Leadership Initiative Events

The Leadership Initiative welcomes Susan MacDonald as our speaker.

A culture of appreciation happens when everyone feels valued, respected, and seen for their unique strengths. This presentation will inspire you to incorporate easy-to-implement strategies for building positive relationships and bringing a renewed sense of joy to your school community!

This engaging session will explore positive communication techniques, the Appreciative Inquiry model, impactful frameworks, reflective exercises, and a team assessment form.

You will leave with a clear path to creating resilient relationships and a positive, supportive, respectful environment for children and adults. Participants will also receive a reflection guide with actionable tips, strategies, and resources to help you create a culture of appreciation!

This is a virtual event, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Leadership is a practice – it needs to be examined, refined, and current.​ Join us for a 3-part learning community as we dive into discussion and reflection on our own leadership journeys to define our "why."

Central NY and the Southern Tier presents Leadership Panel Discussion will focus on five different approaches to early childhood practice that are informed by different educational philosophies, values, and theories about how young children learn and develop. The pedagogies represented by our panel of pedagogical leaders are Montessori, Reggio Emilia, Creative Curriculum, Forrest Schools, and Social Emotional Framework of the Pyramid Model.

• Be introduced to  a variety of curriculums/pedagogical perspectives that can be utilized to support the young child’s development and need as well as how they support the families; 
• Understand the unique characteristic of each, specific to training, how to meet diverse learners and applicable assessments models; and
• Be provided resources about each perspective and how to apply to your classroom and the children in your care

Central NY and the Southern Tier presents Leadership Panel Discussion will focus on five different approaches to early childhood practice that are informed by different educational philosophies, values, and theories about how young children learn and develop. The pedagogies represented by our panel of pedagogical leaders are Montessori, Reggio Emilia, Creative Curriculum, Forrest Schools, and Social Emotional Framework of the Pyramid Model.

• Be introduced to  a variety of curriculums/pedagogical perspectives that can be utilized to support the young child’s development and need as well as how they support the families; 
• Understand the unique characteristic of each, specific to training, how to meet diverse learners and applicable assessments models; and
• Be provided resources about each perspective and how to apply to your classroom and the children in your care

Join us for a professional learning community on how to foster employee retention through onboarding and ongoing leadership action. We will explore the art and science of hiring and onboarding; identify practical strategies for preventing ‘quick-quits’ and getting employees through the critical first months on the job; and cultivate tools for long-term retention such as stay interviews, engagement conversations, and supported goal-setting.

Join the Leadership Initiative and the Advocacy Institute for a special virtual conversation about advocacy. If you ever wondered about the policies that impact you, your team, and children and families in New York State, this is a great chance to learn more.

This event is for all those in Early Childhood Education who are interested in learning more about Early Head Start, and how to potentially start their own program/relationship. Prepare to hear from experienced individuals who are advocating and supporting children and families across New York State.

The Early Childhood Leadership Initiative is excited to introduce a new professional learning opportunity — the Leaders Café! We’ll engage with videos, podcasts, TED Talks and other multimedia to explore a range of topics relevant to the early childhood community. We’ll provide you with resources and materials for discussion!

The Leadership Initiative is pleased to bring you a valuable opportunity to develop your core business practices. Join Erica Chase-Gregory​, Regional Director of the Small Business Development Center at Farmingdale, as she leads a 3-part professional learning community where you will:  

• Build a strong business foundation
• Evaluate how legal structures and tax rules impact your business
• Calculate the true cost of care for each child in your program 
• Analyze market rate and what it means for your business
• Create a record keeping and budgeting system
• Identify community resources to support next steps in making informed business decisions 

Please note this event has a limited number of seats and is exclusive for family child care and group family child care Leadership Initiative members. 

The Leadership Initiative is pleased to bring you a valuable opportunity to develop your core business practices. Join Erica Chase-Gregory​, Regional Director of the Small Business Development Center at Farmingdale, as she leads a 3-part professional learning community where you will:  

• Build a strong business foundation
• Evaluate how legal structures and tax rules impact your business
• Calculate the true cost of care for each child in your program 
• Analyze market rate and what it means for your business
• Create a record keeping and budgeting system
• Identify community resources to support next steps in making informed business decisions 

Please note this event has a limited number of seats and is exclusive for family child care and group family child care Leadership Initiative members. 

Join the Council for Professional Recognition for a virtual information session to learn more about becoming a Child Development Associate (CDA) Professional Development Specialist. 

If you enjoy mentoring, meeting new people, and observing educational environments, becoming a PD Specialist may be for you! PD Specialists use their expertise in early childhood education to assess CDA candidates' competencies and facilitate reflective conversations with candidates. PD Specialists receive an honorarium from the Council for each Verification Visit they conduct.

Join us to learn more! 

Members of the Central New York Leadership Initiative are invited to join our networking meetings. Our meeting topics are driven by your questions and needs. Share stories, strategies, feelings, ideas, resources, and words of encouragement about leading an early childhood program.

We are proud to welcome you to a follow up event with Imani Missouri on biases in early childhood. This event is intended as an opportunity to continue our conversation from our October event and deepen connections with others in the community.

At our October event, Imani led us in deepening our understanding of what unconscious bias is (and isn’t!) with an interactive session. We spoke in breakout rooms and as a large group about our experiences and ways to both identify and interrupt biases when we notice them happening. This space may have also included moments of discomfort and stretching ourselves with new ideas.

Our follow up event is by invitation only to members who attended our October Speaker Series event. We welcome you to join us to continue our conversations from October and reflect on what has come up since then. This time together will include experiences in small groups with participants from across NYS. Since we’ll have interactions in break out rooms, we encourage you to register if you are interested and able to attend the full event with your camera/microphone. We hope to see you there!

The Early Childhood Leadership Initiative is proud to present the Playmaker Project, facilitated by Ant Toombs Sr. The Playmaker Project provides “play-based, trauma-informed training and support for early childhood professionals.” Playmakers offer a framework that enhances existing priorities and increases social and emotional wellness among kids and staff.

The Leadership Initiative encourages leaders to join with an open heart and mind, learning techniques to bring optimism, joy, and healing to themselves, to staff, and to children.

Optimism matters. An optimistic disposition enables us through everyday and extraordinary struggles  to look for the goodness in ourselves, in others, and in the world around us. For professionals working with young survivors of trauma, optimism isn’t just a critical tool; it’s the pathway to healing for kids in need. This inspiring, interactive presentation helps individuals discover the power of optimism to create safe, joyful, engaging environments where kids can grow, heal, and learn. Using research, humor, and personal stories from 30+ years in the field, Playmaker Project Guides share how optimistic individuals can bring out the best in their students, colleagues, and leaders.

This panel event will highlight early childhood leadership roles for those considering the numerous opportunities in the field. Our panelists will each share their career pathways, how their role has an impact on our field, and the skills, credentials and dispositions that have helped them to be successful. 

This Leadership Panel Discussion will focus on five different approaches to early childhood practice that are informed by different educational philosophies, values, and theories about how young children learn and development. The pedagogies represented by our panel of pedagogical leaders are Montessori, Reggio Emilia, Resources for Infant Educarers, Waldorf, and NYS Pre-Kindergarten.

Join us for an upcoming Leadership Panel to hear leaders of different careers describe their journey and their passion for this work. We’ll explore the types of roles needed in our field and reflect on how these different roles weave together to impact the lives of young children. This conversation is ideal for someone who is considering ways to enhance their career path and is interested in learning about all the roles that support early childhood.

We are proud to welcome you to our next Speaker Series event featuring Imani Missouri. She brings to us an opportunity to deepen our understanding of what unconscious bias is (and isn’t!) in an interactive session. Unconscious Bias is used often in our field, and together with Imani, we’ll talk about the differences between biases and racism. We’ll pause to reflect on our experience with the content and consider ways to attend to ourselves in these moments. This space may have moments where we sit bravely with productive, but transformative, discomfort.

All are welcome in this space. This time together will include experiences in small groups to learn with participants from across NYS. We aim for each participant to leave with the framework for a personal goal to increase their awareness of biases in their life and leadership role. Since this event includes interactions in small group break out rooms, we encourage you to register if you are interested and able to attend the full event. We hope to see you there!

The Southern Tier and the WNY Leadership Initiative have collaborated to present the upcoming Leadership Panel Discussion “Trauma Informed Supervision”.  Our expert panelist will share information to empower early childhood leaders in creating environments that support their staff and their needs. Our panelists will share their career pathway to their current work, along with understanding the effects of trauma and strategies for leaders to build resilience practices within.

The NY Regional Leadership Initiative's have collaborated to present the upcoming Leadership Panel Discussion “Trauma Informed Supervision”.  Our expert panelist will share information to empower early childhood leaders in creating environments that support their staff and their needs. Our panelists will share their career pathway to their current work, along with understanding the effects of trauma and strategies for leaders to build resilience practices within.

As early childhood leaders and educators, you’ve probably noticed the “generation gap,” or how people born in different generations may think and behave differently — and you may have even experienced generational differences among your colleagues or early childhood educators at work. We invite you to join the Early Childhood Leadership Initiative for an illuminating conversation with Dr. Megan Gerhardt, an expert in intergenerational workplaces and the author of “Gentelligence: The Revolutionary Approach to Leading an Intergenerational Workforce.” Dr. Gerhardt will discuss how to reflect on your own age-based biases, look beyond stereotypes associated with different generations and develop an understanding of why people who grew up in different times may behave in unique — and valuable! — ways. 

We are pleased to welcome our colleagues from NY Works for Children for another informative event to support leaders with the Aspire Registry workforce registry system. This event is a follow up to our July meeting. Several participants from our July meeting shared their interest in a second event with a focus on the professional development section of the Aspire Registry. Our August meeting will focus on this including information on how to create professional developments on the Aspire Registry, how to document professional development, and how to feature trainings on the Aspire Registry website. This is meeting is a statewide opportunity through the Leadership Initiative.

We offer special thanks to members who were able to participate in our July event and surveys. If you were not able to join the July meeting, you are still welcome to join our August session. Please email us if you'd like to see a copy of the recording. We hope to see you there! 

We are pleased to welcome our colleagues from NY Works for Children this July for an informational event to support leaders with the Aspire workforce registration system. This will be an opportunity to learn more about why this system is a valuable tool for our field and how you can use it to support your work. We've designed the content for this session after hearing from Leadership Initiative members about their needs and curiosities. We hope you can join us! 

We are pleased to welcome our colleagues from NY Works for Children this July for an informational event to support leaders with the Aspire workforce registration system. This will be an opportunity to learn more about why this system is a valuable tool for our field and how you can use it to support your work. We've designed the content for this session after hearing from Leadership Initiative members about their needs and curiosities. We hope you can join us! 

Wednesday, July 12th 2023 1:00pm - 2:00pm

The Leadership Initiative is pleased to bring you this opportunity to develop your core business practices. Join Erica Chase-Gregory, Regional Director of the Small Business Development Center at Farmingdale, as she leads a 3-part professional learning community for family and group family providers.

As a member of the Central NY Leadership Initiative you are invited to join our monthly virtual networking meetings. Come network with your peers. Meeting topics are driven by your questions and needs. Participants will send questions in advance of the meeting or come to the meetings with questions, strategies and resources to share, or an interest in listening and learning from others' experiences.  This is a space to share stories, strategies, feelings, ideas, resources, and words of encouragement about leading an early childhood program in the Central NY region.

Come learn about the Central NY Early Childhood Leadership Initiative.  The Central NY Leadership Initiative provides support to Cayuga, Cortland, Madison, Onondaga, and Oswego counties.  Currently the Central NY Leadership Initiative provides Networking, Panel Discussions, Learning Communities, Speaker Series and much more including individualized support for our members.  Join the Central NY Early Childhood Leadership Initiative to learn more.

Are you interested in being mentored by an experienced early childhood leader?

Are you interested in mentoring a new early childhood leader?

If so, please join us for an information session regarding the Central NY Leadership Initiative's Mentorship Program. This 30 minute session will provide an overview of the program, the qualifications, roles and responsibilities for mentees and mentors,  and information regarding the application process. A Q&A time will be offered as needed following the session.

Sessions are held Via Zoom

Choose to attend 1 of 3 available sessions on November 29th.

The Central NY Leadership Initiative has been invited to join in on the Southern Tier Leadership Initiatives presentation of their Fall 2022 Leadership Panel Discussion. Panel events focus on a different aspect of leadership in Early Childhood Education and feature moderated panel discussions with a diverse group of professionals.  This Leadership Panel Discussion will focus on understanding trauma, signs of trauma, strategies for building resilience within and supporting others as a leader.

This virtual panel discussion, “Moving Beyond Surviving: Cultivating a Trauma Responsive Environment Within Your Early Childhood Program," will offer diverse perspectives, experiences, strategies and resources. Our panelist will share information on trauma and supports to build resilience within and strategies to support others.  Our panelists will share their career pathway to their current work, along with understanding the effects of trauma and strategies for leaders to build resilience practices within.

Please join our facilitator, Karen Lawrence, MS Ed, as she leads this crucial conversation with our incredible panelists.

Our Panels are:

• Laura Gates-Weeks, Young Wonders Daycare at the YWCA, Director
• Tracy Lyman, Binghamton University in the Department of Teaching Learning and Educational Leadership and Pyramid Model Master Cadre Trainer
• Bouakham Rosetti, Senior Project Manager with Care Compass Network (CCN) and the Program Director for the CCN Regional Trauma-Informed Care Network (RTIC)
• Trina Zigata, Family Enrichment Network, Infant/Toddler Mental Health Specialist

panel events focus on different aspects of leadership in Early Childhood Education and feature moderated panel discussions with a diverse group of professionals. 
 

This virtual panel, “Voices from the Field: Exploring Pathways to Leadership", will highlight unique early childhood leadership roles for those considering opportunities outside of programs/schools.

Our panelists will represent diverse pathways in Early Childhood Leadership; and each will share their career pathways, how their role has impact on the field, and the skills, credentials, and dispositions that have helped them be successful in their respective positions.

panel events focus on different aspects of leadership in Early Childhood Education and feature moderated panel discussions with a diverse group of professionals. 
 

This virtual panel, “Exploring Leadership Pathways: Voices From Our Field”, will highlight unique early childhood leadership roles for those considering opportunities outside of programs/schools.

Our panelists will represent diverse pathways in Early Childhood Leadership; and each will share their career pathways, how their role has impact on the field, and the skills, credentials, and dispositions that have helped them be successful in their respective positions.

Join us! We are honored to host Rhian Evans Allvin for this special state-wide edition of the Leadership Initiative Speaker Series. Come to learn about Rhian's exciting journey as the Chief Executive Officer of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). She served the NAEYC community for over a decade, supporting an increase in membership and bringing strong leadership to the policy advocacy arm of NAEYC's work. During Rhian's tenure, NAEYC released three position statements on equity in early childhood education and convened the Power to the Profession initiative. We'll have the opportunity to learn more about Rhian's leadership philosophy, lessons learned, and her insight on our field at this event. We hope to see you there!  

"Courage is contagious. Every time we choose courage, we make everyone around us a little better and the world a little braver"
-Brené Brown
Dare to Lead has been praised as a road map for anyone who wants to lead mindfully and love bravely. Readers describe Brené's writing as honest and straightforward, giving actionable tools to enhance bravery in our lives and in our work. 

Come learn about the Central NY Early Childhood Leadership Initiative.  The Central NY Leadership Initiative provides support to Cayuga, Cortland, Madison, Onondaga, and Oswego counties.  Currently the Central NY Leadership Initiative provides Networking, Panel Discussions, Learning Communities, Speaker Series and much more including individualized support for our members.  Join the Central NY Early Childhood Leadership Initiative to learn more.

We invite you to our next virtual Book Group discussion featuring 
"How Full is Your Bucket" by Tom Rath and Donald O. Clifton.  

Organized around a simple metaphor of a dipper and a bucket, How Full Is Your Bucket? shows how even the smallest interactions we have with others every day profoundly affect our relationships, productivity, health and longevity. It will immediately help readers boost the amount of positive emotions in their work and their lives.

Registration will be capped at 15, and a waitlist will be made available. Due to a limited number of books available please only register if you can commit to attending and participating fully. Register no later than March 15, 2022

Over the last few months, there has been an increased focus on investment in early childhood care.  With new federal and state investments, Central NY leaders should examine their business practices. We are launching our first learning community focused on calculating the true cost of care. In these sessions, leaders will examine their program costs by age group and identify the "gap" between program expenses, cost per child, and teacher salary.  Erica Chase will lead the group to explore trends and discuss ways in which leaders can strengthen their business practices to ensure stability for their programs.  We plan to have our first meeting Thursday, May 5th.   Please note this event has a limited number of seats and is exclusive for family child care and group family child care Leadership Initiative members.

Family/Group Family Providers - Please join us for a facilitated discussion of leadership book, "Graceful Leadership in Early Childhood Education"

We welcomed NAEYC President  Ann Terrell at our Southern Tier Speaker Series Launch of our Leadership Initiative back in 2021!  Ann provided our audience with captivating discussions of the qualities of the contemporary leader in Early Childhood Education.  We began our reflection as leaders and our personal leadership journeys. We will continue these discussions to build a deep understanding of the topics during our three-part Book Group Series.  

Book groups present an opportunity for members to gather to discuss leadership publications and resources and are facilitated by committed professionals, dedicated to deepening the dialogue and illuminating the key messages​ of the book!  

Those registered for this event will be provided with a FREE copy of Ann's book to engage and discuss the topic of leadership and how to apply it in your own work environment.  To ensure prompt arrival of your book, please register by April 15th, 2023 *This event is only for Leadership Initiative Family/ Group members from the Southern Tier and Central NY

Sessions will take place via Zoom on Wednesdays: May 10th, May 24th and June 7th from 6:30 - 8:00 pm

We welcome Terrance Lee to join us and speak to his work on core leadership principles that can enhance our stance as leaders. He will share thoughtful insights on being identified as an "introvert" and the misconception that this attribute prevents one from becoming an "ideal" leader. Participants will have an opportunity to reflect on their stance as a leader, hear about principles that can enhance their daily practice in a leadership role, and learn about the inner power introverts bring to every team.

As a member of the Central NY Leadership Initiative you are invited to join our monthly virtual networking meetings. Come network with your peers. Meeting topics are driven by your questions and needs. Participants will send questions in advance of the meeting or come to the meetings with questions, strategies and resources to share, or an interest in listening and learning from others' experiences.  This is a space to share stories, strategies, feelings, ideas, resources, and words of encouragement about leading an early childhood program in the Central NY region.

Join us for our first Leadership Speaker Series event, featuring:

Ann McClain Terrell
Author Graceful Leadership in Early Childhood Education
President, NAEYC Governing Board
and former Executive Director of the Milwaukee Public Schools Foundation Inc.

Admission is free for this virtual event!

Thursday, December 9, 2021 12:30pm-2:00pm
via Zoom

*we will have a capacity of 300 for this event. Waitlist is available. Priority registration given to individuals in the Central NY, Mid-Hudson, and Long Island regions

The Institute is hosting a professional development offering: Introduction to the Revised New York State Early Learning Guidelines: A Child Development Resource for Educators of Children Ages Birth Through Eight. These sessions are designed specifically for Directors and other leaders of early childhood programs. This professional development session will provide an overview of the shifts within this new and improved version of the New York State Early Learning Guidelines. A specific focus will be provided on utilizing this resource as a leader in your program and supporting its use among your staff. 

Choose one of the session dates and times that works for you. 

Join us for this special two-part Leadership Speaker Series event, featuring Abby Thorman.

"Making Impact: Strengthen Your Voice, Your Message, and Your Story-telling"

As professionals and leaders we have responsibility to use our experience and knowledge to inform and influence others about appropriate practices and the needs of the early childhood field (Core Body of Knowledge 6.6).
Abby will explore and help attendees understand the skills and components of effective storytelling for early childhood advocacy. Part 1 on May 26th will cover crafting effective messages, using those messages for advocacy, and strategies to achieve power in numbers. Join us again on June 3rd in an interactive session with Abby to hone those message-making skills with opportunities for feedback and strategizing.