McCormick Institute for Early Childhood

BY McCormick Center | May 16, 2018

Building Brighter Futures: Reflecting on the 2018 Leadership Connections Conference

Our founder, Paula Jorde Bloom, created Leadership Connections™ National Conference as a place where early childhood professionals from across the country (and around the world) could connect and learn together in an interactive experience unlike any other. This year’s theme “Building Brighter Futures” focused on how we as the early childhood community could affect change to make the lives of children and families better.



Below is a recap of the 2018 conference. Explore #lcnc18 on Twitter to find golden nuggets attendees shared during the conference.

An older woman is sitting in a chair talking into a microphone.

Pre-conference, Wednesday, May 9

The pre-conference sessions sold out. Judy Jablon (Leading for Children), presented a full-day session on “The Five Commitments of Optimistic Leadership.” Also, Luis Hernandez presented a half-day session on “Mama in Her Pajamas: Checking Our Attitudes About Families,” followed by Janis Keyser’s session, “Inviting Mama in Her Pajamas into Partnership: Building Our Toolkit.”


Taking Charge of Change cohort #25 participants presented their quality improvement plans to their fellow colleagues and mentors. This marked the end of their 10-month cohort and the beginning of cohort #26. (Apply to join cohort #26 by May 31, 2018!)

In the evening, networking events kicked off the conference. Many early childhood leaders traveled by bus to Chicago for a guided tour of the city. Others stayed behind to hear from Dean Judah Viola of National Louis University about “Intentional Networking: Discovering the Value of Connections.”


Day 1, Thursday, May 10


Donna Jacobson, Executive Director of the McCormick Center, opened the conference with a reflection on Paula Jorde Bloom and her far-reaching impact on thousands of children, families, and early childhood leaders. Chip Donohue, Dean of Distance Learning and Continuing Education at Erikson Institute, presented the 2018 Visionary Leadership Award to Barbara Bowman, Co-Founder of Erikson Institute, graduate school in child development, early education, and social work.

Walter Gilliam, Director of The Edward Zigler Center, gave a passionate keynote address on implicit bias and preschool expulsion. He presented evidence that demonstrated that preschool expulsion is not the result of child behavior–it is an adult decision. And he went further, saying “If we are biased in the classroom, it doesn’t impact only that child. We are teaching bias to every child in that classroom.” He also commented, “Access isn’t just about getting in the front door. It’s about not getting kicked out the back door, too.” Read more about Walter’s research here.

In the evening, Marketplace opened. More than 30 vendors greeted attendees with early childhood apps, professional learning books, early childhood classroom furniture and supplies, clothing, and jewelry.

Barbara Bowman shared her visionary leadership journey, advising that leaders need “to be willing to change.” When asked about her greatest accomplishment, Barbara simply responded, “My child.” The McCormick Center Advisory Board presented a donation to the Paula Jorde Bloom scholarship fund as well.


Day 2, Friday, May 11


At the Public Policy Forum, participants heard a keynote from Marica Cox Mitchell, Deputy Executive Director of Early Learning Systems at the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), regarding NAEYC’s Power to the Profession initiative and the impact it will have on the early childhood field. The Power to the Profession initiative seeks to create guidelines for the profession in order to advocate for fair compensation and exceptional quality across the field. After the keynote, participants were given the opportunity to ask questions to a panel of speakers their questions about Power to the Profession. The panel included Marica; Teri Talan, Senior Policy Advisor for the McCormick Center; Sherry Cleary, Executive Director of the New York City Early Childhood Professional Development Institute; and Anne Douglass, founding Executive Director of the Institute for Early Education Leadership and Innovation at UMass Boston.

At the Taking Charge of Change™ (TCC) Reunion, cohorts from the past 25 years met to reminisce and reflect on how TCC has changed their lives. Cohort members enjoyed a plated lunch and a slideshow sharing highlights from the program since its inception.

Special interest sessions were held at the end of the day and were an opportunity for participants to explore different programs and initiatives further. Some of the special interest sessions included Aim4Excellence™ (our online national director credential), the L.E.A.D. Early Childhood™ Clearinghouse, and degree programs at National Louis University.


Day 3, Saturday, May 12


Dr. Dana Suskind, Founder and Director of the TMW Center for Early Learning and Public Health, shared insights from current research happening at the center around the importance of language in early childhood. She shared startling statistics about parents’ perspectives of early language development and encouraged attendees to empower parents by sharing their knowledge of the incredible brain development that occurs starting the moment a child is born.

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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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