McCormick Institute for Early Childhood

BY Daria Rymarzak | February 15, 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.

March has been officially declared Women’s History Month. The first efforts to distinguish a special time focusing on the contributions of women to a variety of fields date back to President Carter recognizing the Week of March 8th, 1980, as National Women’s History Week:


Too often, the women were unsung, and sometimes their contributions went unnoticed. But the achievements, leadership, courage, strength, and love of the women who built America were as vital as that of the men whose names we know so well.


Throughout the years, a series of proclamations were issued to designate the month of March as a national celebration of women. As we take this opportunity to highlight the critical role women played in shaping American history, culture, and society, we must also learn about the contributions women have made and still contribute to the field of early childhood education.


Here are just a few examples of great women who were, and are, dedicated and passionate about child development, early childhood leadership, child advocacy, and social justice. Please take a moment to read and learn about these inspirational professionals and their stories.


Paula Jorde Bloom


“What most people want more than anything is the chance to belong and make a difference in something they value.”


Dr. Paula Jorde Bloom was the founder of the McCormick Center for Early Childhood Leadership and a distinguished author. She published several widely read books, including the Director’s Toolbox management book series, as well as assessment tools, namely the Early Childhood Work Environment Survey (ECWES), the Program Administration Scale (PAS), and the Business Administration Scale for Family Child Care (BAS). Dr. Bloom was a professor in the Department of Early Childhood Education at National Louis University and the Michael W. Louis Endowed Chair. She spent her early years as a preschool and kindergarten teacher and later as a center director and administrator of a campus laboratory school, quickly realizing the vital role of early childhood leaders. She was a pioneer in developing early childhood leadership training and improving early childhood professional standards. Dr. Bloom’s legacy lives on through the work of the McCormick Center and a scholarship in her name, which supports new leaders who, just like her, are devoted and passionate about building strong early childhood programs and systems.


Marian Wright Edelman


“Service is the rent we pay for being.”


Marian Wright Edelman is a founder and president emerita of the Children’s Defense Fund (CDF). She has used her voice to advocate for civil rights and then honed her focus on disadvantaged children and families. Her career began in the mid-1960s upon graduating from Spelman College and Yale Law School, becoming the first black woman admitted to the Mississippi Bar. She is also the first woman elected to the board of directors of Yale University. Her public policy efforts have been focused on securing funding for early childhood programs such as Head Start, improving the foster care system, supporting adoption services, or increasing Medicaid coverage. She has received the highest civilian award – the Presidential Medal of Freedom and has also been awarded the Robert F. Kennedy Lifetime Achievement Award.


Magda Gerber


“Having respect for the world is when you allow people to be what they are.”


Magda Gerber was a Hungarian early childhood education specializing in infant-toddler development. She is probably best known as a founder of the Resources for Infant Educarers (RIE), which introduced a new approach in infant-toddler research and learning practices. The key principle of the RIE method is respect – viewing infants as individuals and unique human beings who are responsible for their own learning. Mrs. Gerber believed that by showing love and respect to infants, parents and caregivers demonstrate trust in their ability to become active learners. By carefully observing babies interacting with other people and their environments, we learn how to understand the infant’s communication and needs. Mrs. Gerber taught early development classes at the University of California, California State University, and Pacific Oaks College. She provided professional training classes at the RIE center in Los Angeles. She was a lecturer at early childhood conferences and an author, best known for her book, Dear Parent: Caring for Infants With Respect.


Frieda Mitchell


“I think one thing that we accomplished was the ability or the opportunity to speak and to be heard.”


Frieda Mitchell has received national and international recognition as a devoted child advocate and civil rights activist. Mrs. Mitchell served as Executive Director of United Communities for Child Development (UCCD), a first-of-its-kind program that advocated for utilizing state and federal funding to support community child care programs. As the UCCD approach was replicated in other states, including Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, and Mississippi, Mrs. Mitchell became heavily involved in daycare policy discussions. She played a central role in integrating the county’s then racially segregated schools. Her efforts led her to be elected to the Beaufort County School Board, becoming one of its first black school board members. Among her numerous accolades are the prestigious John D. Rockefeller, III, Public Service Award; the Marian Wright Edelman Award for Service to Children; and the Penn Center 1862 Circle. To celebrate Mrs. Mitchell’s achievements, the Frieda R. Mitchell Early Childhood Development Student Award has been established at the Technical College of the Lowcountry (TCL).


Malala Yousafzai


“If we want to achieve our goal, then let us empower ourselves with the weapon of knowledge and let us shield ourselves with unity and togetherness.”


Malala’s story is truly inspiring – at the age of seventeen, she has become the world’s youngest Nobel Prize laureate and only the second Pakistani to receive the award. She is a fierce advocate for human rights and has been prized for her fight “against the suppression of children and young people and for the right of all children to education.” At the age of 11, Malala anonymously contributed to a blog on the Urdu language site of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). She used that opportunity to write about life under the Taliban’s oppression and advocate for educational opportunities for children, young girls, and women. With the help of her father, she used other media outlets and started a public campaign to allow girls free access to education. She was nominated for the International Children’s Peace Prize and was awarded Pakistan’s National Youth Peace Prize in 2011. That made her a target, and one year later, on the bus home from school, the Taliban attempted to assassinate Malala. She has survived and now resides in the United Kingdom. Along with her father, she has founded Malala Fund, and her work continues.


The field of early childhood education is largely driven by women. Women have led and continue to guide our work – not only as committed early childhood educators but also as inspiring leaders, dedicated researchers, passionate authors, and outspoken advocates. Paula Jorde Bloom, Frieda Mitchell, Magda Gerber, Marian Wright Edelman, and Malala Yousafzai have shown us what determination, hard work, and devotion truly mean. Their impact and legacy are ever-present. As you celebrate Women’s History Month, you show great respect by sharing their stories and stories of other great women with your staff, colleagues, and families in your program.


To learn more, please visit:

Paula Jorde Bloom’s Story

Marian Wright Edelman’s Story

Magda Gerber’s Story

Frieda Mitchell’s Story

Malala Yousafzai’s Story

Daria Rymarzak is a Report Specialist and she is also pursuing a doctoral degree in community psychology at National Louis University’s College of Professional Studies and Advancement. Daria earned a baccalaureate degree in psychology from Roosevelt University and a graduate degree in child development and early childhood administration from Erikson Institute. She is interested in supporting initiatives leading to integrated early learning and child development systems, connecting early childhood practice with policy and research, and the functioning and effectiveness of community-based coalitions addressing the importance of early years.

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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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