop there.

As a leader at the start of the school year, you must manage your own emotions and use discernment to handle each new situation—each parent question, each new hire training, each crying child.

The good news, is you don't have to do it alone.

Join me for a 3-part conversation about:

- Practicing and cherishing the meaningful daily habits, or "anchors," in your life

- Overcoming perfectionism to find greater creativity and innovation

- Relaxing expectations and appreciating what's "good enough" for this time of year

- Supporting staff and admin at the start of the new school year (Hint: It has nothing to do with creating another checklist!)

- Re-assessing when to turn your attention back to other projects at your school

This series will remind you of the importance of self-care, offer up proven leadership strategies, and help you prioritize what matters most in September.

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

Communicating with parents can be challenging, but you can still find joy and celebration in your work. If you’re ready to learn more, this might be the right time to join our Owner's HQ Program or Director's Inner Circle. Inside you’ll find the support you need to do hard things and a community of like-minded school leaders to share in your wins along the way.

Other Resources:

School leadership is always demanding—even more so at the start of the school year. You’re challenged to give extra support to your team, your staff, and your school community. 

Now it’s time that you received the support you need.  We’ve compiled a series of resources to help you as a school leader. Learn more about our School Leadership Tool Kit here.

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.

This week I'm sharing a new 3-episode podcast series, How to Prepare for the New School Year, to give you strategies for navigating the first few weeks and months of the academic year. You'll learn how to take better care of yourself, your team, and your school community.

We'll explore the importance of prioritizing your daily routines to stay grounded and finding greater peace during the chaos of the new school year. We'll also take a look at the special kinds of activities that require everyone's full attention this time of year.

One of the greatest joys of working with children is watching their precious faces light up as they grow and learn with their peers.

But it's not always discoveries, breakthroughs, and camaraderie.

Each September, as the new school year kicks off, your staff doesn't need a new checklist from you. Instead, they need you present both mentally and emotionally. And they need to see you modeling how to ride the waves of discomfort, chaos, and uncertainty that inevitably rise up.

And it doesn't stop there.

As a leader at the start of the school year, you must manage your own emotions and use discernment to handle each new situation—each parent question, each new hire training, each crying child.

The good news, is you don't have to do it alone.

Join me for a 3-part conversation about:

- Practicing and cherishing the meaningful daily habits, or "anchors," in your life

- Overcoming perfectionism to find greater creativity and innovation

- Relaxing expectations and appreciating what's "good enough" for this time of year

- Supporting staff and admin at the start of the new school year (Hint: It has nothing to do with creating another checklist!)

- Re-assessing when to turn your attention back to other projects at your school

This series will remind you of the importance of self-care, offer up proven leadership strategies, and help you prioritize what matters most in September.

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

Communicating with parents can be challenging, but you can still find joy and celebration in your work. If you’re ready to learn more, this might be the right time to join our Owner's HQ Program or Director's Inner Circle. Inside you’ll find the support you need to do hard things and a community of like-minded school leaders to share in your wins along the way.

Other Resources:

School leadership is always demanding—even more so at the start of the school year. You’re challenged to give extra support to your team, your staff, and your school community. 

Now it’s time that you received the support you need.  We’ve compiled a series of resources to help you as a school leader. Learn more about our School Leadership Tool Kit here.

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.

This week on the podcast, I talk with Dr. Sherry Walling about how to find wholeness after loss and the ways you can support your team to overcome grief. You’ll learn how to offer connection and provide a glimmer of hope in the midst of sadness.

With Rosh Hashanah right around the corner, I’ve been thinking about some of my family’s cherished High Holiday rituals.

We light candles while reciting meaningful prayers. We savor challah bread dipped in honey. We try out new activities. 

These treasured rituals bring us together to celebrate the New Year and create a special sense of connection among my family. 

Rituals have the power to ground us during holiday celebrations. 

But rituals aren’t just for celebration. They can also serve us when we’re experiencing grief and loss.

Rituals are a powerful tool that can bring you peace and help you navigate a loss—either a personal one or a collective loss experienced by your school community. 

Whether it’s the death of a colleague or saying goodbye to a favorite family who’s leaving your school, you can create a special ritual to honor them and acknowledge that they will no longer be present at your center. 

It’s so important to acknowledge any loss because avoiding it will only cause more shame and suffering for everyone. 

As the school leader, you play a key role in helping your staff navigate the inevitable ups and downs of your center. And I want to support you in that journey. 

We’ll also take a look at the importance of understanding your own capacity to listen. You’ll learn when and how to defer a conversation to another time when you can be completely present and listen fully.

Join us for a conversation about:

• Understanding why avoiding the loss is worse than confronting it
• Recognizing the importance of rituals and traditions in overcoming grief
• Redefining what it means to be present when you’re grappling with a loss
• Knowing when and how to share access to mental health resources

If you need ideas for creating a safe space that will invite your school community to share their stories of loss, you won’t want to miss this episode.

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

School leaders like you will always be challenged to model healthy behaviors for your staff. It’s not easy, but it's possible—especially when you have a community of like-minded leaders and directors to lean on.  

If you’re ready to connect with a community of your peers who know what it’s like to lead early childcare centers, this might be the right time to join our Owner's HQ or Director's Inner Circle programs. Inside you’ll find the support and guidance you need to grow as a school leader.

Resources and links mentioned in this episode:

Connect further with Dr. Sherry Walling at:

Website: www.touchingtwoworlds.com Instagram and Twitter: @sherrywalling

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.