McCormick Institute for Early Childhood

BY Susan Marie Schulhof | March 29, 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.

“Intellectual growth should commence at birth and cease only at death.”


— Albert Einstein


As an educator in the field of Early Childhood Education, I feel called to continuous learning and growth, and the best way to invest in my professional development is through opportunities like Leadership ConnectionsTM. Many years ago, I became certified in an Adult Learning Program because while I could apply some of the methods that I used to teach children, other tactics are helpful for training adults. One tip that has stuck with me was the use of chunking or using acronyms. When I write a training or book, using acronyms is one technique I use when appropriate. I came up with a simple acronym for why I attend professional development trainings. It is GROW, which is self-explanatory simply as a word, but also in the details.


  • G stands for goals. It is essential when choosing workshops to attend, articles and books to read, or videos to watch that I have concrete goals. Am I looking to learn a new skill, understand a new concept, or complete a new task?
  • R stands for relationships. Building relationships with others, especially in my field, matters to me. It is how I can grow in my knowledge as well as simply grow and learn as a person about and from others, similar and different from me and my experiences.
  • O stands for observation. Watching and listening are vital to my development and learning. I can see how others do things and decide if I agree or prefer to do something a different way. This is similar to how I started using acronyms once I learned that training tip. I decided that this helps me remember details long after leaving the training, so I have incorporated it into my toolbox of tips.
  • W stands for wonder; it is the why, how, where, and when questions. Why do I need to know this? How can I use it in my work? Where and when is it applicable? Often I can see the answers to these questions even when I just read the description of the training, but sometimes it occurs during or afterward when I reflect on what I have learned and apply it to my role or position.


Ongoing professional development is required in education, but I view it as more than a task to complete. It is a way to learn about the Early Childhood Education field, and it is also how I reflect and grow as a person. Join me in learning from Leadership Connections Virtual Conference 2022.

Susan Marie Schulhof is an Assessor and Training Specialist for the McCormick Center for Early Childhood Leadership.

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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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