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

Grace is a word that's rarely spoken about in the realm of leadership. Because as leaders of schools of excellence, we often want it all. We want things done quickly. And we want to get it right every single time. But what isn't typically spoken about is the level of grace and responsibility required in our lives in order to balance leadership with understanding and action with outcomes. Which is truly necessary for transforming into the leader we need to become.  

But how do we lead through this tension of grace and responsibility?

In today’s episode, I speak about how to balance leadership, responsibility and grace. I also share some of the feedback I got from our Facebook group Schools of Excellence Lounge, of when people most want grace from their teams. By the end of this episode, you’ll realize that there’s no better way to define a school of excellence than one where your staff learn to give grace to each other. 

In a nutshell, I talk about:

• Leading from a place of generosity versus obligation.
• Respecting that people look at things from different perspectives.
• Giving your team grace but still holding them accountable.
• Being compassionate to yourself (and your team) when you make mistakes.
• Leading with empathy without being taken advantage of.

…. and so much more!

Click Here to Listen on Apple Podcasts

Click Here to Listen on Non-Apple Devices

Resources and links mentioned in this episode:

Ever wish you knew EXACTLY what to say to a Teacher, Parent or Admin Team in a Hard Moment? Access the scripts workbook HERE

Sign up for the Director’s Inner Circle & Owner's HQ HERE

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 a 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 everyday which impact yourself, your teachers, parents, family, and children who you serve everyday.

When was the last time you stepped out of your comfort zone and tried something different? Did you know that your life begins where your comfort zone ends? While it is easy to develop a routine and stick to it, switching things up and putting yourself out there will open more opportunities for you and your school. 

In today’s episode, I talk about the 5 signs you are too comfortable and need to take some risks. Taking risks isn’t exactly fun (at least not for most people), but it’s a necessary part of life. In fact, risk is pretty much built into every aspect of life. SO how can you get more comfortable with taking risks? Tune in to learn more!

In a nutshell I talk about:

• Why failure needs to be in your vocabulary in order to grow as a leader.
• How lack of questions is an indicator of you not pushing yourself enough.
• Why you should pay attention to your thought process when you encounter an obstacle.
• How to lead with questions rather than answers

Click Here to Listen on Apple Podcasts

Click Here to Listen on Non-Apple Devices

Resources and links mentioned in this episode:

Ever wish you knew EXACTLY what to say to a Teacher, Parent or Admin Team in a Hard Moment? Access the scripts workbook HERE

Sign up for the Director’s Inner Circle & Owner's HQ HERE

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 a 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 everyday which impact yourself, your teachers, parents, family, and children who you serve everyday.

Summer is winding down, and every teacher has plans in the works as they look forward to the new school year. Whether you run a private school or a child care facility, it’s time to make some plans to get your school ready!

In today’s episode, I talk about a very interesting concept - winning. We all want to win. Winning gives us a high because of the adrenaline rush that comes with something that we've worked really hard to achieve. And at the same time, winning is a word that you get to decide what meaning you want to attach to it. It can be used to define how confident we are to show up, the risks that we are willing to take and the courageousness with which we enter difficult conversations. If you are looking to set up your staff for success by defining what winning looks like, this episode is for you!

In a nutshell, I talk about:

• How winning defines how we show up to the world.
• How teachers define success in their minds and what you need to do about it.
• The success experience – what it is and what it is not.
• And how to help your staff redefine success in their role in the context of different challenges that come up.

Click Here to Listen on Apple Podcasts

Click Here to Listen on Non-Apple Devices

Resources and links mentioned in this episode:

Sign up for the Elevate to Delegate Workshop at HERE

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 a 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 everyday which impact yourself, your teachers, parents, family, and children who you serve everyday.

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.

Click Here to Listen on Apple Podcasts

Click Here to Listen on Non-Apple Devices

Are you a school owner focused on growing and scaling your center?

And trying to build a stellar team to help you accomplish your growth goals?

Join me on Tuesday, August 24th for a LIVE 90-minute workshop.

Delegate To Elevate: Roles & Responsibilities of a High-Performing Team.

To learn more at chanie.me/delegatetoelevate

Resources and links mentioned in this episode:

Sign up for the Elevate to Delegate Workshop at chanie.me/delegatetoelevate

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.

Great school leaders use a variety of tools to maximize their impact as leaders. One of them is leadership philosophies that are helpful in establishing their leadership framework. Leadership philosophies are developed over time, with experience, and are not role or company-specific. They are both deeply personal and always professional, conveying not only priorities, expectations, and communication style but also values and morals.

In today’s episode, I speak about how to create a personal leadership philosophy, and why it is important. I know you probably already have your leadership philosophy - the way that you choose to lead and manage your people - and so I want you to take a moment and pause. Take a moment to reflect, slow down and really understand what your leadership approach is.

Your leadership philosophy defines your reputation and your character in your organization and beyond.

In this episode, I speak about:

• How to approach personal and company leadership.
• The micromanager vs the hands-off leadership approach and why they are interdependent.
• The three parts of my personal leadership philosophy and how they manifest in my day to day.
• The challenges of living up to your leadership philosophy.

… and so much more!

Click Here to Listen on Apple Podcasts

Click Here to Listen on Non-Apple Devices

Are you a school owner focused on growing and ki scaling your center?

And trying to build a stellar team to help you accomplish your growth goals?

Join me on Tuesday, August 24th for a LIVE 90-minute workshop.

Delegate To Elevate: Roles & Responsibilities of a High-Performing Team.

To learn more CLICK HERE or go to chanie.me/delegatetoelevate

Resources and links:

Access the unique Confidence and Resilience Training using this link: chanie.me/confidencetoolkit

Here are some other ways The Schools of Excellence can help you and your staff.

Access the Intentional Play Builder: https://discovered.thrivecart.com/the-intentional-play-builder/

Access ​the School Leadership Toolkit: https://schoolsofexcellence.com/the-school-leadership-toolkit/

Access ​the Early Childhood Teacher Bundle: https://schoolsofexcellence.com/early-childhood-teacher-trainings/

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 a 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 everyday which impact yourself, your teachers, parents, family, and children who you serve everyday.

Today’s episode is the second episode in our special summer series! This summer series is all about the different ways that you can prepare yourselves for the upcoming school year. After nearly two decades in this field and speaking with hundreds of school owners and directors. There are very specific patterns of behavior I have noticed in successful school leaders.

In this episode, I share the top 5 signs of a thriving school leader and how you can incorporate them as you continue to build your school of excellence and leave your legacy.

In a nutshell, I speak about:

• Communication - a thriving leader is one that builds time into their calendar to speak to their teams.
• The importance of celebrating wins and success even though it is very  easy to get pulled into hardships and what is and isn't working.
• The biggest mindset shift that school leaders need to make - investing in their people.
• How strategy can be likened to planning a trip and how it plays a key role in successful school leadership.
• How radical self awareness will change your entire life.

… and so much more!

Click Here to Listen on Apple Podcasts

Click Here to Listen on Non-Apple Devices

Resources and links mentioned in this episode:

Access the unique Confidence and Resilience Training using this link: chanie.me/confidencetoolkit

Here are some other ways The Schools of Excellence can help you and your staff.

Access the Intentional Play Builder: https://discovered.thrivecart.com/the-intentional-play-builder/

Access ​the School Leadership Toolkit: https://schoolsofexcellence.com/the-school-leadership-toolkit/

Access ​the Early Childhood Teacher Bundle: https://schoolsofexcellence.com/early-childhood-teacher-trainings/

 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 a 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 everyday which impact yourself, your teachers, parents, family, and children who you serve everyday.

Soon the last weeks of summer will be upon us, the new school year is right around the corner. New beginnings always have a few pieces to them. There is the joy of something new and there is the anticipation of the transitions. Sometimes we can overthink the new year - which is why I created this episode.

Today I share the eight guideposts to prepare you for an amazing school year. As a school leader, you probably will spend at least some of your summer vacation planning for the new school year. While planning and organizing are important, It's equally vital to understand how to prepare your OWN mindset for the new year. Remember the ripple effect episode I did in the beginning? You are at the center of it all.

In a nutshell, I talk about:

• What happens in moments of survival when survival becomes a habit.
• The 8 signs of survival habits and what to do in order to get out of survival mode. 
• Powerful strategies to gear you up and set you up for success for the new school year.
• Why asking for help is a huge component of my leadership philosophy.

… and so much more!

Click Here to Listen on Apple Podcasts

Click Here to Listen on Non-Apple Devices

Resources and links mentioned in this episode:

Access the unique Confidence and Resilience Training using this link: chanie.me/confidencetoolkit

Here are some other ways The Schools of Excellence can help you and your staff.

Access the Intentional Play Builder: https://discovered.thrivecart.com/the-intentional-play-builder/

Access ​the School Leadership Toolkit: https://schoolsofexcellence.com/the-school-leadership-toolkit/

Access ​the Early Childhood Teacher Bundle: https://schoolsofexcellence.com/early-childhood-teacher-trainings/

 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 a 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 everyday which impact yourself, your teachers, parents, family, and children who you serve everyday.

Summer is such an exciting time! It is a season filled with so many great ideas which if not well thought out, will never get to see the light of day. Tune in to today's episode to learn how the IRER method has been a game-changer for me and my family.

Planning for summer using the IRER method has 4 parts to it. Intention, Reflection, Experience, and Rhythms. Why intention? Because there is a very big difference between creating an intentional plan and playing it cool. Reflecting on your wins reminds you how far you have come, and how much more you are capable of achieving. While experiences allow you to schedule your life, rhythms help you stick to the schedule!

Some of the episode highlights include:

• What it means to start with intention and what is in it for you.
• Building the confidence and a mindset to stop falling apart when chaos happens.
• Reflective questions to ask yourself as you plan out your summer.
• Some of the rhythms that my family and I are bringing back this summer.

... and so much more!

Remember, rhythms create a culture and become part of who you are as a family.

Click Here to Listen on Apple Podcasts

Click Here to Listen on Non-Apple Devices

Resources and links mentioned in this episode:

What Stage of the Pyramid of Excellence are you in? Answer a few questions to find out at chanie.me/pyramid

Access the Reflective Questions for the End of the School Year via: chanie.me/reflectivequestions

Check out the unique confidence and Resilience training using this link: chanie.me/confidencetoolkit

Want your staff to be more confident?

Want your team to be resilient in the face of constant changes?  

Your staff needs tools and strategies to learn how to choose how they show up. Pre-Order my Confidence and Resiliency Trainingtoday at chanie.me/confidencetoolkit

This 30-minute recorded training will guide your team on the 3 essential ingredients to become confident and resilient.

Get it Now → chanie.me/confidencetoolkit

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 a 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 everyday which impact yourself, your teachers, parents, family, and children who you serve everyday.

Are you on the verge of falling apart and wondering whether this is what resilience for school leaders looks like? Having an amazing school is not a result of having amazing systems or infrastructure. While those are important and critical for success, the leaders who truly excel are those that have built strong, confident, and resilient toolkits. The ones that have fully understood their stress cycles and helped their team do the same. 

In today's episode, I speak about building your confidence and resilience toolkit. This toolkit is mainly built by becoming self-aware and taking the necessary steps towards improving yourself. 

Tune in to learn more about:

• What a confidence and resilience toolkit is
• How to recognize your stress cycles and invite calm into your life.
• The best way to combat burnout, staff quitting or high turnover rates and building a culture of excellence
• Why you constantly need to be investing in your skillset.
• The self-awareness questions to ask yourself if you are looking to build your confidence.
• ... and so much more!

Remember, wise people do not catch up, they learn how to close their skill gap. 

Click Here to Listen on Apple Podcasts

Click Here to Listen on Non-Apple Devices

Resources and links mentioned in this episode:

Check out the unique confidence and Resilience training using this link: chanie.me/confidencetoolkit

Want your staff to be more confident?

Want your team to be resilient in the face of constant changes?  

Your staff needs tools and strategies to learn how to choose how they show up. Pre-Order my Confidence and Resiliency Training today at chanie.me/confidencetoolkit

This 30-minute recorded training will guide your team on the 3 essential ingredients to become confident and resilient.

Get it Now → chanie.me/confidencetoolkit

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 a 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 everyday which impact yourself, your teachers, parents, family, and children who you serve everyday.

In today’s episode, I speak with a close friend and guest expert, Sally Haughey, CEO and Founder of FairyDust Teaching. FairyDust started in 2010 as a space for Sally, an early childhood educator to blog out her thoughts and ideas. She was in a highly academic setting and still wanted to bring in the wonder to her classroom.

From there it expanded and grew. FairyDust Teaching has cultivated a community from over 101 countries. Sally has authored several books, including The Wonder Art Workshop and Through the Child's Eyes. 

She has been producing dynamic Play conferences/summits since 2014, has offered hundreds of PD hours through online professional development courses, the Wunder-Led certification program, and the Wonder League membership program.

In this episode, we speak about:

• Sally’s childhood experiences with wonder and play
• How Sally’s personal pathways have helped her to harness her own inner wisdom.
• Sally’s early days as a teacher, and how she was hunting for answers that actually didn't exist.
• The values, the principles, and the character that continues to guide Sally’s pursuit in building FairyDust Teaching.
• Her core message to you who is listening today.

… and so much more!

Join The Free to Play Summit on July 12-16 at chanie.me/freetoplay

The Free to Play Summit has gathered 25+ of the best and brightest experts in early childhood education from six continents. Each will share their observations, insights, and ideas, and together engage this moment to create a better world for young children, their caretakers, and their teachers. 

The conference offers strategies and tools for both early years educators and parents of children up to 5 years of age. It will be online live July 12th through July 16th. 

The Free to Play Summit, which is THE place to confidently own your personal approach to play-based learning in your classroom. 

My friend Sally Haughey, founder of Fairy Dust Teaching and creator of the Play-Activated Learning® model, has created an incredible 5-day guided journey that is 100% online and available worldwide. You’ll get 26 hours of online learning, absolutely free.

Fairy Dust Teaching has been hosting this incredible event for years (this is the “original” that has inspired countless others to host their own summits!).

Even better, this summit has been designed to give you something more - your OWN map to play.

Over 5 days, you’ll listen in on conversations with a curated global panel of educators and experts — not to replicate their approach, but to truly discover your own.

Piece by piece, day by day, the summit will help you borrow new insights and the latest research, then combine them with your own ideas — so you can construct your bespoke map for teaching through play, your way.

As you build your map, you’ll identify the personal values, ideals, and principles that will guide your practice.

With your FREE access to the summit, you’ll receive the full “make your own map” experience. 

Secure your spot! chanie.me/freetoplay

The Summit kicks off July 12, 2021, and runs for 5 days entirely online. You will have 24 hours to access each day’s sessions.