Pampering Participants Virtually

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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A Leadership Coaching Model for Impact: Building on Decades of Evidence and Experience at the McCormick Institute for Early Childhood

By Natalia Ambrozek, Wendy Connell, Lisa Downey, Robyn Kelton, Leslie Layman, Erin Cetera • July 23, 2026
Natalia Ambrozek, B.S. , is a Leadership Coach and Training Specialist at the McCormick Institute for Early Childhood at National Louis University. Natalia earned a bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education with a concentration in French at DePaul University and has since completed her ESL endorsement. She has served in the McCormick Institute as an Assessor and Quality Assessment Coordinator prior to her role as a Leadership Coach. Previously, Natalia taught for over 10 years in Head Start and Early Head Start classrooms in Chicago and has experience as an Assistant Director. Natalia is also part of the Illinois Southland chapter of NAEYC and an alumnus of the Maria Whelan Leadership Institute. Wendy Connell, M.Ed. , is the Manager of Early Childhood Leadership Coaching at the McCormick Institute for Early Childhood. Wendy has been with the organization since 2017, serving as the IDHS Report and Certification Specialist, then Leadership Coach for the Smart Start Quality Support program. She is also an adjunct professor in ECE at Waubonsee Community College. Throughout her career, Wendy has been a director of early childhood programs, an elementary school teacher, educator, volunteer coordinator, supervisor, and family child care provider. Dr. Lisa Downey is the Executive Director of the McCormick Institute for Early Childhood at National Louis University (NLU), where she oversees all programming and operations. She leads a team of 75 staff dedicated to advancing the Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) profession through leadership, applied research, community and policy engagement, and innovative professional preparation. With over 35 years of experience in the field, Dr. Downey’s career includes roles as a toddler classroom teacher, child care center director, Child Care Resource and Referral (CCR&R) resource developer, training coordinator, and Director of Provider Services at Illinois Action for Children, where she managed CCR&R professional development for the Chicago area. She has been a faculty member at NLU for more than 15 years. Today, Dr. Downey focuses on addressing the complex challenges facing the ECEC workforce, creating scalable solutions that support the profession and ensure children, families, and communities thrive now and in the future. Robyn Kelton, M.A. , is the Director of Data and Evaluation for the McCormick Institute for Early Childhood at National Louis University (NLU). In this role, Robyn oversees the McCormick Institute’s research interests regarding evaluation and quality support tools, including Program Administration Scale (PAS) and Business Administration Scale for Family Child Care (BAS), the Early Childhood Work Environment Survey (ECWES), and the Administrator Role Perception Survey (ARPS). Robyn also oversees research related to the evaluation needs of the professional learning initiatives at the Institute as well as the relationship between evaluation tools and program quality, workforce retention, and leadership development. Other research interests include cognitive and developmental psychology, memory development, and learning. Robyn holds a Baccalaureate degree in psychology from the University of Kansas (KU) and a Masters of Arts degree in psychology with an advanced certificate of study in organizational psychology from NLU. Robyn is currently a doctoral candidate in the brain, behavior, and quantitative science Ph.D. psychology program at KU. Prior to joining the McCormick Institute in 2006, Robyn worked as lead teacher in a kindergarten classroom for an after-school program and lead teacher of a 4-5 year old classroom at a child care center. Leslie Layman, M.S. , is the Senior Director of Professional Learning and Innovation at the McCormick Institute for Early Childhood at National Louis University. In this role, she supports professional learning, including training, academies, coaching, and learning design. Prior to joining McCormick, Leslie was the Director of Early Childhood Education Strategic Initiatives at National Louis University, Director-Teaching and Learning Programs at Harry S. Truman College, and had many years of experience in early intervention, home visiting, and supporting children with developmental delays and their families. She holds Baccalaureate degrees in Psychology and Italian from University of Wisconsin, and a Master of Science in Child Development with a specialization in children with special needs from Erikson Institute. Erin Cetera, M.S. , serves as Senior Director of Quality Assessment at the McCormick Institute for Early Childhood at National Louis University (NLU), where she leads a team of nearly 40 professionals who conduct program assessments and deliver quality improvement training throughout Illinois. With more than four decades of experience in early childhood education, Erin has held a wide range of leadership and instructional roles, including preschool teacher, child care center administrator, college demonstration center director, and adjunct faculty member, teaching early childhood education courses for over 20 years. She joined NLU in 2018 as an Assessor and Training Specialist and has since advanced to her current leadership role. Today, Erin is dedicated to highlighting the steady improvements taking place in early childhood programs across Illinois. Guided by a deep commitment to young children, their families, and the professionals who support them, she champions efforts to create high-quality learning environments that foster positive outcomes for all. Let me know if you need anything else.
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