Upcoming Events!

Dear ECE Colleagues,

Please join us on Friday, October 9, from 10:00–11:30 a.m. to learn about the Workforce Pathways LA Career & College Advisement Toolkit and explore how it can support your work with ECE students.

Building on the legacy of the Investing in Early Educators Stipend Program (AB 212), Workforce Pathways LA is a comprehensive workforce development model that works in partnership with Quality Start Los Angeles (QSLA). The program supports early educators as they move along the career lattice, with a focus on:

• Licensing, health, and safety
• Professional development, permits, and degrees
• Workforce systems improvement

Workforce Pathways LA also provides financial incentives for achieving career and educational milestones, along with professional development and career advisement for early educators across a variety of settings.

As part of this work, Workforce Pathways LA developed the Career & College Advisement Toolkit to support the early care and education field.

During our October 9 session, we will explore how the resources in the Toolkit can be used when advising students about coursework, degrees, permits, and ECE career pathways. We also want to hear from you: What additional resources would make the Toolkit more useful to you and the students you advise?

You are welcome to review the Toolkit prior to our meeting:

• Career & College Advisement Toolkit: https://childcare.lacounty.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/WPLA-Career-College-Advisement-Toolkit-FINAL.pdf
• Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/4870509200?omn=82872141716

We hope you can join us!

~PEACH, An Early Childhood Higher Education Collaborative

BY ANN HENTSCHEL

MCCORMICK INSTITUTE FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD
McCormickInstitute.nl.edu | 1.833.532.3323

Take a moment and ask yourself a simple question:

What kind of leader do you want to be?

Not what families expect.
Not what your licensing specialist expects.
Not what your board expects.
Not even what your staff expects.

What kind of leader do you want to be?

For many early childhood leaders, that question is surprisingly difficult to answer—not because they lack passion or commitment, but because they rarely have the opportunity to stop long enough to reflect.

Most days begin before you even walk through the door.

A teacher calls in sick, leaving you scrambling to cover a classroom. A family desperately needs child care, but your waiting list is already a year long. A child is struggling with challenging behavior, and the teacher needs your support. Before lunch, you’ve been a coach, counselor, substitute teacher, cook, bus driver, plumber, mediator, and crisis manager. Meanwhile, emails, text messages, licensing requirements, payroll, and paperwork continue to pile up.

The demands never seem to stop.

In a profession built around caring for others, leaders often become so focused on responding to everyone’s needs that they lose sight of themselves.

Reflection begins to feel like a luxury.

LEADERSHIP BEGINS FROM THE INSIDE OUT

Years ago, early childhood leadership expert Paula Jorde Bloom challenged program directors to think differently about leadership. Rather than focusing only on management skills or organizational systems, she emphasized that effective leadership begins with knowing yourself.

That idea became the foundation for From the Inside Out: The Power of Reflection and Self-Awareness.

The premise is beautifully simple:

You cannot consistently lead others beyond the level of your own self-awareness.

When leaders understand what drives their decisions, recognize how they respond under stress, and intentionally align their actions with their values, they create healthier workplaces, stronger relationships, and more resilient organizations.

The work starts on the inside before it shows up on the outside.

THREE PRACTICES THAT STRENGTHEN LEADERSHIP

Exceptional leadership includes three interconnected practices that cultivate clarity, connection, and courage.

• Clarity begins with values. Every leader is guided by values, whether consciously or unconsciously. When our daily decisions align with what matters most to us, leadership feels purposeful and authentic. When our values conflict with the realities of our work, tension and burnout often follow. Taking time to clarify your leadership values helps you recognize both your strengths and the places where you may need to make intentional changes.
• Connection grows through deep listening. Many of us listen while preparing our response. We rush to solve problems, fill silence, or offer advice before fully understanding another person’s experience.
  • Deep listening asks something different. It invites us to become fully present—not to fix, but to understand. When leaders listen with curiosity and empathy, trust grows, relationships deepen, and teams become more willing to collaborate because people know their voices matter.
• Courage develops through shared leadership. No director can—or should—carry the entire organization alone. The strongest programs intentionally develop leadership throughout the organization. Teachers take initiative, staff members contribute ideas and solutions, and colleagues support one another’s growth. Shared leadership not only strengthens the organization today but also prepares the next generation of leaders for tomorrow.

REFLECTION IS NOT A PAUSE FROM LEADERSHIP—IT IS LEADERSHIP

Many directors tell me they don’t have time for reflection.

I understand.

I’ve lived that reality.

But I’ve also learned that the leaders who consistently make the greatest difference aren’t necessarily the ones who work the hardest or stay the latest.

They’re the ones who intentionally create moments to step back, ask meaningful questions, and reconnect with who they are as leaders.

Reflection doesn’t slow leadership down.

It makes leadership more intentional.

It helps us respond instead of react.

It reminds us why we chose this work in the first place.

Ann Hentschel is a nationally recognized author, consultant, and advocate for early childhood leadership. With over four decades of experience in the field, she brings deep insight into the practice and policy of early learning. Ann began her career at Stanford University’s Bing Nursery School and later served as executive director of two campus child care programs.

A seasoned leader in both state and national early childhood initiatives, Ann served for over a decade as Director of Quality Assessment at the McCormick Institute for Early Childhood, where she had the privilege of working closely with—and being mentored by- Paula Jorde Bloom, a pioneer in Early Childhood Leadership.

Paula Jorde Bloom invited Ann to co-author A Great Place to Work and Inspiring Peak Performance, collaborating alongside her colleague Jill Bella. Ann has since authored updated editions of Paula’s seminal works — Leadership in Action (3rd ed., 2025), From the Inside Out (2nd ed., 2025), and Inspiring Peak Performance (2nd ed., 2026) — and her newest book, Using FCCERS to Improve Program Quality: A Guide for Family Child Care Providers, is forthcoming from Teachers College Press in November 2026.

This Pride Month, we recognize and celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community and reaffirm our commitment to creating learning environments where every individual is seen, valued, respected, and empowered to thrive. Pride is both a celebration of identity and a reminder of the ongoing work required to ensure that all people have equitable access to opportunities, resources, and a genuine sense of belonging. The Mission of the California Early Childhood Mentor Program is to strengthen and sustain the child care and development work force my recruiting, engaging and elevating a broad representation of certified mentors who are reflective of the communities they serve. 

Our program is grounded in the belief that equity, inclusion, diversity, and accessibility are not simply goals, but essential values that shape how we learn, collaborate, and serve one another. We honor the rich diversity of experiences, perspectives, cultures, identities, and abilities that strengthen our community. By fostering inclusive practices and embracing the uniqueness of every participant, we help build spaces where everyone can contribute fully, learn authentically, and succeed.

As we celebrate Pride Month, we invite our community to reflect on the importance of belonging, continue learning from one another, and recommit to creating environments where all people are welcomed, affirmed, and supported.

In celebration,

Neva