Kimberlee Burt-Hendricks assumes the role of interim Executive Director of the McCormick Center

With mixed emotions, the McCormick Center for Early Childhood Leadership announced the departure of Donna Jacobson on January 31, 2023. While transitions can introduce uncertainty, they can also offer opportunities for innovation, growth, and new beginnings.

We are pleased to announce that Kimberlee Burt-Hendricks, Assistant Professor of Early Childhood Education and Teacher Preparation in the Undergraduate College at National Louis University, assumed the role of interim executive director of the McCormick Center on February 20, 2023. Kimberlee has been a faculty member at National Louis in the Undergraduate College for nearly four years and has owned an early learning center in Chicago’s South Loop community for over 20 years.  Kimberlee has worked on several initiatives with the McCormick Center and is familiar with the assessment, research and contract work done by the center. 

Kimberlee, a respected expert in the Early Childhood Education field in Chicago, is familiar with Illinois Gateways to Opportunity professional development system and was a faculty co-lead on the Prior Learning Assessment (PLA)/Mursion pilot earlier this year. She has an M.A.T. in Early Childhood Education, Curriculum, and Instruction from Howard University and is working on her Ed.D at NLU with an emphasis on Advocacy. Kimberlee is a member of several preschool owners associations, and a graduate of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Cohort. Kimberlee actively participates with the Women’s Business Development Center as a conference speaker and has mentored many aspiring women business owners  She participates in the Goldman Sachs One Million Black Women Initiative and was a thought partner and primary contributor to the Goldman Sachs 10KSB Child Care task force, which produced From Pandemic to Prosperity Report with the Bipartisan Policy Center. 

She has been featured in Crain’s Chicago Business, Black Enterprise Magazine, The Chicago Tribune and Ebony Magazine to name a few. She’s also been a guest on NBC, and WCIU as an early childhood thought leader.  

She served on Mayor Emanuel’s Minimum Wage Increase Task Force, which met with then Vice President Joseph Biden to advocate for wage increases locally and nationally.

Kimberlee is passionate about developing business leaders and engaging and equipping parents to support their child’s development.   She counts being the Mommy of 1 year old Elijah as her greatest accomplishment and joy thus far!

Please join us in congratulating Kimberlee as she assumes this new and exciting role with the McCormick Center for Early Childhood Leadership. 

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Let’s Talk About Bullying

By Sherry Rocha • June 12, 2025
Bullying has been around for ages. That doesn’t mean it’s ok, or we should get used to it. It is a persistent problem for all ages, and now it’s reaching into our early childhood programs. What can program administrators do? Some definitions and tips are below. WHAT IS BULLYING? Bullying has been described as a student’s repeated exposure to negative actions on the part of one or more students in which there is an imbalance of power between bullies and the victim. Some children learn that by bullying others, they can get ahead. It can affect the goals of education if not handled well. While the behaviors of young children can sometimes be aggressive, they lack the more strategic and deliberate actions that typically define bullying. Still, early behaviors can be precursors to later behavior, so awareness and positive interventions are needed . Bullying prevention can be embedded into SEL practices, diversity awareness, and behavior guidance practices of early childhood programs. HOW COMMON IS BULLYING? Most studies look at bullying as something that involves older children. Research on early childhood bullying is still developing. The Olweus Bullying Prevention Program (OBPP) is considered one of the most effective school-based anti-bullying programs that schools and centers study. Its founder, Dan Olweus, Ph.D, found that 35-40% of boys characterized as bullies in grades 6-9 had been convicted of at least three officially registered crimes by the age of 24. Bullies sometimes teach their children to be bullies. PREVENTION AND GUIDANCE CONCERNING BULLYING There are things parents, teachers, and friends can do to prevent or stop bullying . During the early childhood years, programs to help prevent bullying are helpful. Teachers and parents should be role models of caring behavior. Children raised in safe and nurturing environments will learn to be caring individuals. As children’s abilities develop, they can learn anger management, problem-solving skills, and decision-making skills. TEACHERS AND PARENTS CAN ALSO: Dispel myths that bullying is part of childhood. Encourage a positive environment by stating desirable behavior instead of negative behavior. Emphasize respect, fairness, caring, and responsibility in classrooms. Incorporate lessons about appropriate social skills in classrooms and everywhere; provide words for children to use. Understand the seriousness of bullying. Encourage children to consider the needs of others. Parents can arrange play groups for their children. A COMPREHENSIVE PROGRAM SHOULD: Promote a caring, respectful environment Help victims help themselves Challenge the bullies’ thinking Consider the effects of peer pressure Elicit students’ input FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs (ASPA). (2025, February 5). Get help now. StopBullying.gov. https://www.stopbullying.gov/resources/get-help-now The Institute on Family and Neighborhood Life. (n.d.). Olweus bullying prevention program, Clemson University. Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, Clemson University. https://clemsonolweus.org/ Temkin, D., & Snow, K. (2015, August 18). To prevent bullying, focus on early childhood. NAEYC. https://www.naeyc.org/resources/blog/prevent-bullying-focus-early-childhood
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