The Science of Play, Part 2: Making It Work — Applying the Recognize–Emphasize–Maximize Framework for Deep Learning Through Play by Amanda Morgan, MS

Rethinking Group Time: Supporting Regulation, Belonging, and Participation by Amy Chiu, MSEd

RESOURCES * Watch the full webinar here [https://earlychildhoodwebinars.com/webinar/rethinking-group-time-supporting-regulation-belonging-and-participation-by-amy-chiu-msed?utm_campaign=37112632-2025%2F06%2F25%20%7C%20Rethinking%20Group%20Time&utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=spotify] * Join our newsletter! Earn your Professional Development hours with FREE sessions delivered right to your inbox every week [https://earlychildhoodwebinars.com/?utm_campaign=37112632-2025%2F06%2F25%20%7C%20Rethinking%20Group%20Time&utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=spotify] * Check out the producer of ECI, Playground, the Child Care Management Software [https://www.tryplayground.com/?utm_source=eci&utm_medium=podcast_ad&utm_campaign=group-time&utm_content=spotify] Group time is often one of the most challenging parts of the day for both children and adults. This session helps educators examine why group times can feel dysregulating and how adult presence, pacing, and expectations shape children’s participation and sense of safety, agency, and belonging. Through reflection and practical, relational strategies, you will explore how to move away from power struggles and compliance-based expectations and toward shared regulation, flexibility, and connection. Participants will leave with concrete ways to support meaningful participation during group time while honoring individual differences and developmental needs. LEARNING OBJECTIVES Participants will be able to: * Reflect on why group times can be challenging for both children and adults by considering developmental needs, nervous system regulation, and the relational dynamics present during whole-group experiences. * Explore how adult presence, pacing, and expectations influence children’s sense of safety, agency, and participation during group time. * Identify relational, developmentally responsive strategies that support shared regulation and meaningful participation while honoring individual differences among children.

The Break-Even Decisions Childcare Leaders Cannot Afford to Miss by Kate Woodward Young, M.Ed.

RESOURCES * Watch the full webinar here [https://earlychildhoodwebinars.com/webinar/courses/how-to-run-a-best-in-class-child-care-program-series-june?utm_campaign=42376111-2026%20%7C%20Admin%20Series%20Q2%20%7C%20The%20Break-Even%20Decisions%20Childcare%20Leaders%20Cannot%20Afford%20to%20Miss&utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=spotify] * Join our newsletter! Earn your Professional Development hours with FREE sessions delivered right to your inbox every week [https://earlychildhoodwebinars.com/?utm_campaign=42376111-2026%20%7C%20Admin%20Series%20Q2%20%7C%20The%20Break-Even%20Decisions%20Childcare%20Leaders%20Cannot%20Afford%20to%20Miss&utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=spotify] * Check out the producer of ECI, Playground, the Child Care Management Software [https://www.tryplayground.com/?utm_source=eci&utm_medium=podcast ad&utm_campaign=admin-2026-q2-break-even-decisions&utm_content=spotify] Break-even is not just a finance formula. It is the result of leadership decisions made every day across enrollment, staffing, pricing, schedules, and classroom structure. In this session, Kate Woodward Young, M.Ed helps child care leaders look at break-even through a more practical lens by connecting the numbers to the real choices that shape financial stability. Participants will explore the common assumptions that keep programs stuck, the hidden impact of under-enrolled classrooms and staffing misalignment, and how stronger decision-making can improve both confidence and outcomes. This session is designed for owners, directors, and administrators who want to better understand what drives sustainability and how to respond before small issues become bigger financial problems. Key takeaways:  * Identify the break-even number for each classroom and understand why room-level financial awareness is essential for effective leadership. * Examine how under-enrollment, staffing misalignment, and operational assumptions can quietly push programs away from sustainability. * Use room-level break-even thinking to make stronger decisions about staffing, scheduling, pricing, and classroom structure before problems escalate.

Unlocking the Power of the Pyramid Model to Build Bright Futures by Robin Levy, M.A.

RESOURCES * Watch the full webinar here [https://earlychildhoodwebinars.com/webinar/unlocking-the-power-of-the-pyramid-model-to-build-bright-futures-by-robin-levy-ma?utm_campaign=29557528-2026%2F06%2F18%20%7C%20Unlocking%20the%20Power%20of%20the%20Pyramid%20Model%20to%20Build%20Bright%20Futures&utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=spotify] * Join our newsletter! Earn your Professional Development hours with FREE sessions delivered right to your inbox every week [https://earlychildhoodwebinars.com/?utm_campaign=29557528-2026%2F06%2F18%20%7C%20Unlocking%20the%20Power%20of%20the%20Pyramid%20Model%20to%20Build%20Bright%20Futures&utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=spotify] * Check out the producer of ECI, Playground, the Child Care Management Software [https://www.tryplayground.com/?utm_source=eci&utm_medium=podcast ad&utm_campaign=unlocking&utm_content=spotify] Step into a session designed to inspire you, empower you, and strengthen the way you support young children every day. In this uplifting introduction, you’ll explore the Pyramid Model—a research-based framework proven to promote healthy social and emotional development in young children. Join Robin Levy, M.A. [https://earlychildhoodwebinars.com/presenters/robin-levy], to discover how this model supports your work by offering practical, compassionate strategies you can pair with any curriculum. The Pyramid Model is not a curriculum itself; instead, it functions as a powerful approach that enhances your existing practices and helps you create more responsive, predictable, and nurturing environments. As you move through each tier of the model, you’ll see how its emphasis on relationships, supportive environments, and targeted teaching practices can transform your daily interactions. You’ll learn how greetings, routines, expectations, and problem-solving moments become opportunities to build confidence, cooperation, and emotional resilience in every child. You’ll also explore how the Pyramid Model is used across early childhood settings by early educators, early intervention personnel, early childhood special education teams, infant and early childhood mental health consultants, and families—giving you a shared language and approach that strengthens collaboration and consistency for the children you serve. Through real examples, reflection, and practical strategies, you’ll gain clarity on how this framework can reduce challenging behaviors and increase children’s sense of safety, belonging, and joy. Whether you’re brand new to the Pyramid Model or ready to refresh your understanding, this session will leave you excited and equipped to bring its strategies to life in your own setting or program. Come ready to learn, connect, and grow—your work has the power to transform children’s lives, and the Pyramid Model is here to support you. Learning Objectives By the end of this session, you will be able to: * Explain what the Pyramid Model is and how it supports social–emotional development. * Identify strategies that strengthen relationships and create supportive, predictable learning environments. * Recognize how the Pyramid Model is used across early childhood roles, including educators, specialists, and families. * Apply at least two Pyramid Model practices you can use immediately in your own setting.

Hidden compliance asks for trust. Visible compliance earns it. by Lynn Wenger and Ronnae Williams

RESOURCES * Watch the full webinar here [https://earlychildhoodwebinars.com/webinar/courses/how-to-run-a-best-in-class-child-care-program-series-june?utm_campaign=42376100-2026%20%7C%20Admin%20Series%20Q2%20%7C%20Hidden%20compliance%20asks%20for%20trust.%20Visible%20compliance%20earns%20it.&utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=spotify] * Join our newsletter! Earn your Professional Development hours with FREE sessions delivered right to your inbox every week [https://earlychildhoodwebinars.com/?utm_campaign=42376100-2026%20%7C%20Admin%20Series%20Q2%20%7C%20Hidden%20compliance%20asks%20for%20trust.%20Visible%20compliance%20earns%20it.&utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=spotify] * Check out the producer of ECI, Playground, the Child Care Management Software [https://www.tryplayground.com/?utm_source=eci&utm_medium=podcast ad&utm_campaign=admin-2026-q2-compliance&utm_content=spotify] Trust Grows Where Proof Shows™ just as it is with industries from aviation to healthcare, early education compliance isn’t optional. The reality is that safety and trust aren’t just feelings. In regulated industries like ours, they’re facts you can see, measure, and demonstrate. Your stakeholders need more than reassurance. They need proof they can believe in. So how do we put this concept into visible practice?  The Compliance Alliance and The State Lady® come together to give you practical examples and strategies to make the invisible visible from how you market your compliance to ways to showcase your practices to preventative measures to avoid a citation, or worse, an insurance claim or lawsuit. Because compliance isn’t defined when everything goes right—it’s defined when something goes wrong. That’s when real practices show up. Together we will bridge the gap between compliance systems and real-world application. We will share how to turn your website messaging, parent communication, licensing visits, audits, and documentation into visible, trust-building proof. When your practices show every day, your stakeholder confidence grows—and families, staff, and regulators don’t just hear you’re safe… they see it. With a combined lens of compliance strategy and licensing experience, this session will highlight the difference between programs that say they’re compliant and those that can demonstrate it at any moment.  Key Takeaways: * How licensing evaluates compliance during actual inspections * Mock Inspection non-negotiables * Strategies to reduce citations & legal liability * Minimum auditing practices to surface risks before they become costly * Strategies to increase stakeholder trust (make supervision, safety, and daily routines clearly visible) "Stakeholders don’t just need to be told we’re safe—they need to believe it for themselves."

Coaching vs. Mentoring: What’s the difference? by Dr. Tamar Andrews

RESOURCES * Watch the full webinar here [https://earlychildhoodwebinars.com/webinar/courses/how-to-run-a-best-in-class-child-care-program-series-june?utm_campaign=42376091-2026%20%7C%20Admin%20Series%20Q2%20%7C%20Coaching%20vs.%20Mentoring&utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=spotify] * Join our newsletter! Earn your Professional Development hours with FREE sessions delivered right to your inbox every week [https://earlychildhoodwebinars.com/?utm_campaign=42376091-2026%20%7C%20Admin%20Series%20Q2%20%7C%20Coaching%20vs.%20Mentoring&utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=spotify] * Check out the producer of ECI, Playground, the Child Care Management Software [https://www.tryplayground.com/?utm_source=eci&utm_medium=podcast ad&utm_campaign=admin-2026-q2-coaching-vs-mentoring&utm_content=spotify] As early childhood leaders, we're constantly supporting the growth of the educators around us — but are we using the right tools for the job? Coaching and mentoring are both powerful, yet they serve very different purposes. Knowing when to coach and when to mentor can transform how you lead your team and build a culture of continuous growth in your program. In this session, we'll cut through the confusion and give directors, coordinators, and educational leaders a clear, practical framework for understanding both approaches — and confidently knowing which one to reach for. Participants will: * Define coaching and mentoring in straightforward terms and explain the distinct purpose of each * Explore how the two approaches differ in structure, frequency, and who drives the conversation * Apply real ECE examples of coaching in action — including support around transitions, circle time, classroom routines, and behavior management — and identify tools that make coaching effective * Apply real ECE examples of mentoring in action — including helping a new teacher build confidence, deepen reflective practice, or begin thinking about leadership goals — and explore the tools that support meaningful mentoring relationships * Clarify common misconceptions: coaching and mentoring are not punishment, criticism, formal supervision, or therapy * Walk away with a practical "when to use which" decision guide designed specifically for directors and educational leaders