ChildCare Conversations with Kate and Carrie
Kate and Carrie have over 62 years in the childcare business industry and bring that background to their conversations. Having worked with over 5000 childcare programs across the country in the last 30 years together they are a fun and powerful team - ready to help you tackle your problems with practical solutions.
Episodes
249 episodes
240: Finding Joy as a Childcare Director With Heather White
In this heartwarming episode, co-hosts Kate and Carrie sit down with Heather White, a seasoned director and franchisor in the childcare industry. Heather shares her journey, emphasizing the importance of authenticity and joy in her role. She di...
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25:19
239: Ready to Open Your Own Childcare Center! With Shannon Black with SCORE
In this episode of "Child Care Conversations," Kate and Carrie chat with Shannon Black, Chair of the Austin SCORE chapter and a former Montessori school owner. Shannon shares her passion for supporting childcare entrepreneurs, especially women,...
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20:33
238: Ditch the Dull: Playful Training: Ron Shuali
Kate and Carrie chat with Ron Shuali, an expert in playful and engaging training methods for educators. Ron introduces the concept of "unprofessional development," which focuses on fun and interactive training rather than the usual dull session...
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20:43
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237: Thriving Through Chaos: Gabrielle Wheeler's Journey
In this episode, Kate and Carrie chat with Gabrielle Weller, a dedicated advocate for quality child care from Albuquerque, New Mexico. Gabrielle shares her incredible journey of transforming a struggling child care center into a thriving, cultu...
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24:51
236: Childcare Center Finances: Forecasting for Success
In this episode, Kate and Carrie dive into the nitty-gritty of financial forecasting for childcare centers. They chat about the impact of public pre-k funding, stressing how it leaves a gap for infant and toddler care. Carrie shares her insight...
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25:55
235: Safety and Licensing best practices with Tracy Nardo
In this episode, Kate and Carrie chat with Tracy Nardo, a seasoned expert with 36 years in early childhood education. Tracy dives into the importance of safety and licensing in childcare programs, sharing her knowledge on risk management and st...
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16:39
Bonus: Financial Resilience with government freeze
In this episode, Kate and Carrie dive into the nitty-gritty of childcare funding in the U.S., especially with recent federal freezes. They chat about how federal government funds flow to states and childcare centers, and how disruptions can cau...
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22:36
234: Empowering Diverse Voices in ECE with Kelly Ramsey
In this episode of "Child Care Conversations with Kate and Carrie," our hosts sit down with the incredible Kelly Ramsey, a true veteran in early childhood education. Kelly shares her inspiring journey, starting as an assistant teacher in 1984 a...
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32:48
233: Competing with Public Pre-K & Thriving
In this episode of "Child Care Conversations," Kate and Carrie discuss the financial strategies for managing infant and toddler classrooms amid rising competition from public pre-kindergarten programs and larger childcare franchises.The...
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23:08
232: Boosting Enrollment with Seceet Shopping: Chelsea Reue
In this episode of "Child Care Conversations," co-hosts Kate and Carrie sit down with Chelsea Reue, a seasoned childcare professional, to dive into the fascinating world of "secret shopping" in childcare. Chelsea, who has owned and directed chi...
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28:51
231: Enrollment Hacks: Practical Tips
In this episode of "Child Care Conversations," Kate and Carrie share practical tips to help childcare centers boost inquiries and enrollments, especially at the start of the year. Kate emphasizes the importance of clear communication with staff...
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18:52
230: Building or Remodeling with Daniel Turner
In this episode of "Child Care Conversations," Kate and Carrie chat with architect Daniel Turner about sprucing up childcare facilities. They dive into the pros and cons of new builds versus remodels, how to pick the right architect and budgeti...
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34:38
Bonus:Self-Care for Educators: An Early Ed Conversation
In this special bonus episode of "Child Care Conversations with Kate and Carrie," moderated by Erica Saccoccia, 9 experts in the childcare field come together to focus on self-care, leadership, collaboration, advocacy, and mentorship for early ...
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1:23:51
229: Delegate, Communicate, Grow with Nick Williams
In this episode of "Child Care Conversations," co-hosts Kate and Carrie chat with Nick Williams from Child Care Business Growth, who's tuning in from the UK. They dive into the challenges childcare directors face, especially those pesky tasks t...
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30:04
228: Navigating the Insurance Maze: Blake Sanders' Tips
In this episode of "Child Care Conversations," Kate and Carrie chat with insurance expert Blake about the ins and outs of insurance for early childhood care centers. Carrie shares a personal story about the chaos she faced when her center was d...
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28:04
227: Boost Enrollment: Practical Marketing Strategies on a Budget
In this episode of "Child Care Conversations," Kate and Carrie dive into some helpful tips on making the most of registration fees and marketing budgets for childcare centers. They discuss using part of the registration fees to create awesome w...
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16:21
226: Enrollment Success: Tracking, Tours & Scripts
In this episode of "Child Care Conversations," we dive into the nitty-gritty of strategic planning for childcare enrollment. Kate and Carrie share some golden nuggets on prepping for the big January enrollment push. They stress the importance o...
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18:32
225: Salaried Doesn't Mean Exempt: Labor Law Tips
In this episode of "Child Care Conversations with Kate and Carrie," our hosts dive into the nitty-gritty of labor laws affecting early childhood care providers.Kate and Carrie break down the Department of Labor's rules on exempt vs. non...
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23:19
224: Childcare Conferences: Tips for Attendees & Vendors
In this episode of "Child Care Conversations with Kate and Carrie," our dynamic duo dives into their recent adventures at childcare conferences. They chat about their roles as authors, coaches, and trainers, sharing highlights from the Child Ca...
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24:50
223: Onboarding to Retention: InspireCare 360's Tips
In this episode of "Child Care Conversations," Kate and Carrie chat with Jessica Wright from Inspire Care 360 about the all-important topic of staff retention in childcare. Jessica shares her wealth of knowledge on creating effective onboarding...
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22:33
222: Reflect, Plan, Thrive: Strategic Planning
In this episode of "Child Care Conversations with Kate and Carrie," Kate dives into strategic planning for 2025 as 2024 winds down. She discusses the importance of reflecting on the year's successes and challenges and the value of documenting t...
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9:55
221: The Best Way to Tame Your Monkeys: The History of Monkeys and Childcare Conversations
In this episode, Kate and Carrie dive into the fascinating idea of "monkey management", inspired by a classic 1974 Harvard Business Review article. They share how this concept has shaped their work with childcare directors and even their parent...
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18:02
220: From Teacher to Director: Your Path to Making a Bigger Impact!
In this episode of "Child Care Conversations," Kate and Carrie discuss why becoming a director in early childhood education is a fantastic career move. Carrie shares her journey, aiming to own a center and stressing the importance of being dire...
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23:47