When Procare Solutions launched “The Child Care Business Podcast” in 2021, our goal was to provide information to help early childhood education professionals fully realize the potential of their child care businesses.
We’re in our third season of doing the podcast, in which we seek out leaders such as educators, owners and industry experts to share their knowledge to keep you informed on what’s happening in our industry, as well as to innovate to meet the needs of the children you serve.
In 2023, we’ve hit nearly 15,574 downloads podcast downloads! We are thrilled that so many of you are listening.
Let’s take a look at the top five podcasts of the year, in no particular order:
1. “Introducing Gen Z! Strategies to Engage our Newest Generation in the Child Care Workforce”
Child care centers are seeing five generations of employees working together: traditionalists, boomers, generation X, millennials and now generation Z, who are ages 10 to 24 years old.
As this group becomes a larger part of the workforce, it’s important to understand how they’re different from other age groups, says Kathe Petchel, who has been in early childhood education for more than 30 years, both as a teacher and a center owner, and is an expert on hiring and training staff, as well as staff development and onboarding. Kathe also is the head of business development at Hinge Advisors.
Check out this podcast to hear Kathe walk us through several key things that center owners and directors must understand about the newest generation in the workplace!
2. “Why Early Childhood Education Can’t Be Delayed”
AJ Crabill, whose ECE experience includes chairing the Kansas City School Board and serving as the deputy commissioner of the Texas Education Agency, is quick to dispel any notion that ECE should start around preschool.
In this podcast, AJ talks about why ECE needs to begin WAY earlier than many believe and about the importance of supporting families and students to help children accelerate when they start kindergarten.
3. “Billions in Child Care Funding is About to Dry Up: What that Means for Providers and Families”
Cindy Lehnhoff, the director of the National Child Care Association, explains measures undertaken this year to save at least some of the federal funding to child cares that was part of a pandemic program. She also discusses the consequences of losing the funding — on centers, staffing, families and the economy — and what some states are doing.
We’ll keep tabs on developments and will report back when we learn more.
4. “Building a Nonprofit ECE Center and the Push for Child Care Funding”
Allyx Schiavone, executive director of the Friends Center for Children in New Haven, Connecticut, talks about partnering with local Quakers to form the center that uses a sliding-scale tuition.
Allyx also serves as the co-chair of the Child Care for Connecticut’s Future Coalition, and in this episode, she shares her expertise on government incentives in child care and talks about some big things she’s doing, including providing housing to her child care center’s employees.
5. “How to Successfully Onboard and Retain Employees”
Kris Murray, the founder and president and founder of The Child Care Success Company and a leading child care business expert, talks about how to help child care staff grow within your organization and the importance of professional development to make that happen.
Check out this podcast to learn her tips for successfully onboarding and retaining employees, including creating a roadmap for each employee!
Are You Ready for 2024?
We hope you’ll join us as we share more podcasts in 2024 on the topics you care about! We invite you to subscribe to The Child Care Business Podcast on Apple Podcasts or on Google Play … or wherever you get your podcasts! You can always find each episode here as well.
