McCormick Institute for Early Childhood

BY Isabel Landa | March 19, 2025

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

In my previous e-resource article, I shared my story of connecting with a family and building trust through a shared experience. When the mother felt comfortable telling me her story of the trauma her family faced, trust was built. We were able to make adaptations in the classroom for her child, and we also reflected on best practices for supporting bilingual families. We also discussed the advantages of being bilingual at an early age (Byers-Heinlein & Lew-Williams, 2013). Let’s take a closer look at what that can look like.


REFLECTING ON BEST PRACTICES


The Business Administration Scale for Family Child Care (BAS-2) and the Program Administration Scale (PAS-3) both highlight the importance of soliciting information about the child’s developmental history and the family’s beliefs, culture, and childrearing practices during the intake process (Talan & Bloom, 2018; Talan et al., 2022).


Building Trusting Relationships


Supporting bilingual families begins well before a child enters the classroom. For families, it starts with the search for your program, reading reviews online, and perhaps taking a tour of the facility. From there, engagement continues through enrollment and the initial stages of the child’s experience in your program. It is crucial to create a welcoming environment from the start. Below are some actionable tips for welcoming and supporting bilingual families:


  • Respect Culture, Language, and Community
  • Learn a few words or phrases in the child’s primary language to help them feel more comfortable.
  • Use technology to assist in language learning if an interpreter is unavailable.
  • Add questions to enrollment forms to learn more about the family and community context.
  • Create a Culture of Family Engagement
  • Utilize a Home Language Survey to learn about the language(s) spoken at home.
  • Maintain daily two-way communication with families in their preferred language, documenting notes and updates about the child’s day.
  • Encourage families to share insights about their children, fostering a deeper understanding of their needs and background.
  • Build a Welcoming Environment
  • Display pictures and posters in the classroom that reflect the diversity of the children and their families.
  • Use color-coded labels to represent different languages and make the space more inclusive.


Transformative Thinking for Bilingual Communities

As educators, we must reflect on our practices and take responsibility for how we partner with bilingual families. Consider the following questions to help you assess and improve your approach:


  • How do you build trust with bilingual families who may be reluctant to disclose personal information to protect their identity?
  • Do you have clear policies to protect bilingual families’ linguistic preferences?
  • Do you analyze the impact of your work on bilingual families and children?


Though creating change is challenging, it begins with small steps. By understanding your community profile and tailoring intake questions and language surveys to gather more meaningful information, you build trust and authentic relationships with families.


Being bilingual is a unique experience requiring constant learning and growth. We all face challenges in the pursuit of our goals. However, with intentional action, strong partnerships, and a commitment to cultural humility, we can transform the experience of bilingual families and children in our programs.


Want to learn more about the PAS, BAS, or any of our family engagement professional development opportunities? Contact us at pas.bas@nl.edu


REFERENCES

Byers-Heinlein, K., Lew-Williams, C. (2013). Bilingualism in the early years: What the science says. Learn Landsc., 7(1), 95-112. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6168212/pdf/nihms940156.pdf


Talan, T., Bella, J. M., Bloom, P. J. (2022). Program administration scale: Measuring whole leadership in early childhood centers, third edition. Teachers College Press.


Talan, T., Bloom, P. J. (2018). Business administration scale for family child care, second edition. Teachers College Press.

Isabel Landa, M.ED., is a Quality Training Specialist for the McCormick Institute for Early Childhood at National Louis University. In this role, she serves as a national anchor for the Program Administration Scale (PAS) and Business Administration Scale for Family Child Care (BAS). Previously, she served as an Assessor and Training Specialist conducting Environment Rating Scales (ERS) and the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) assessments for the state of Illinois. Prior to joining the McCormick Institute, Isabel was the Education Manager and Teacher Coach at recognized non-profit social service agencies. Isabel has over 14 years of experience as a teacher and administrator in early childhood education and care. Her prior experience also includes accounting and retail campus banking. Isabel holds an English as a Second Language (ESL) endorsement and a Master of Education in early childhood administration from National Louis University.

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The AI-Enabled Administrator: Reclaim Valuable Time

By Dr. Neal Green • February 8, 2026
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
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