CareCast: Stories from the Childcare Trenches

Summary Kelly is back with friend and colleague, Morgan Smoke, to discuss the importance of tours in childcare centers. They talk about the challenges of maintaining a waitlist and how a healthy waitlist can actually help with enrollment. They share their love for giving tours and the pride they feel in showcasing their centers. They also discuss the benefits of being parents themselves when givin...

Summary: In this episode of CareCast, Kelly is chatting with her work bestie and fellow child care professional, Morgan Smoke. They talk about their friendship, their journey in the field, and the challenges they face as administrators. They also touch on the importance of hiring the right staff, keeping everyone happy, and the high standards in child care. They share stories about their roles as...

Summar y: In this interview Kelly is back with Heather Hughes discussing her current role in childcare and her approach to classroom observations. Heather explains that her role involves both whole classroom observations and individual observations of struggling children. She emphasizes the importance of effective communication between teachers and parents and the need for early intervention. Heat...

🎙️ Get ready for our next CareCast episode! 🌟 Director of Behavioral Support, Heather Hughes, is back to discuss classroom observations and co-teacher dynamics. Tune in for valuable insights to elevate your child care setting. Don't miss it! 🌈 #CareCast #ChildCare #ClassroomObservations 🍎👩‍🏫

Summary: In this conversation, Kelly interviews Heather Hughes, a former teacher and current behavioral specialist, about her journey in working with young children and their families. Heather discusses the importance of setting appropriate expectations for children based on their developmental age and the negative impact of unrealistic expectations. She shares a story about a child in her kinderg...

Summary: In this episode, Jared Goodykoontz, also known as Jared the Nature Guy, discusses the importance of building community and creating events that bring families together in nature. He shares how he fosters community in his nature classes through routine, sharing nature stories, and playing games. Jared also talks about the nature parties he organizes, where families can explore and play gam...

Summary: In this episode, we're joined by Jared, a passionate educator who leads nature classes for children. With a focus on hands-on experiences and fun activities, Jared aims to instill a love for nature in young hearts. He advocates for the 'coyote method,' where learning is disguised in engaging and interactive lessons. Discover the myriad benefits of outdoor play, including incre...

Summary: In this episode, host Kelly Manofsky is back with art educator Heather Brummel discussing the importance of art education in early childhood and the benefits of process art over product art. They also explore the role of art in child development, the fear of messiness, and the use of unconventional art supplies. Heather shares her top recommendations for art supplies and encourages parent...

Summary In this conversation, Kelly interviews her friend Heather Brummel, who has a background in art education and currently teaches art classes to kindergartners. They discuss Heather's journey in childcare and education, her approach to planning art classes, and the importance of encouraging creativity in children. They also play a word association game to test how in sync their thinking i...

Summary In this episode, Kelly is back with talks with Child Care Directors, Codi and Annie, about the importance of communication in their roles. They discuss their favorite communication tools, such as Slack and CareDay, and how these platforms have improved communication with staff and parents. They also share tips for managing tough conversations and handling difficult situations. The episode...

In this episode of Carecast, host Kelly interviews Codi and Annie, who were co-directors in the childcare industry. They discuss the importance of the co-director relationship and how it bonds people. Codi and Annie share their educational backgrounds and the different roles they have held in the childcare industry. They also talk about their experiences working together and the challenges they fa...

Summary Today Haley shares her journey into marketing in the child care industry and provides tips on branding and search engine optimization (SEO). She emphasizes the importance of continuous learning and recommends online resources for gaining marketing knowledge. Haley explains the basics of SEO, including keyword research and optimization techniques for websites. She also highlights the signif...

Summary: In this episode of CareCast, we welcome our Podcast producer, Haley Beroske. Haley reflects on her career journey which took her from a degree in child development to becoming the chief of marketing for a childcare franchise. She candidly discusses the challenges she faced, including imposter syndrome and learning from BIG mistakes, like the significant impact of website changes on SEO. W...

Summary: Daycare CEO shares how frustrating enrollment Excel spreadsheets were the bane of her existence, riddled with errors and causing sleepless nights. She shares how CareDay revolutionized her enrollment experience and gave her the tools to build her business-taking the behind-the-scenes chaos and turning it into streamlined, data-driven management. With CareDay, Becca can confidently predict...

Summary In today’s episode, we are sitting down with Becca Pahl, Co-Founder and CEO of Balanced Family Academy. Becca is powerhouse in the childcare industry and has established 17 wildly successful daycare centers in less than a decade. She knows the daycare business inside and out, and she's been instrumental in creating the game changing features within CareDay Solutions. Today, Becca's...

Summary In this episode, Taylor Lane, Chief of Teaching and Learning at Balanced Family Academy, returns to share her expertise on early childhood curriculum development. We dive into aligning curriculum with learning standards, streamlining implementation across a company, and fostering teacher creativity. Taylor also reveals how CareDay’s unique curriculum technology enhance the planning process...

Our first episode dives deep into the friendship between two early childhood educators. Taylor + Kelly reminisce about their time as preschool co-teachers, sharing hilarious classroom stories, potty training competitions, and their contrasting teaching styles. They discuss the importance of teamwork, learning from each other, and the unique challenges faced when working different shifts in a child...