ChildCare Conversations with Kate and Carrie

Send us Fan Mail When Success Starts to Feel Like Survival with Chanie Wilschanski What happens when being the person everyone depends on starts to cost you your health, relationships, and peace of mind? Chanie Wilschanski joins Kate Woodward Young to explore the hidden pressure behind leadership and why childcare owners, directors, and high-capacity leaders can feel like they’re carrying everythi...

Send us Fan Mail When It’s Time to Walk Away: Career Growth in Early Childhood Education What happens when the career you worked so hard to build no longer supports your well-being? Bryanne Adler joins Kate Woodward Young to share her journey from floating teaching assistant to preschool owner and director, and why stepping away from her business became the healthiest choice. They explore early ch...

Send us Fan Mail What the Procare Acquisition Means for Playground and Childcare Providers What does the Procare acquisition mean for Playground and for the childcare providers who rely on its software? Sasha Reiss, co-founder of Playground, joins Kate Woodward Young to explain why the acquisition could accelerate innovation while keeping Playground’s mission and customer focus at the center. They...

Send us Fan Mail Why is retaining Gen Z employees in childcare about more than pay and scheduling? Kate Woodward Young and Marie Young explore Gen Z employee retention, childcare staff turnover, workplace culture, leadership, and communication to uncover what helps younger educators feel respected, supported, and motivated to stay. They share practical strategies for handling difficult conversatio...

Send us Fan Mail What does it really take to renovate, build, or open a childcare center without costly surprises ? Matt Hart joins Kate Woodward Young to share lessons from managing complex early-learning construction projects, including transforming a 32,000-square-foot former nursing unit into an early-learning center. They explore childcare center construction, facility planning, renovations,...

Send us Fan Mail Could regulatory reform actually help childcare programs improve quality? Kate Woodward Young talks with Dr. Mary Harper about why reducing duplicative paperwork and outdated compliance processes could free up time and resources for what matters most: children, staffing, safety, and quality care . They explore childcare regulation, licensing, regulatory reform, workforce developme...

Send us Fan Mail What does it take to grow a childcare business without losing the values and families at its heart ? Kate Woodward Young talks with Kristen Denzer, CEO of Tierra Encantada, about building a bilingual, values-driven childcare brand from a personal need and creating a path toward nationwide growth. They explore childcare business growth, bilingual education, franchising, leadership,...

Send us Fan Mail Is accreditation just another checklist—or can it actually help your early childhood program grow? Selena McNeely joins Kate Woodward Young to unpack what accreditation really means, why programs pursue it, and how to choose an accreditation path that fits your philosophy and goals. They explore childcare accreditation, quality improvement, self-study, staff training, family commu...

Send us Fan Mail What if your playground could become a music classroom—without requiring a music specialist ? Alisha Kriege of Freenotes Harmony Park joins Kate Woodward Young to explore how outdoor musical instruments can create inclusive, engaging, and standards-aligned learning experiences for children of all ages. They discuss music education, outdoor learning, inclusive play, sensory experie...

Send us Fan Mail What happens when you find a preschool franchise that actually fits your educational philosophy and business goals ? Amber Stravlo shares how choosing Ivybrook Academy helped her grow enrollment from 40 to 162 children in one year while building a school centered on individualized learning, strong relationships, and family trust. Kate Woodward Young talks with Amber about preschoo...

Send us Fan Mail What if the stress and overwhelm you’re carrying isn’t just stress but unresolved grief ? Grief recovery specialist Vickie Hagedorn joins Kate for a powerful conversation about how grief can show up far beyond death or divorce, especially during major life transitions like retirement, menopause, moving, job loss, empty nesting, and children starting school. Vickie shares practical...

Send us Fan Mail What does co-regulation really look like when a classroom is chaotic, and everyone is overwhelmed? Kate Woodward Young talks with Camille from Strengthen Hands about self-regulation, emotional development, behavior support, and social-emotional learning in early childhood . They explore how educators can respond in those critical moments with connection and intention instead of si...

Send us Fan Mail What if your next growth move isn’t another childcare location—but a whole new business model? Krisana Puccio shares how Pineapple School grew from one bilingual, family-centered child care program into a three-campus operation with a franchise strategy designed for sustainable growth. Kate Woodward Young and Krisana explore childcare expansion, franchising, business systems, EOS,...

Send us Fan Mail What should every childcare owner know before signing a lease or starting a build-out? Kate Woodward Young talks with Mary Hornbeck, a Kansas City childcare operator who grew from one classroom to four locations, about childcare facility leases, landlord negotiations, build-outs, expansion, and protecting your budget . Mary shares hard-earned lessons on negotiating long-term lease...

Send us Fan Mail Networking isn’t just about collecting contacts; it’s about building real relationships that lead to trust, referrals, and opportunity . Kate Woodward Young and Tiffany Mason share practical strategies for networking, relationship building, local marketing, and business growth , including how to make meaningful connections in person and follow up in a way people remember. Whether...

Send us Fan Mail What if your staffing problem isn’t a hiring problem; it’s a leadership and retention problem ? Kate Woodward Young and Erica Saccoccio explore how childcare directors and owners can recognize hidden leaders, strengthen staff development, and build a pipeline of future leaders from within their own teams. From onboarding and teacher buddies to meaningful recognition, professional...

Send us Fan Mail What does it really take to grow a childcare organization without losing the systems, staff support, and community connection that make it successful? Dr. Jason Lody shares how Aventus grew from zero to 21 schools across six states , and the technology, operations, and strategy required to scale sustainably. Kate Woodward Young and Jason explore childcare expansion, multi-site ope...

Send us Fan Mail Why does Gen Z leave childcare, and what can leaders do differently to make them want to stay? Kate Woodward Young and Marie Young share an honest mother-daughter conversation about Gen Z staff retention, onboarding, leadership, communication, and workplace culture in early childhood education. From handling difficult conversations to matching teachers with their strengths and pas...

Send us Fan Mail What if we stopped waiting for a diagnosis before supporting a child who needs help? Stephanie Corley joins Kate Woodward Young to explore early intervention, developmental concerns, exceptionalities, and supporting children in early childhood education . They discuss how tools like ASQs and Teaching Strategies GOLD can help educators recognize concerns early, partner with familie...

Send us Fan Mail Great teachers don’t automatically become great directors. But too often, they’re promoted into leadership and expected to figure it out on their own. Kate Woodward Young and Carrie Casey explore why early childhood administrator training needs to be built around the real work of leading a childcare center, from budgets and enrollment to hiring, payroll, culture, and business oper...

Send us Fan Mail What does it take to go from early childhood educator to CEO? Jessica Van Hoose, CEO of The Nest Schools, joins Kate to talk about early childhood leadership, business strategy, personal branding, and executive confidence . They explore why ECE leaders need to understand both quality and the business side of childcare, from operations and financials to revenue and profit. Jessica...

Send us Fan Mail What if the behavior you’re trying to manage isn’t really a child problem—but an environment problem? Kate Woodward Young sits down with Carla Ward, early childhood educator, director, entrepreneur, and host of The Everything EC Podcast , for a candid conversation about challenging the “way we’ve always done it” in early childhood. From creating “yes spaces” that give children mor...

Send us Fan Mail What happens when the passion that brought you into early childhood education starts to feel like burnout? Kate Woodward Young sits down with LaTroya B. of The Preschool Posse for an honest, energizing conversation about finding your fire again—and realizing you don't have to do this work alone. They talk burnout, mentorship, leadership, and the kind of practical support educ...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Childcare Conversations, Kate and Cindy Morgan tackle something every childcare director needs but few actually have: written Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for staff training and compliance. They dig into why keeping training records organized is such a common violation across states, and how easy it is to lose track of CPR renewals, background checks, an...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Childcare Conversations, Kate Woodward Young drops some serious truth bombs about why handing a new hire a handbook and saying "let us know if you have questions" just doesn't cut it. She breaks down the real difference between orientation, training, and onboarding, and why completing a training checklist doesn't automatically mean someone is...