McCormick Institute for Early Childhood

BY McCormick Center Staff | February 14, 2023

The  Paula Jorde Bloom Scholarship , first awarded in 2019, is intended to support emerging and aspiring early childhood leaders dedicated to providing the highest quality care and education for children and families. The scholarship, established by Paula’s family after she passed in 2018, highlights  her legendary devotion to improving early childhood professional standards. This year’s awards, valued at $500 each, fund the winners’ registrations for Leadership Connections. We extend congratulations to the following leaders:

A woman with long black hair is smiling for the camera.

Mona Webber

Mona Webber is a Director at the Goddard School, located in Darien, IL. She has been working in the field of Early Childhood Education for over 20 years, where she has been a toddler teacher, program director, and assistant director. She was a 2021-2022 Teach Plus Illinois Early Childhood Policy Fellow.

“Leadership Connections provides a unique opportunity to collaborate and network with Early Childhood specialists and leaders. While I have been in my current position for only one year, I have been inspired by our team members and recognize how important it is to provide opportunities to support and motivate them so they can be the best at what they do. It is my ongoing commitment to further enhance my leadership skills not only within our program but also within the field in providing equitable opportunities for children and families to have quality educational programs.” – Mona Webber

 

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Kayli Bontrager

Kayli Bontrager (she/her) is the Family & Community Engagement Specialist for Birth to Five Illinois: Region 11. Kayli is personally and professionally passionate about families, specifically diverse family structures like blended, step, foster, multi-generational, and single-parent, and increasing awareness of their unique needs and challenges. Kayli obtained a bachelor’s degree in Human Development and Family Studies from Indiana State University and a master’s degree in Human Services from Eastern Illinois University, where she concentrated on family programming. In her current role, Kayli works to engage families and community members in Birth to Five Illinois’s work across Region 11, which covers Coles, Cumberland, Edgar, Shelby, Douglas, Moultrie, and Clark counties in Illinois. Birth to Five Illinois’s mission is to create a state-wide regional infrastructure that will amplify the input from communities in developing policies and funding priorities. Whether attending Story Hour at local libraries, participating in youth events like Trunk or Treats, or handing out flyers to community businesses, Kayli is out in the communities making sure families have the opportunity to share their voice on Early Childhood Education & Care.

“I’m so excited to attend Leadership Connections! The conference is a fantastic opportunity to speak with others in our field and learn from their successes and trials. I’m most excited about having the designated space to discuss the field of Early Childhood Education & Care with other professionals – specifically on the subject of family engagement!” – Kayli Bontrager

 

Learn more and register today to obtain or lowest rate for “The Time is Now: Leadership & Advocacy” National Virtual Conference.

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The AI-Enabled Administrator: Reclaim Valuable Time

By Dr. Neal Green • February 8, 2026
Tools: Gemini Gems, NotebookLM, Perplexity Spaces Overview The evidence is clear that early childhood professionals' most significant challenge is a lack of time. Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools, when used strategically, can give administrators some of the time they desperately need, allowing them to focus more on their staff and the children and families in their care. This approach aligns with the foundational goal of strengthening leadership effectiveness and program impact (Abel, Talan, & Masterson, 2023). When I scan the AI landscape of available products and platforms, it becomes overwhelming. There are so many options that it is impossible to keep up with every new development. Focusing on a limited number of AI tools backed by organizations with strong infrastructure and fiscal stability is a wise place to start your AI journey. McCormick Institute for Early Childhood’s (MIEC’s) upcoming professional development sessions will focus on three AI tools. These include Gemini Gems, NotebookLM, and Perplexity Spaces. Think of Gemini Gems as your customized AI assistant that you "train" to follow your rules and meet your goals. Gemini Gems are the right tool to tackle Internal Operations . NotebookLM is perfect for creating Family Support resources that stick. NotebookLM is a powerful AI tool that uses only the documents or other resources you add to generate specific, focused output. Perplexity Spaces is a fantastic choice to address Marketing demands. Like many AI tools, you can toggle back and forth between open web searches and focused documents that are specific to your work. Gemini Gems: The “Specialist Teammate” Gemini Gems allow you to create templates you can use repeatedly for agendas, HR policies, and more. If you have used AI in the past, you know that writing an effective prompt takes time, and they can easily get "lost" if you use AI often. Gems removes that challenge and lets you save your most effective prompts without having to rewrite them every time you use Gemini. It is up to you to decide if you want to create several smaller Gems to tackle common challenges you face or create larger Gems that encompass large swaths of your work. For our purposes, we will focus our Gem work on Internal Operations, addressing Program Administration Scale (PAS) Item 9: Internal Communications (Talan & Bloom, 2011). Imagine using a Gem to turn messy staff meeting notes into professional minutes with clear action plans in minutes or less! NotebookLM: The "Walled Garden" NotebookLM is an excellent tool for Family Support for your center, addressing PAS Item 17: Family Support and Involvement (Talan & Bloom, 2011). After uploading documents and resources, such as your parent handbook or community referral lists, to your Notebook, you can create several resources that parents/guardians of your center students will love. Just a few of the impressive features available with NotebookLM include audio (podcast) summaries, video summaries, and reporting functions with templates or the option to create your own report with metrics that matter most to you. Perplexity Spaces: The "Research Librarian" Perplexity Spaces is a perfect AI partner for Marketing your early childhood education (ECE) program, addressing PAS Item 18: External Communications (Talan & Bloom, 2011). You can build your own centralized repository, with control over branding to ensure consistency and present a professional, current image. Adding specific instructions to your space eliminates the need to format documents constantly and saves valuable time. The consistency that a Perplexity Space offers in this regard allows you to upload messages that are the "voice” of your brand. Your marketing efforts are not only more aesthetically pleasing but also enable you to track trends at similar centers in your area, helping you assess the competition. Strategies for Success: Audit your Internal Communications: Identify one repetitive task, such as creating staff meeting agendas (PAS Item 9), and automate it with a Gemini Gem. Curate your Family Resources: Gather three to five existing documents to "feed" a NotebookLM project for more responsive family support (PAS Item 17). Standardize your Brand: Use a Perplexity Space to ensure all public relations tools project a consistent, professional image (PAS Item 18). Reflection Questions: Which administrative task takes the most time away from your interactions with staff and families? How might centralizing marketing materials (branding) impact the professional image to prospective families? Table 1: AI Tools for ECE Professionals
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