Early childhood directors are responsible for staffing, licensing, family concerns, budgets, classroom challenges, and whatever unexpected problem appears next. But being in charge does not mean doing everything yourself.

In this episode of Early Childhood Chapters, host Emily Garman talks with Jill Jacobi-Vessels, PhD, and Amy K. Powell, PhD, authors of It's Fine! Everything's Fine! (And You're in Charge.): Real-World Wisdom for Early Childhood Directors.

Jill and Amy share practical, compassionate strategies for building a team you can trust without trying to carry every responsibility alone. Their conversation explores how thoughtful hiring and onboarding can improve retention, why delegation benefits both directors and staff, and how leaders can respond to workplace conflict without becoming responsible for fixing everyone's feelings.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• How better interview questions can help identify candidates who fit your program
• What new employees need during their first days and weeks
• Why delegation is a form of trust and professional recognition
• Which responsibilities directors should not delegate
• How to "listen past the pain" when staff members are upset
• Why relationships with other directors are essential
• How remembering your "why" can help you reconnect with the purpose of your work
• Why caring for yourself also supports your team

Most importantly, Jill and Amy remind directors that everything cannot be the most important thing at once. Breathe. Think. Prioritize. Act. And remember that you are not alone.

It's Fine! Everything's Fine! (And You're in Charge) is available now from Gryphon House Books.

In early childhood education, it can be easy to get so caught up in the demands of each day that we lose sight of why the work matters in the first place.

In this episode of Early Childhood Chapters, host Emily Garman talks with Rachel Robertson, EdD, Chief Academic Officer for Bright Horizons and author of Connecting Practice to Purpose: A Reflective Journal for Teachers. Rachel shares why reflection is such an important part of professional growth and how guided journaling can give educators the space to process challenges, recognize their strengths, celebrate meaningful moments, and reconnect with their purpose.

Rachel also explains what makes a guided journal different from a blank notebook, how reflection can help educators become their own "self-mentors," and why recording both the hard days and the joyful ones can reveal growth that might otherwise go unnoticed.

In this conversation, you'll hear about:

• Why reflective practice matters for educators at every stage of their careers
• How guided prompts can make reflection easier and more meaningful
• The connection between an educator's daily practices and their larger purpose
• How journaling can help teachers recognize patterns, strengths, challenges, and opportunities for growth
• Why documenting small victories and meaningful moments can help sustain educators through difficult days
• What it means to become your own self-mentor
• How reflection can help educators recognize the impact they have on children's lives
• What teachers may discover when they look back on an entire year of reflection

Whether you're beginning your first year in the classroom, taking on a new role, or simply looking for a way to reconnect with what brought you to this work, this conversation is a reminder that professional growth doesn't always require doing more. Sometimes it begins with slowing down long enough to notice, reflect, and remember why your work matters.

Connecting Practice to Purpose: A Reflective Journal for Teachers by Rachel Robertson, EdD, is available from Gryphon House.

What if the key to changing children's behavior isn't control at all? In this episode of Early Childhood Chapters, host Emily Garman sits down with Dr. Deborah Bergeron and Rhonda Conn-Parent, coauthors of Trust First, to explore a powerful shift in how educators approach behavior.

Instead of focusing on managing or correcting children, this conversation reframes behavior as communication—and an opportunity for learning. Deborah and Rhonda share how leading with trust can transform classroom culture, reduce stress for educators, and create environments where children truly thrive.

From redefining "challenging behaviors" to introducing the KIDS framework (Kindness, Independence, Delight, Success), this episode offers practical, actionable strategies educators can start using right away.

In This Episode, You'll Learn:

• Why behavior should be seen as something that challenges us, not something wrong with the child
• How trust serves as the foundation for learning and brain development
• The KIDS framework and how it helps decode behavior
• Why respect must be modeled, not demanded
• How small mindset shifts can dramatically change classroom dynamics
• What "double happiness" means for both children and teachers
• The "pit stop" strategy (pause, inhale, think) and how it supports regulation

Key Takeaway:
When educators shift from control to connection, behavior becomes information—and every moment becomes an opportunity to teach, learn, and build trust.

Learn More:
Trust First: Turn Behaviors that Challenge Us into Opportunities to Learn by Dr. Deborah Bergeron and Rhonda Conn-Parent is available now from Gryphon House.