McCormick Institute for Early Childhood

BY Marissa McCloy and Cassandra Ibarra | April 15, 2024

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 a leader in the early care and education field, your education may have focused on courses related to pedagogical objectives, staff management, risk management, or other subjects directly related to hands-on duties an administrator must learn to succeed. These are undoubtedly important subjects to learn, and you gained knowledge and skills to add to your professional toolbox. Somehow, though, they may fall short of covering all aspects of what an administrator should know in this ever-changing field.


You may have also taken one or two marketing courses (if that). You were ready and confident when you entered the field. You manage your program well, but something may be missing that makes you question yourself. “Why do some early care and education programs always have a full waiting list? How do the enrolled families and the community always have knowledge of what is happening in that program? What is their secret?”


Well, it is all about marketing. Now is the time to seize the opportunity to strengthen your marketing skills. We are living in a world where it is essential for early childhood programs and businesses to have an online presence! While the McCormick Center focuses on trainings to strengthen your leadership skills, this article provides insights into one low-cost marketing option called Canva that can make all the difference in your marketing efforts to reach a broader audience.


Canva is an online graphic design tool that can be leveraged to fill in crucial marketing, communications, and graphic design gaps. “Launched in 2013, Canva is an online design and visual communication platform with a mission to empower everyone in the world to design anything and publish anywhere.” Everyone — including and especially those who do not have a background in digital art or marketing – can create with Canva.


From an early childhood administrative perspective, this is wonderful news! With Canva, you can create marketing materials for free or utilize low-cost features to access user-friendly tools accessible on a web browser. This allows you to let your imagination run wild with opportunities aplenty. Here are a few project ideas to get you started:

  • A logo for your organization: A logo helps establish your business’ identity and makes it recognizable to customers. Customize one of Canva’s templates or create your logo from scratch. Use tools like shapes, colors, pens, and graphics in the design studio.
  • Social media content: Design graphics, edit photos, or create short videos for Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and other social media platforms. Templates are available for different types of social media placements, such as Facebook Cover Photo or Instagram Story.
  • Promotional Materials: Share details about your next event or advertise your services with flyers, brochures, posters, and more.
  • Custom apparel: Design custom t-shirts, hats, and more. Canva can also be used to get apparel printed and shipped for a fee.
  • Websites: A website is the foundation of your organization’s online presence. Canva offers customizable website templates and the option to publish websites.
  • QR codes: QR codes, generated from your website’s URL, can help take customers quickly and directly to your site. Simply enter a URL into one of Canva’s apps and have a QR code instantly generated. Add the QR code to other designs created on Canva, or download the QR code as an image and use it wherever you need.
  • Translation: Use the translation app to translate the text in any of your projects.


Selecting a template to begin your project is a great way to get started with Canva. One of the guides shared at the McCormick Center’s December 2023 technology training, Explore the Opportunities of Canva: Basics, allowed participants to discover more about utilizing this resource. Access the webinar recording to see design demonstrations in the Canva studio.


Once you’ve created your first project, Canva makes it easy to share. Your project can be shared via a custom link, or you may download your design files directly onto your computer. Additionally, Canva offers printing services for products such as signage, apparel, and business cards. Click here for additional information.


If you are ready to strengthen your marketing efforts by enhancing your design skills, get started today by making an account for free when you navigate to canva.com. Canva Pro, available for a fee, offers additional features and templates. Consider checking into reduced or no-fee options for those working in the education field and at nonprofit organizations. Are you motivated to learn more about using Canva to build your brand? Join us to learn more about building your brand and making and sharing your business card. Mark your calendar for the McCormick Center’s upcoming virtual technology training, Explore the Opportunities of Canva: Building Your Brand.

Marissa McCloy is the Communications & Design Specialist for the McCormick Center for Early Childhood Leadership at National Louis University. Marissa provides graphic design, marketing, and communications support to all McCormick Center teams. Marissa holds a bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Graphic Design from Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA. Prior to joining the McCormick Center, she worked as a page designer for printed newspapers.


Cassandra Ibarra is a Professional eLearning Assistant for the McCormick Center for Early Childhood Leadership at National Louis University. In this role, Cassandra provides administrative, technical support and customer service for participants enrolled in the center’s online training. Cassandra holds a bachelor’s degree in Urban Studies and Spanish from Elmhurst University. Before joining the McCormick Center, she assisted Elmhurst University guests, students, faculty, and staff in navigating Elmhurst University through the Elmhurst University Information Desk.

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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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