McCormick Institute for Early Childhood

BY Marleen Barrett, M.S. | March 8, 2022

This document may be printed, photocopied, and disseminated freely with attribution. All content is the property of the McCormick Center for Early Childhood Leadership.

Pamper: To treat with extreme or excessive care and attention.1


Do you enjoy being pampered? Maybe it is treating yourself to a service you do not often indulge in, for example, a manicure or pedicure, a massage, a fine dining experience, or a car detailing.


Pampering participants is a foundational principle at the McCormick Center for Early Childhood Leadership. Paula Jorde Bloom, the McCormick Center Founder, was passionate about ensuring that anyone who participated in our trainings left feeling cared for and pampered. Thirty-seven years later, we continue to carry on this principle for participants. Over time, our team came to refer to this as the “McCormick Center Experience.”


The “McCormick Center Experience” is about showing appreciation and respect through attention to all the details that make up a high-quality training experience. Hospitality, best practices in adult learning, activities that engage the five senses, reflection, and laughter are all a part of this experience.


Prior to the pandemic, trainings offered at the McCormick Center were in-person. Upon arrival, participants experienced warm greetings, fresh flowers on the training and dining tables, and soothing music. The training tables were stocked with supplies such as markers, highlighters, and post-it notes. In addition, a bag of training materials, books, and other resources were neatly placed on each participant’s seat. A hospitality table was set up in the training room with items to meet physical needs, such as water to keep you hydrated, blankets, and handheld fans for those who needed to warm up or cool down. Hand lotion, hand sanitizer, tissues, mints, and snacks were also provided. Coffee and hot water for tea were ready when participants arrived. Participants enjoyed healthy and hot buffet lunches together in the dining room with extra time to get to know one another. Encouraging and inspirational messages were on the walls throughout the McCormick Center. Activities during the training allowed participants to connect and engage with one another and build professional learning communities. These were some of the standards of the “McCormick Center Experience.”


The Pandemic Challenge


Twenty-twenty brought a new challenge: the shift from in-person to virtual trainings. Our team rallied to brainstorm the question, “How do we continue to deliver the ‘McCormick Center Experience’ virtually?” The answer involved two primary components. The first was to deliver quality training content with engaging, creative activities through a virtual platform. The second was to send all materials, training resources, and pampering touches to each participant. This became known amongst our team as “the box.”


Pampering Inside of the Box


For example, for our Taking Charge of ChangeTM leadership academy we assembled five different kits for the box, each focused on a unique feature of our traditional in-person McCormick experience.


  • Hospitality Kit. An inspirational message, package of tissues, mints, hand sanitizer, instant coffee packets, and creamers.
  • Break Time Kit. Salty and sweet treats to have on hand during virtual training days.
  • Training Supplies Kit. Fidget toys, post-it notes, pencil, pen, whiteboard paddle, eraser, and markers.
  • Content Kit. Binder, books, and journal.
  • Resources Kit. Each training session had an envelope with activity tools (e.g., special handouts, supplies) to be used during the specific training of that topic.


In most cases, the kits were clear, plastic bags or large envelopes filled with materials. Colorful labels were placed on each kit. We labeled each resource kit with the session topic and date it was to be opened. The sealed box arrived with the friendly message label of Do Not Open Until Instructed, as we wanted to build suspense, excitement, and surprise.


The box and kits from our Taking Charge of Change™ Leadership Academy:

Pampering Outside of the Box  


The pampering did not end once we shipped the boxes. We also mailed occasional cards or inspirational messages to those we were coaching throughout our leadership academies. In addition, we connected one-on-one to participants via Zoom for coaching sessions and touched base via emails.


Results


Participants loved the way we created an element of surprise. Anticipation built, as participants received their boxes weeks before the trainings but were cautioned not to open them until the appointed time. The “wow!” factor was accomplished when we held a group “opening of the boxes” during the virtual training. A screenshot photo was taken of participants holding up their favorite item from the box. They expressed feeling pampered and could tell we had given attention to details that echoed our desire to pamper and care for them.


Pampering our participants today is as important as it was when our founder set the standard. In fact, it may be even more important now, as leaders in early childhood are feeling the mental, physical, and emotional strain of the pandemic. Participants repeatedly comment on how the pampering makes them feel cared for and appreciated. Not only do they recognize the effort it takes to create interactive virtual trainings and organize all of the boxes, but they have also mentioned how these special touches have lifted their spirits.


Come taste the “McCormick Center Experience” by applying for one of our Leadership Academies or other professional development experiences.


Reference:


1Merriam–Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pamper.

Marleen Barrett, M.S., serves as Events Coordinator for the McCormick Center for Early Childhood Leadership at National Louis University (NLU), where she coordinates the details of the annual Leadership Connections™ conference and the Taking Charge of Change™ leadership academy. Mrs. Barrett also serves as a coach for training participants and as the liaison with Gateways Authorization Entity for the McCormick Center. She holds a master’s degree in training and development from Loyola University. Prior to working at NLU, she was the Director of Leadership Development for the American Farm Bureau Federation, where she conducted training programs on strategic planning, organizational skills, and team building throughout the United States.

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Downloading Calm: Supporting Co-Regulation in Early Childhood Leaders

By Lindsay Miner • January 14, 2026
BY LINDSAY MINER In recent years, social-emotional learning and development have emerged as a key focus of research and discourse in early childhood education. A key component of social-emotional development is emotional regulation. Although emotional regulation is often referred to as “self-regulation,” early relationships with trusted caregivers are an important factor in developing the “self” piece of “self-regulation.” In their earliest years, children rely on trusted caregivers to help them manage and soothe distressing emotions and sensations. This process is called “ co-regulation .” However, for co-regulation to be successful, the adult caregiver must first be able to manage their own distressing emotions in a healthy manner. So, what happens when co-regulation depends on adults who are consistently overworked and overstimulated? This article will explore ways in which early childhood leaders and administrators can use co-regulation to support early childhood educators, ultimately leading to enhanced self-regulation skills in educators. STRESS BEGETS STRESS Early childhood educators are living and working in unprecedented times. According to the 2024 RAND American Pre-K Teacher Survey , public pre-K teachers nationwide reported experiencing workplace stress at nearly twice the rate of similar working adults in other occupations. Top stressors include: Low levels of compensation. Lack of support and resources in addressing children’s challenging behaviors and mental health needs. Navigating teaching and learning during, and after, a global pandemic. Increased workload that requires working outside of contracted hours. Staffing shortages and high rates of teacher turnover. Compassion fatigue and burnout from the emotional labor of the job. The Child Mind Institute explains that in the same way that an adult’s calm can help a child feel calm, an adult’s stress can cause a child to feel stressed. Therefore, the first step in successful co-regulation requires that trusted caregivers are able to handle their own stress in a healthy way. However, feedback from early childhood educators, such as the stressors listed above, demonstrates that handling stress in a healthy way is easier said than done. Downloading Calm With the high levels of workplace stress being reported by early childhood professionals in recent years, it is more important than ever that leaders and administrators within early childhood become a source of co-regulation for their staff. Dr. Becky Bailey refers to the process of co-regulation between a trusted caregiver and a child as “ downloading calm .” However, downloading calm is not exclusive to adult-child relationships. Below are some ways that early childhood leaders and administrators can download calm to their staff. Mindfulness Exercises According to Zero to Three , research has shown the benefits of mindfulness in managing stress for early childhood educators. These benefits include, reducing anxiety and depression, increasing levels of empathy and compassion, and enhancing emotional regulation, self-compassion, attentional awareness, and perspective taking. Some mindfulness exercises leaders and administrators can initiate with staff include: 1. The STOP Strategy : Stop. In times of stress and overwhelm, encourage staff members to: Stop, pause, and focus. Take a deep breath in and out alongside staff members. Encourage them to notice how it feels to breathe. Observe. Encourage staff members to acknowledge the emotions and physical responses that they are feeling, positive or negative, without judgment. Recognize that these feelings are valid, momentary, and manageable. Proceed. Give staff members space to think about how they want to respond. Process alongside them if they need to talk, and provide assistance in the classroom if they need a moment to themselves. 2. Rhythmic Breathing : Teach and practice rhythmic breathing alongside staff members as a tool to use when they are feeling stressed: Breathe in as you count to four. Hold that breath as you count to four. Breathe out as you count to four. Hold as you count to four. Repeat this for a few rounds and notice how your mind and body feel afterwards. 3. Five Senses Exercise : Teach this exercise to staff members and practice alongside them as a tool to use to ground themselves when they are feeling overwhelmed: See: Look around you and name five things you can see. Feel: Notice and describe the texture of four things you can feel/touch. Listen: Notice and name three things you can hear. Smell: Notice and name two things you can smell. Taste: Notice one thing you can taste. Focus on the sensations in your mouth, such as your teeth and tongue. Consider posting Zero to Three’s Guided Reflective Practice Checklist in classrooms, break rooms, and offices. Encourage staff members to set aside time for reflection each day. It may be helpful if administrators step into the classroom to allow each staff member a few minutes for reflective practice. Leaders and administrators should also set aside time for their own reflections each day. Reflective Supervision Reflective supervision provides consistent, ongoing support to increase the reflective capacity of early childhood educators through a collaborative and trusting relationship with a leader/administrator. Practicing reflective supervision with early childhood educators can reduce stress and provide opportunities for leaders and administrators to gain insight into the challenges and stressors their staff members face, and find moments to recharge and remain (or download) calm. Research indicates that consistent reflective supervision can lead to positive changes in early childhood caregivers, including improved reflective functioning, increased job satisfaction, and reduced rates of burnout. When leaders provide a regular, collaborative, and trusting space for reflection with their staff members, their staff members are better equipped to offer reflective support to the children and families they engage with. Some tips for effective reflective supervision: 1. Maintain a consistent (ideally weekly) day and time for reflective supervision with each staff member. 2. Operate from a strengths-based approach Provide staff members with the respect and support that you want to see them provide to children and families. Consider staff members your partners in creating positive and trusting environments for children and families. Reflect on staff members’ input based on their own, unique expertise and experience. Reflect that staff members’ contributions are valuable and important. 3. Consider reflective questions, such as: Tell me more about…? How did it feel when…? What are you noticing about…? What do you think the child was trying to communicate? What are your strengths in this situation? What are you finding the most challenging right now? What would you like to learn or develop next? How might your own experiences be influencing your reaction? How can I best support you in this? 4. Make time for your own reflection: What are your strengths in the supervisory relationship? What are you finding most challenging about reflective supervision? What common stressors are coming up in reflective supervision and how can you best start to address them? Early childhood leaders and administrators can act as co-regulation partners for their staff members by taking the time to weave practices such as mindfulness and reflective supervision into the daily fabric of their learning environments. This has the potential to create a beautiful trickle-down effect. By helping staff members co-regulate, staff members enhance their own self-regulation skills. As staff members enhance their own self-regulation skills, they become a more consistent and stable co-regulation partner for the children and families they serve.
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