Early Childhood Investigations is your gateway to inspiring, research-based professional development. Since 2009, our free webinar series has brought together authors, researchers, and leaders in early care and education to share timely insights and spark meaningful conversations across the workforce. We believe high-quality professional development should be accessible, practical, and immediately useful. ECI is a movement that empowers directors, administrators, and teachers to elevate their practice and strengthen outcomes for children and families. https://ecewebinars.com/spotify
RESOURCES Watch the full webinar here Join our newsletter! Earn your Professional Development hours with FREE sessions delivered right to your inbox every week Check out the producer of ECI, Playground, the Child Care Management Software Imagine discovering that the key to unlocking the interwoven secrets of play, literacy, and even resilience can be found in the whimsical stories of young children—the ones they seem to conjure out of thin air as they transform snack crackers into hungry tigers and twigs into telephones. Guided by professor emerita of Early Education and Child Development Dr. Stephanie Goloway , this workshop invites you to explore how the magic in those flights of fancy builds the foundations for language, literacy, imagination, and more. Sometimes referred to as representational thinking , a child’s growing ability to construct and play with symbols is one of the core developmental tasks of early childhood. Yet too often, we overlook the power of children’s make-believe as we focus on more concrete milestones on our developmental checklists. Dr. Goloway will help you examine the theory and neuroscience behind the development of representational thinking and reflect on how it emerges in young children’s play. You’ll connect the dots between storytelling, symbolic thinking, make-believe play, and emergent literacy. Throughout the session, you’ll explore a variety of ways to wave the “magic wand” of storytelling in your setting—sharing folk and fairy tales, narrating creative movement experiences, and using quick anecdotes to scaffold transitions and routines. You’ll discover how, with each story you tell, you can nurture children’s capacity to transform their experiences into the wondrous web that underpins their play, reading, writing, problem-solving, and interactions with others. The best part: the wild sense, curiosity, joy, and stories of young children will be truly honored and celebrated as you help them spin narratives and weave meaning into their world. Participants will: Define representational thinking in the context of early childhood development. Explain the role of representational thinking and the use of symbols in emergent literacy and make-believe play. Identify ways oral storytelling supports the development of representational thinking, literacy, and make-believe play. Investigate how to incorporate different kinds of storytelling into any early childhood setting and schedule. Examine the added benefits of telling folk and fairy tales to support representational thinking, emergent literacy, play, and resilience.
RESOURCES Watch the full webinar here Join our newsletter! Earn your Professional Development hours with FREE sessions delivered right to your inbox every week Check out the producer of ECI, Playground, the Child Care Management Software You care deeply about nurturing early literacy—but you’re tired of being caught between play and pressure. Maybe you’ve heard about the Science of Reading but aren’t sure how it applies to young children—or how to implement it in a play-based setting. Maybe someone has told you to stop the play and start the worksheets. Or maybe you’re simply searching for a clear, developmentally responsive way to support all your learners as they build the foundation for reading. In this engaging and practical session, Laura Shea, M.S.Ed. , early childhood educator, adjunct-professor, and founder of Little Stories That Stick, will show how the Science of Reading can complement—not compete with—child-led play. With over a decade of experience in literacy development and play-based learning, Laura will unpack what the research truly says, how children build foundational reading skills before decoding begins, and why oral language, storytelling, and play are powerful tools for building brains ready to read. You’ll walk away with ideas you can implement right away—whether you work with toddlers, preschoolers, or pre-K students. Expect a balance of relatable classroom examples, real-world analogies, and actionable takeaways. You'll leave feeling more confident in your approach and more equipped to speak to families, administrators, and peers about how and why play supports reading. Learning Objectives: Understand how play-based experiences support key components of the Science of Reading, including oral language, phonological awareness, and vocabulary development. Identify the difference between developmentally appropriate literacy learning and early reading instruction. Explore ways to support emergent reading and writing through storytelling, storyacting, and incidental teaching. Gain language to explain and advocate for play-based literacy practices with families and administrators.
RESOURCES Watch the full webinar here Join our newsletter! Earn your Professional Development hours with FREE sessions delivered right to your inbox every week Check out the producer of ECI, Playground, the Child Care Management Software Talking with young children about a topic as nuanced and complex as death can feel overwhelming—even for the most experienced educators. Just as no two adults process grief in the same way, children also experience and understand loss differently. In this thoughtful and supportive session, led by Melody Passemante Powell, M.Ed. , Supervisor at Fairfax County’s Institute for Early Learning and a veteran early childhood leader with over two decades of experience, participants will reflect on their own values, consider key factors that should be taken into account before engaging children in conversations about death, and explore practical techniques and supportive language that will help educators approach these discussions with both sensitivity and confidence. Learning Objectives By the end of this session, participants will be able to: Reflect on personal beliefs and values related to death and grief and identify how these perspectives may influence conversations with children and families. Identify key considerations—such as family culture, language, emotional readiness, and situational context—before discussing death with young children. Apply practical strategies and developmentally appropriate language when responding to children’s questions and emotions about death. Demonstrate confidence in initiating and guiding conversations about death in ways that foster emotional safety and trust. Collaborate with families and caregivers through sensitive communication that respects diverse cultural and spiritual understandings of death.
RESOURCES Watch the full webinar here J oin our newsletter! Earn your Professional Development hours with FREE sessions delivered right to your inbox every week Check out the producer of ECI, Playground, the Child Care Management Software Youth-serving organizations know they need strong child protection policies—but building (or rebuilding) one can feel overwhelming, especially when you’re balancing staffing, operations, and daily program demands. In this practical, action-oriented session, you’ll learn a clear, manageable process for creating a child protection policy that is not only compliant on paper, but usable in real life—aligned with your organization’s size, setting, and risk areas. Together, we’ll walk through how to bring the right people to the table, identify the current standard of care, audit what you already have, and adapt policies so they are clear, trainable, and consistently implemented. You’ll also explore how to move beyond “one-and-done” documents by making child protection a living part of your culture—supported through training, communication, and ongoing accountability. By the end of this session, you will be able to: Gather your team and clarify roles and responsibilities for policy development and implementation. Research the standard of care and identify best practices relevant to your organization. Audit and adapt your current policies to close gaps and ensure clarity, consistency, and usability. Make child protection a living part of your culture through training, reinforcement, and continuous improvement.
RESOURCES Watch the full webinar here Join our newsletter! Earn your Professional Development hours with FREE sessions delivered right to your inbox every week Check out the producer of ECI, Playground, the Child Care Management Software What does it really mean to support children’s learning without doing the work for them? In this session, presented by early childhood consultant Amy Chiu, M.Ed., from The Work of Play, you’ll explore the art and practice of scaffolding - one of the most essential tools in early childhood education. Scaffolding helps bridge the space between what a child can do independently and what they can accomplish with guidance. But it’s more than a strategy - it’s a mindset rooted in trust, observation, and responsiveness. You’ll be invited to reflect on how you offer help: When is it supportive? When might it unintentionally take over the learning process? Through vivid examples from real classrooms and common parenting experiences, you’ll see how scaffolding can empower children to become confident and persistent problem-solvers. We’ll explore how observation, timing, and gentle prompts allow you to provide “just enough” support - nurturing both competence and independence. You’ll also consider common pitfalls of over-helping and how to shift into a facilitation role that honors children's voice and agency. Whether you’re a teacher, parent, instructional coach, or administrator, this session will give you concrete tools and language to elevate your practice. Most importantly, it will reframe scaffolding not as something you do to children, but as a way of being with them as they grow. Join this session to learn to: Define scaffolding and explain its importance in early learning and development. Identify the difference between teaching and taking over. Apply scaffolding strategies that support independence, confidence, and problem-solving. Reflect on their own adult role in moments of struggle or learning discomfort. Use observation and timing to decide when to step in - and when to step back.
RESOURCES Watch the full webinar here Join our newsletter! Earn your Professional Development hours with FREE sessions delivered right to your inbox every week Check out the producer of ECI, Playground, the Child Care Management Software This professional development session explores how you can use storytelling and storyacting to support early literacy in young children. Rooted in research, including the science of reading, this hands-on training provides practical strategies to enhance vocabulary, narrative skills, and concepts about print through play-based, child-led storytelling experiences. Storytelling is one of the oldest and most powerful tools for fostering connection, imagination, and learning in young children. This session explores how you can harness storytelling and storyacting to support foundational literacy skills in developmentally responsive, playful ways. Drawing from research-based insights, including the Science of Reading, and years of hands-on experience, this session offers practical strategies you can immediately implement in your classrooms. You will discover how to use child-led storytelling to build concepts about print, vocabulary, and narrative skills while fostering creativity and collaboration. Through engaging demonstrations and examples, you will see how storyacting—bringing children’s stories to life—can deepen understanding and spark joy in learning. This session is designed to empower you with realistic, actionable techniques to integrate storytelling into daily rhythms and transitions. By the end, you will leave with a toolkit, a plan for overcoming common challenges, and renewed confidence in your ability to nurture a love of literacy through play and creativity. Session Objectives: 1. Identify the key benefits of storytelling and storyacting for supporting early literacy development. 2. Learn storytelling and storyacting technique that can be easily adapted to different classroom settings and age groups. 3. Develop a personalized action plan to integrate storytelling into daily rhythms, addressing potential challenges and tailoring strategies to meet diverse learner needs. 4. Gain confidence in facilitating child-led storytelling activities that foster creativity, collaboration, and a love of literacy.
RESOURCES Watch the full webinar here Join our newsletter! Earn your Professional Development hours with FREE sessions delivered right to your inbox every week Check out the producer of ECI, Playground, the Child Care Management Software Teen parents are navigating two critical developmental journeys at once: adolescence and parenthood. The image of teenage pregnancy and parenting often elicits an emotional response shaped by personal beliefs, systemic bias, and media narratives. This workshop will empower early childhood professionals to create meaningful, relationship-based, trauma-informed, and culturally responsive connections that build confidence, strengthen parent-child interactions, and support long-term success for young families—and for the professionals who care for them. Learning Objectives By the end of this session, you will be able to: Identify key developmental differences between teen and adult parents, and analyze how parental developmental stages may influence child development outcomes. Examine common stereotypes about teen parents and evaluate how these perceptions impact parenting confidence, engagement, and classroom outcomes. Identify effective strategies and determine practical ways to replicate them across programs.
RESOURCES Watch the full webinar here Join our newsletter! Earn your Professional Development hours with FREE sessions delivered right to your inbox every week Check out the producer of ECI, Playground, the Child Care Management Software Step into a space where you are invited to experience connection, reflection, and renewal. In this session, you will explore HuUbuntu, an African relational philosophy that reminds us, “I am because we are.” You will be called to reimagine what family engagement means. This is not about a checklist of school events or communication strategies, but a living, breathing practice of interconnectedness. Together with author, academic and founder of the Nhaka Foundation, Dr. Patrick Makokoro , you will trace how knowledge, identity, and moral growth are not individual pursuits, but collective creations shaped within the webs of family, community, and culture. Through guided dialogue and shared stories, you will see how embracing HuUbuntu transforms relationships among educators, families, and children into co-created spaces of belonging. You will leave with a deeper understanding of how to cultivate educational environments that honor the fullness of each child’s communal heritage and lived experience. By the end of this session, you will be able to: Understand the principles of HuUbuntu as an African relational philosophy and its implications for education and family engagement. Reframe traditional views of family involvement toward a model of interconnectedness that values families as co-creators of knowledge. Identify practical ways to integrate relational, decolonial, and community-based approaches into your professional and educational practice.
RESOURCES Watch the full webinar here Join our newsletter! Earn your Professional Development hours with FREE sessions delivered right to your inbox every week Check out the producer of ECI, Playground, the Child Care Management Software Billing and tuition policies are the backbone of every successful child care program. In this engaging webinar, Monique Reynolds, VP of ECE Business Support Services, will share practical strategies for creating or strengthening systems that ensure payments are received on time, reduce stress, and keep operations running smoothly. You’ll learn how to set clear expectations from the start—or refine the approach you already have—while confidently navigating tough conversations and establishing policies that protect revenue and foster positive family relationships. By the end of this interactive session, you’ll have actionable tools to strengthen your financial foundation, streamline processes, and gain peace of mind. Whether your goal is to eliminate late payments, update your current practices, or build trust with families, the strategies shared in this session will equip you with the knowledge and confidence to make your billing policies work for you. Learning Objectives After attending this session, you will be able to: Develop tuition policies that set clear expectations and minimize payment issues. Apply strategies to collect fees on time with less stress and conflict. Handle financial conversations with parents confidently and professionally. Establish systems that support long-term financial stability and smooth operations. Strengthen family relationships through transparent, consistent practices.
RESOURCES Watch the full webinar here Join our newsletter! Earn your Professional Development hours with FREE sessions delivered right to your inbox every week Check out the producer of ECI, Playground, the Child Care Management Software Play isn’t a break from learning—it is learning. Yet in classrooms around the world, play is often the first thing squeezed out by mounting academic pressures. In this eye-opening session, Amanda Morgan—author of Not Just Cute: How Powerful Play Drives Development in Early Childhood —will explore why play is not only developmentally appropriate, but developmentally essential for all children. Blending research, real-world examples, and her signature warmth and wit, Amanda will guide you through the Recognize–Emphasize–Maximize Method —a practical framework for making play purposeful and powerful in any early childhood setting. Whether you're a teacher on the ground or a leader shaping program direction, this session will reframe the way you view play—and inspire you to champion it with clarity and confidence. By the end of this session, you will be able to: Identify common misconceptions about play and learn how to reframe them to more effectively address challenges. Confidently explain why play is critical to whole-child development. Apply the Recognize–Emphasize–Maximize framework to reflect on and improve current classroom or program practices. Advocate for play in ways that reflect current research and resonate with colleagues, families, and stakeholders. Maximize the impact of play by designing experiences and environments that support agency, joy, and deep learning.
RESOURCES Watch the full webinar here Join our newsletter! Earn your Professional Development hours with FREE sessions delivered right to your inbox every week Check out the producer of ECI, Playground, the Child Care Management Software Do you feel like the ‘temperature’ in your learning setting is too hot or too cold some days? Are children or colleagues having trouble connecting or working and playing together productively? Are you struggling to get a handle on what’s wrong? You are not alone! Join this exciting session by Kristen Darling, MPP, for a reflective journey on your role in setting the thermostat (rather than just reading it!) and creating the kind of learning environment in which both children and staff will thrive. Whether you are a teacher, administrator, or play a support role, this session is for you. During this webinar, we will talk about the power of our influence and how we as individuals can shape the educational experience children and adults have in our programs. By attending, you will gain insight into: How your style or approach influences classroom or program climate and functioning Ways to ‘take the temperature’, read the room, and respond effectively Options for engaging children and adults that will get you closer to your desired result Language and behavior changes you can make to set everyone up for success At the end of the webinar, you will: Have a deeper understanding of your personal influence in your classroom/program Bring more empathy to the experiences of the children and colleagues you work with Understand different options for adjusting your management approach in a given moment Have a list of conversation starters to share with peers as you support each other on a continuous improvement journey as high-quality classroom or program managers
RESOURCES Watch the full webinar here Join our newsletter! Earn your Professional Development hours with FREE sessions delivered right to your inbox every week Check out the producer of ECI, Playground, the Child Care Management Software 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.
RESOURCES Watch the full webinar here Join our newsletter! Earn your Professional Development hours with FREE sessions delivered right to your inbox every week Check out the producer of ECI, Playground, the Child Care Management Software 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.
RESOURCES Watch the full webinar here Join our newsletter! Earn your Professional Development hours with FREE sessions delivered right to your inbox every week Check out the producer of ECI, Playground, the Child Care Management Software 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. , 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.
RESOURCES Watch the full webinar here Join our newsletter! Earn your Professional Development hours with FREE sessions delivered right to your inbox every week Check out the producer of ECI, Playground, the Child Care Management Software 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."
RESOURCES Watch the full webinar here Join our newsletter! Earn your Professional Development hours with FREE sessions delivered right to your inbox every week Check out the producer of ECI, Playground, the Child Care Management Software 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
RESOURCES Watch the full webinar here Join our newsletter! Earn your Professional Development hours with FREE sessions delivered right to your inbox every week Check out the producer of ECI, Playground, the Child Care Management Software Early childhood professionals regularly navigate unpredictable situations: big feelings, complex behaviors, competing demands, and the constant balancing of children’s needs, family expectations, and program requirements. Whether you’re an administrator, a family child care provider, or a center-based educator, these everyday challenges can stretch your capacity and shape the climate of your work. This webinar explores how Appreciative Inquiry offers practical tools for responding to challenging moments with clarity, presence, and intention. Drawing from the book More Than We Imagined by Ellen M. Drolette, we’ll examine how what we notice, amplify, and choose to focus on can shift the trajectory of an interaction and open up new possibilities. Participants will learn strengths-based strategies that support well-being, build trust, and promote resilience across early childhood settings. You’ll walk away with actionable approaches rooted in play, connection, and reflection—approaches that help reduce stress, strengthen professional relationships, and create conditions where both adults and children can thrive. Learning Objectives Explain how Appreciative Inquiry principles support well-being and resilience: Describe how the questions we ask—and the meaning we assign to situations—influence our responses during challenging moments. Identify how small shifts in adult response impact emotional safety and learning: Recognize how tone, presence, and interpretation shape outcomes in family child care settings, centers, and administrative roles. Apply strengths-based strategies that turn difficult interactions into opportunities for growth: Use curiosity, reframing, and a focus on what’s working to guide decision-making and problem-solving.
RESOURCES Watch the full webinar here Join our newsletter! Earn your Professional Development hours with FREE sessions delivered right to your inbox every week Check out the producer of ECI, Playground, the Child Care Management Software In today’s work environment, leading a team requires a nuanced understanding of each member’s values, expectations, and work styles. With a focus on collaboration, this workshop is designed to equip leaders with the tools and insights needed to effectively engage, motivate, and guide multiple generations. Join Dr. Keena R. Mosley , former award-winning collegiate professor, author, and Founder of Momentum Leadership Group. With her people-centered strategic approach, participants will explore practical skills that foster a productive, responsive, and inclusive workplace. Through interactive activities, they will bring current research to life and identify clear next steps for applying the content in their real-world settings. Learning Objectives By the end of this webinar, participants will be able to: Analyze research on generational characteristics: Explore insights from academic institutions and research organizations and discuss their practical application. Adapt communication skills to optimize team performance: Examine the communication needs of each generation and compare them to current practices and challenges. Identify strategies to foster a collaborative team culture: Review and practice team-building strategies and activities that help create a motivating environment for all generations. This session will empower you to lead with confidence and build a cohesive, high-performing team—no matter the generational mix.
RESOURCES Watch the full webinar here Join our newsletter! Earn your Professional Development hours with FREE sessions delivered right to your inbox every week Check out the producer of ECI, Playground, the Child Care Management Software Only 3 centers will own the leaders in your market—How to make sure you’re one of them Search is being completely rebuilt — and most childcare centers don’t realize it yet. Parents are no longer just clicking ads or scrolling your social posts. They’re: Asking AI tools like ChatGPT where to find childcare nearby Reading AI-generated summaries at the top of Google Choosing centers directly from Google Maps At the same time, buying attention through ads is getting harder, more expensive, and less predictable for local businesses—the cost is out of reach of most child care centers. (Google finally admitted to us that new ad accounts need $100/day media spend to train their AI buying algorithm! That’s absolutely ridiculous for the ECE industry!) In this live training, Bruce Spurr, CEO of Grow Your Center, will break down how AI-powered search is transforming the way parents discover childcare — and why this shift is creating the biggest local visibility opportunity we’ve seen since 2008. History is being made. We’re not just going to talk about AI search, but give you CONTEXT in how the new world of “SEO” fits into your complete marketing stack in 2026…how owners just like you are filling their open classroom spots! In this session, you’ll learn: Why Google Maps has quietly become the most important “search engine” for parents How AI summaries are deciding which childcare centers get mentioned (and which get ignored) Your website is not only still relevant, but a critical conversion tool in your marketing stack Why attention is getting more expensive to buy — including where and how to spend your ad dollars to “multiple” it’s effect What “AI-powered search visibility” actually means for local businesses Why ranking for a city is not the right play, and how zip codes and neighborhoods now drive enrollment demand What it takes to show up when parents search inside AI tools like ChatGPT How early movers are getting huge gains while others disappear (the gold rush is real!) This training is especially valuable if: You want more predictable enrollment You’re tired of wasting $ on ads You operate in a competitive market You have an enrollment gap you need to fill We’ll also have a Q&A and select 3-5 audience volunteers to review your rankings!
RESOURCES Watch the full webinar here Join our newsletter! Earn your Professional Development hours with FREE sessions delivered right to your inbox every week Check out the producer of ECI, Playground, the Child Care Management Software You’ve explored why play matters—now it’s time to focus on how to make it work. In this practical follow-up to The Science of Play, Amanda Morgan—author of Not Just Cute: How Powerful Play Drives Development in Early Childhood—will dive deeper into the Recognize–Emphasize–Maximize Framework to show how intentional, guided play can support meaningful developmental outcomes without co-opting the play itself. Through relatable play examples and reflection tools, you’ll learn how to align play with your curriculum and objectives, make strategic amendments to support standards, and introduce authentic, play-based assessment methods. Whether you’re teaching in the classroom or leading at the program level, this session will help you bridge the gap between theory and practice—so play can flourish as both joyful and truly rigorous learning. Learning Outcomes: By the end of this session, you will be able to: Apply the Recognize–Emphasize–Maximize Framework to intentionally plan and support powerful play experiences. Align playful learning with developmental outcomes and curriculum goals without diminishing children’s agency or joy. Identify opportunities to adapt or “amend” curriculum and objectives to better reflect how children actually learn through play. Implement authentic assessment practices that capture meaningful growth within play-based contexts. Strengthen your ability to articulate and defend the educational value of play to colleagues, families, and decision-makers.
