History of the McCormick Institute of Early Childhood Leadership

In 1975, with the support of local philanthropists, Paula Jorde Bloom designed and brought to life the child care center of her dreams in Alamo, California. Classrooms were spacious. Windows were abundant. Farm animals and a vegetable garden were thriving in an expansive yard. Children were happy and engaged with a developmentally appropriate curriculum. Yet, something was missing. Operating a sustainable program required more skills and knowledge than Paula felt she possessed.

“While I had been a very talented and accomplished classroom teacher, I had no clue about program administration and had had no formal organizational leadership and management courses,” Paula reflected. “At that time, I didn’t know the difference between a debit and a credit.” This experience fueled Paula’s passion and life’s work.

Paula dedicated the rest of her life to not only bringing national attention to the role of leaders in early care and education, but also to inspiring those leaders to learn more and improve the quality of their programs. She went on to be an instructor at Mills College and the director of the campus lab school. Paula completed her doctorate at Stanford University, moved to the Chicago area, and started as an assistant professor at National Louis University (then National College of Education).

In 1985, she applied for and received a $600 Membership Action Grant from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) to start the Early Childhood Professional Development Project. Ultimately, the project, which focused on directors of early care and education programs, led to the founding of another center. This one, though, would focus on leadership development for those in early childhood. Her goals for the McCormick Center for Early Childhood Leadership were to identify, define, and support the competencies of early childhood program administrators and to bring credibility to the importance and complexity of the administrator’s role.

Throughout the next 30 years, Paula devoted her work to supporting program administrators. She authored scores of journal articles and resources including the widely read Director’s Toolbox management book series and the Early Childhood Work Environment Survey (ECWES), an organizational climate assessment tool. She also co-authored the first valid and reliable tools to measure early childhood leadership and management, the Program Administration Scale (PAS) and the Business Administration Scale for Family Child Care (BAS).

Paula’s far-reaching impact on the field of early childhood is widely recognized and much celebrated. For Paula’s retirement celebration in 2014, scores of colleagues across the country called the McCormick Center to leave Paula voicemails of endearment, congratulations, and a tremendous amount of gratitude. You can listen to some of them here, as well as read Paula’s inspiring retirement address. Unsurprisingly, Paula did not stop working when she “retired.” Instead, she worked on new editions of several of her most widely read books and trainer’s guides. And, despite knowing her time among us was nearing an end, Paula continued to work on projects and offer insights that will undoubtedly move the field forward. Paula passed away on February 17, 2018, after living with cancer for nearly two decades.

Paula took a $600 grant and built a thriving, nationally recognized organization with an annual budget of more than $5 million. Today, the McCormick Center is a driving force in improving the quality of early childhood education nationwide, supporting administrators in their passion to provide high-quality programs for the families and children who depend on their leadership.

Thank you, Paula. Thousands of children, families, and early childhood leaders have a brighter future because of you.

After her passing in early 2018, Paula’s family established the Paula Jorde Bloom Scholarship Fund to support emerging early childhood leaders who are dedicated to providing the highest quality care and education for children and families. Become part of Paula’s legacy by supporting the development of the next generation of early childhood leaders. You can give by clicking the button below, which will take you to a donation page for National Louis University, the McCormick Center’s parent organization. Be sure to indicate “Paula Jorde Bloom Scholarship Fund” when making your gift.

Childhood Professional Development Project

1886

Elizabeth Harrison has a radical idea for her time: create a college to train women to teach kindergarten primarily in immigrant communities. Harrison opens Miss Harrison’s Training School at the Loring School on Prairie Avenue in Chicago. The modern American kindergarten movement begins.

1906

The Chicago Kindergarten College incorporates as a non-profit entity and moves to a new location on Michigan Ave. The school pioneers educational delivery systems by offering branch classes in other cities, as well as a correspondence course.

1930

The college changes its name to the National College of Education, and introduces the first four-year teacher-training program in Illinois. The preparation of Early Childhood Educators remains at the core of the new college and continues to thrive over the next 10 decades.

1985

Dr. Paula Jorde Bloom receives $600 from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) to start the Early Childhood Professional Development Project. This project led to the founding the Center for Early Childhood Leadership, whose goals were to identify, define, and support the competencies of early childhood program administrators and to bring credibility to the importance and complexity of the administrator’s role.

1986

Michael W. Louis makes a historic, $30 million donation to the NCE, among the largest gifts to any college or university in Illinois.

1990

In recognition of the Louis family’s tremendous generosity and support, the institution is renamed National Louis University, a comprehensive university composed of three colleges, one of which is the National College of Education, which continues to emphasize teacher preparation.

1991

Blueprint for Action is published. A centerpiece of the Center’s training, this book provides a framework for understanding the dynamics of organizational change in early care and education programs.

1993

Taking Charge of Change™ (TCC), the Center’s flagship leadership training program, is launched.

1999

NLU moves to its flagship downtown Chicago location in the historic Peoples Gas Building.

2000

The Center conducts a comprehensive study of the early childhood workforce in Illinois, resulting in the publication of Who’s Caring for the Kids? The report served as an important resource for policymakers for strengthening the state’s professional development system.

2000

2001

Leadership Connections™ National Conference is launched.

2004

The Program Administration Scale (PAS), authored by staff at the Center, is published.

2005

With $3.6 million in gifts from the McCormick Foundation and the Josephine and John Louis Foundation, the Center is renamed the McCormick Center for Early Childhood Leadership and an endowed chair is established. Dr. Bloom is named the first recipient of the Michael W. Louis Endowed Chair.

2007

Illinois launched the Quality Counts quality rating system (QRS) and the McCormick Center assumes the role of conducting all on-site classroom and program quality assessments required for the star-rating system.

2008

Research supporting the reliability and validity of the Business Administration Scale for Family Child Care (BAS) is completed and the instrument, authored by staff at the Center, is published by Teachers College Press.

2009

The McCormick Center launches Aim4Excellence,™ a national online director credential that utilizes cutting-edge technology to deliver engaging content.

2011

National Louis University celebrates its 125th year and is respected as one of Chicago’s oldest, most innovative private universities, providing a quality education for a new type of learner: one who is pursuing an education while managing other personal and professional goals.

2013

Illinois receives a Race-to-the-Top–Early Learning Challenge grant and launches ExceleRate™ QRIS. The McCormick Center takes the lead in providing professional development for quality specialists, infant-toddler specialists, and mental health consultants.

2015

A new initiative for family child care providers, Taking the Lead, is launched in Chicago. It is one of the only leadership academies focused on family child care business development and leadership.

2016

With input from leaders in the field, the Center develops the Whole Leadership Framework, a seminal, practical guide to the interconnected and overlapped domains of early childhood leadership: administrative leadership, pedagogical leadership, and leadership essentials.

2018

National Louis University acquires Kendall College. This acquisition allows Undergraduate Educator Preparation programming to go online! The Early Childhood Education programs become some of the fastest growing in the university, tripling in size in under three years. NLU quickly becomes the largest preparer or Early Childhood professionals in Illinois, at the undergraduate, graduate and professional levels.

2022

The Undergraduate College launches the ECE Competency-Based program, creating a pathway for the incumbent early childhood workforce to leverage their experience and knowledge, shortening time and cost to degree completion.

2024

The Robert R. McCormick Foundation recognizes decades of foundational and transformational work that the McCormick Center for Early Childhood Leadership and National Louis University have engaged in to impact the profession. The Foundation makes a landmark $5M investment in early childhood

Our Founding Story and History

Paula Jorde Bloom

Our History