McCormick Institute for Early Childhood

BY | January 4, 2017

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

As an early childhood program leader, you already know that having consistent teaching staff is important for young children and families. Research from the Association for Childhood Educational International indicates that teacher turnover affects child outcomes. Turnover is associated with three basic causes; low compensation, high teacher-child ratios, and difficult working conditions. Let’s explore five ways to combat the latter.


  1. Order materials that have been requested and approved. A common practice in early care and education programs is for teaching staff to submit their lesson plan for the month with a list of needed supplies. Creating a basic materials request form can make this an easy process for teachers. Routinely ordering supplies needed for lesson plans (i.e., making sure teachers have enough red paint and Q-tips to add to the art table) is a real way to show how much you appreciate teachers following procedures and implementing great activities for children.
  2. Use individualized professional development plans. Here is an example of a form used in the Illinois professional development system. Individualized professional development plans can include educational goals, areas, or topics a teacher wishes to learn more about. When you and teachers meet to discuss goals collaboratively, it lets teachers know their interests and learning goals are appreciated and promotes a norm of professional growth.
  3. Be aware of individual needs. Consider small changes in your routines to show teachers how much you appreciate them. For example, teachers may be in the classroom for many hours before they are able to use the washroom or get a drink of water. Schedule a few moments during your day to offer teachers an unscheduled break. Another example is recognizing that transition times can be difficult for some staff. Offering extra support by being on hand during transitions lets staff know you are aware and supportive of their individual needs. There may be times during the day when five minutes of your help can make a big difference.
  4. Acknowledge skills. Consider the skills that convinced you to hire a teacher. If a teacher is great at reading and telling stories to children, he could model those skills by being a guest reader in another classroom. This is a free and easy way to highlight a teacher’s skill as well as giving other staff some examples of fun storytelling. Putting notes of appreciation on paychecks or sticky notes with “I noticed…” statements can also reinforce the positive things you are seeing.
  5. Involve staff and be bold with appreciation. Instead of quietly saying thank you and giving a thumbs-up, create a bulletin board with easy access to writing materials so everyone can get in on saying, “I’m glad you work with me!” Encourage co-workers to celebrate with each other on special days by keeping your staff roster current with birthdays and work anniversary dates.


These are all simple and free ways to create a positive work environment. When program leaders model these practices, their staff may, in turn, be motivated to demonstrate behaviors that encourage efficacy, collaboration, professional growth, supporting colleagues, getting to know one another, and demonstrating appreciation of co-workers.


If you’re looking for more resources on this topic, here are some suggestions:


Leslie Gilbert is a Leadership Specialist Trainer at McCormick Center for Early Childhood Leadership at National Louis University. She has been in the early childhood field over 20 years, serving as a classroom teacher, a center director, and a technical assistance specialist with child care resource and referral agencies in Illinois and Indiana.

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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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