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In early childhood education and care (ECEC), we know that some of the simplest ideas can carry the biggest lessons—and many of us have been singing “The Ants Go Marching” for years without realizing it might also be a leadership guide. Ants may be tiny, but their colonies run on teamwork, communication, flexibility, and a clear sense of purpose—all things ECEC programs rely on every day. By taking a closer look at how ants work together to support their colony, early childhood leaders can discover practical and familiar ways to strengthen teamwork, value every role, and lead programs where everyone is marching in the same direction for children and families. Ants are busy creatures; they work with a purpose and know their jobs in the colony. Ants exhibit teamwork and collective effort. Ant colonies demonstrate intelligence, division of labor, communication systems, and cooperative behaviors. They can recognize and respond to the colony's needs. They overcome their challenges through trial and error, learning from their experiences, and sometimes even develop innovative strategies. In the ant colony, individual ants work together as a unit, each with a unique role that determines the colony's survival and success. The ant colony functions just like a superorganism, where the actions of each individual ant are a part of the highly efficient system that supports the whole colony. This concept of collective action is closely related to human teamwork! Ants have a lot to teach us, as we work in ECEC. teamwork Just as ants collaborate, relying on their communication and coordination to complete tasks, humans thrive when working together, as each individual brings their own unique skills and perspectives to their “colony.” Ants depend on each other. Each ant has a specialized job, and the colony relies on the cooperation and coordination of all its members to thrive and survive. Each ant’s contribution, no matter how small it may seem, is vital to the success of the colony as a whole, and the strength of the group is built on the cooperation of each individual. Similarly, in ECEC programs, teamwork — working together and helping one another —leads to better results than trying to do everything alone! When we collaborate, we pool our strengths, share our knowledge, and support each other, which can lead to more creative and efficient solutions. Each person in the program brings unique skills and perspectives, filling gaps and helping compensate for one another’s weaknesses. This shared effort allows your program to tackle tasks and achieve goals that would be difficult, if not impossible, for one individual to accomplish on their own... just like in an ant colony! Adapting to face challenges Ants are highly adaptable creatures. Have you ever watched a disrupted colony hurry to move the uncovered eggs to a protected space? They respond quickly to changes or disruptions in their environment. Their ability to quickly assess new situations and adjust their behavior will help the colony continue to function efficiently, even when the unexpected happens. Their adaptability is the key to their survival, allowing them to overcome obstacles and thrive. Early childhood programs also need to adapt to challenges. When unexpected changes occur, each person needs to be flexible and find new ways to contribute to the program's success. Just as ants adjust, programs must reassess their strengths, collaborate, and develop alternative solutions. Adaptability is essential for proper teamwork! honoring individual roles In an ant colony, different ants take on very specific roles. There are worker ants, soldier ants, and the queen ant. Each ant’s role is crucial to the success and survival of the colony, and all roles are interdependent; they work together to achieve common goals. This division of labor that exists in an ant colony can be compared to the different roles and unique talents found in an ECEC program. Just as ants rely on each other to perform specific tasks, each ECEC team member brings their own expertise and skills to the program. In a project or workplace setting, one person may excel at brainstorming creative ideas, another might be skilled at organizing tasks and managing timelines, and someone else may be particularly adept at technical skills or problem-solving. This diversity of roles within a team ensures that every aspect of a project or goal receives focused attention. In center-based programs, there are the director, teachers, kitchen staff, and other roles as needed. The diversity of roles in a program helps to ensure that the program is successful and thrives. clear purpose and goals In an ant colony, survival is the common goal. The colony’s success depends on each member performing its specific role. Their unwavering focus on the survival of the colony is connected to their success. It demonstrates the power of their collective action, driven by a clear and unified goal. ECEC programs thrive when they are aligned around a shared and clear purpose and goals. When program members understand and commit to their common goals, the well-being and growth of children and families, their efforts will become more effective and coordinated. Just as ants bring different strengths to the program, each person brings different strengths to the program. It is alignment around shared goals that enables the program to overcome challenges and succeed. When everyone in the program is clear on the goals and helps work together toward them, the whole program becomes more focused, resilient, and motivated - just as an ant colony becomes stronger when every member is working toward survival! Ants work together harmoniously to achieve their common goals; they set aside individual competition in favor of colony cooperation. Each ant focuses on its specialized task. This spirit of ant cooperation is key to the colony's survival and success, as it enables the colony to accomplish more complex tasks than any single ant could manage alone. ECEC programs can benefit from adopting a similar approach that emphasizes collaboration and shared goals over individual achievement. In an ECEC program, when members support each other and work together, they can leverage each person’s strengths to accomplish more than they could individually. Instead of competing for recognition or resources, each member can focus on the program’s success, fostering a more positive and productive environment. learning from ants Ants have so much to teach ECEC programs when it comes to cooperating and working together as an effective team. Whether it's knowing your own role and abilities, supporting each of your fellow team members, communicating clearly and effectively, being flexible, or avoiding competition, the ant colony is an excellent example of these qualities! Let your ants go marching!!! Ant Life, author unknown I am just an ant, A small life is what I live, But I have dreams for bigger things And so much more to give If only I could grow A foot or two would do I could live a life That others look up to.

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

Early childhood program administrators and programs are increasingly expected to participate in formal classroom assessments for various accountability purposes. This article focuses on how classroom assessment data can also be used by teaching staff to make small, intentional changes in daily practice that lead to meaningful and lasting benefits for children. It is designed to help administrators understand how assessment results can translate into actionable strategies, enabling them to better support staff, guide professional learning, and ensure assessment practices are connected to continuous improvement rather than compliance alone. As a former classroom teacher, I still remember how anxious I felt when an assessor entered my classroom to complete an observation. Opening my classroom door to someone I didn’t know and using an assessment tool I only had a basic understanding of left me feeling vulnerable. After changing roles and observing hundreds of classrooms over the past several years, I wish, as a teacher, I had a better understanding of the tools used, their purposes, and how the data would be used. I wish I had known that the assessor and I had a shared interest in our work. We were both working to bring about better outcomes for the children in my classroom. After the initial CLASS® assessment of my classroom, I remember comparing scores with colleagues after the school day, noting the areas where we scored higher. However, we did not focus much on the areas where our scores were lower. We viewed this experience as a summative assessment, and we did not revisit the scores as a group. Some of us independently looked further into the data and attempted to integrate aspects into our practices. However, there was no systematic approach in place. This was a missed opportunity to work together as a staff to grow and improve practices. Many classroom assessments lend themselves to continuous quality improvement. Teachers can use the data to identify their strengths and areas for needed improvement and build upon them. To set staff up for success, it is helpful if they are familiar with the assessment tools before the day of their observation. Training about assessment tools can take place during professional development days, staff meetings, or team meetings. All assessment tools in current use are research-based, and items should therefore be embedded in daily practice. When items are incorporated into the typical classroom routine, teachers can relax and do what they normally do, rather than being preoccupied with remembering what the assessor is looking for. You can use assessment manuals to help guide and incorporate these practices. After an observation, programs typically receive a detailed report that shows scores and highlights the classroom's strengths and opportunities. Remember that the assessor is not only observing the lead teacher but also all staff members who work directly with children for most of the day in the classroom, and therefore, the scores reflect these combined efforts. It’s important to take some time to carefully review the feedback. Just as we take a strengths-based approach with the children, we want to take the same approach with teachers and staff. Highlight their strengths and empower them to be a resource to others who need assistance in the areas where they excel. This is one of the greatest, untapped resources of your program. James Clear, the author of Atomic Habits , offers guidance in developing habits to gradually increase success over time. Below are a few suggestions to get started. Focus on who you wish to become Be specific about whom you want to become. Say: “I want to have warm, supportive interactions with the children,” instead of “I want to score higher in Staff-child interactions.” Observable actions: I speak to children calmly and politely. I make frequent positive contact: smiles, eye contact. I get down on the children’s level to talk or listen. Track habits, not scores Say: “I want to develop systems, not goals,” instead of consistently thinking about ECERS-3 scores. Track observable actions: The number of times staff help children avoid conflict The number of opportunities children have to work together on projects The number of dramatic play props representing different cultures or races The number of conversations about math while playing in a non-math area The power of tiny changes over time The power of 1%: If you can improve by 1% every day for one year, you’ll be thirty-seven times better. Say: “I want to make tiny observable changes,” instead of “I want a 7 in ‘Helping children expand vocabulary.’” Observable actions: I will introduce a new word during the science activity. I will respond to what a child says once and further expand on their idea during learning centers. I will repeat English words in Spanish during lunch time when speaking to ESL students. The focus should be on realistic goals. If a classroom scores a two, raising it to a three or four is impactful and more attainable than scoring a seven. Small, consistent changes lead to sustained improvements over time and yield better learning outcomes for children, something we all strive for. Clear, J. (2018). Atomic habits: An easy & proven way to build good habits & break bad ones . Avery, an imprint of Penguin Random House

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