McCormick Institute for Early Childhood

BY Giovanni Arroyo | October 3, 2014

This document may be printed, photocopied, and disseminated freely with attribution. All content is the property of the McCormick Center for Early Childhood Leadership.

Over the years, I have worked as computer tech and technology trainer. At the McCormick Center, I help early childhood leaders learn how to best utilize technology in their programs. Below are five underused tools that I find to be highly beneficial. They can lighten your workload, make sharing items easier, and lessen the time you spend in front of the screen. As I chose these five tools, I did my best to ensure each one is cross-platform. This means that whether you are on a Mac, a Windows, or even a mobile device, these programs will work for you. Plus, all of these tools are free at the basic levels, which offer more than enough features to help you use the internet more efficiently. 


Google Drive
Create, share, and collaborate on different document types all in Google Drive. This free application could replace Microsoft® Office allowing you to generate documents, spreadsheets, presentations, forms, and surveys. Drive also integrates well with other Google products you may already be using such as Gmail, Google+, and Hangouts. 


IFTTT
Strapped for time? Check out how this nifty tool can help your program automate the many web processes you’re doing already. Also known as If This Then That IFTTT allows you to create “recipes”, which will automatically perform actions online for you. For example, you could use this tool to ensure that every photo you share on Twitter is also posted to Instagram. There are hundreds of recipe possibilities and IFTTT interacts with sites all over the internet. 


Buffer
Buffer makes scheduling posts and sharing web pages or social media posts on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn easy. You can share your post right away to all three social media sites. Or, with a few clicks, you can set specific times and days for your posts to be published. It integrates with social media sites so you can share a post or web page at the most efficient time—regardless of when you view it. 


Evernote
Evernote is my go-to notetaking app. Installed on every device I own, it allows me to take notes and keep ideas from wherever I may find them—from websites, photos, and more. It is like having a pocket journal in the digital age.



MailChimp
Do you need a more efficient way to communicate announcements or newsletters to families? MailChimp is an easy-to-use email generating tool with an easy drag and drop interface. Media and blogs are touting the end of email, but we have found that generating leads and sharing program information via email is still the most effective way to communicate with families and colleagues. MailChimp helps make this process simple. 

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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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