The Power of Trust

McCormick Institute for Early Childhood

BY Paula Steffen  | September 1, 2008

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

Trust is a powerful form of motivation and inspiration. People want to be trusted. They respond and thrive on trust. As leaders in the field of early care and education, it is important to establish, nurture, and sustain trusting relationships—not as a way to manipulate people, but as the most effective way of working with others and getting results. … Download this resource to read the rest of this story.


This resource is part of our archived Director’s Link newsletter series.

By Sara Triplett • September 30, 2026
Hi, my name is Sara Triplett. I've been running a daycare for 11 years, Queens Daycare LLC, located in Waukegan, Illinois. How did you get started running a daycare? What got me started running like a daycare? I was like a foster kid growing up. And I said, I want to make a difference in somebody else's life. So I was like, you know what? Let me be a leader. Let me show other foster kids they could be successful in life. Take the lead. Like, take it. Because I'm telling you, like, once you take the class, you're going to see a lot of stuff. And you're going to be like, I wish I would have knew this before I opened up my my own daycare. Stay focused. Do not give up on your dreams. You know, just. Keep working hard..
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