Kris welcomes Tasha Santistevan, the Executive Director at Child Time Inc. and a coach for the Child Care Success Academy. Tasha shares her journey from a high school summer job in childcare to her current leadership roles. She discusses her passion for empowering directors and leaders in the childcare industry, offering insights on conflict resolution, collaborative leadership, and the importance of work-life balance. Tasha provides a unique perspective both as an active executive director and coach on the challenges and rewards of leadership in early childhood education, emphasizing the value of continuous learning, servant leadership, and creating a positive workplace culture.

Key Takeaways:

[5:57] Tasha introduces herself and her background in early childhood education.

[10:29] The transition from being a manager to becoming a leader and director, and what she loves about the role.

[12:28] The distinction between manager and leader.

[13:58] Tasha’s personal life and balancing multiple roles.

[14:25] More about Tasha’s very busy family life!

[18:07] Strategies for staying organized and maintaining work-life balance.

[21:51] The importance of not taking on others’ problems as your own.

[23:37] Approaches to resolving conflicts between team members.

[25:59] Conflict can just be a better opportunity for us to be better and learn from one another.

[29:56] The evolution of leadership styles and the importance of empathy.

[30:42] Tapping into confident empathy.

[31:45] The need for servant leadership in the current workforce.

[32:20] Tasha’s definition of a childcare rockstar.

[34:13] The importance of bringing fun back into childcare after the pandemic.

[35:00] Tasha’s goals and aspirations for the future.

[38:11] Life is short — buy the Cadillac!

[42:01] The value of continuous learning and personal development in leadership.

Quotes:

• “Once you find that sweet spot of being a leader, that job becomes exponentially more rewarding and less challenging.” — Tasha [11:04]

• “Conflict is really if we stop looking at it as like this bad thing, that it’s an argument, but looking at it we just have different desires and drives and this.” — Tasha [24:37]

• “I believe we just don’t fully understand in the industry, the stress that directors feel and what they go through. So I love being a coach because I love to provide that safe space where they can come to us.” — Tasha [27:54]

• “That tribe aspect is everything in this business, and it's not something that is easy to find.” — Tasha [28:15]

• “I can be a great support to somebody, but I cannot let their problems be my problems.” — Tasha [29:45]

• “It’s perfect that we’re evolving within the leadership industry into this mode because this is what’s going to save this industry.” — Tasha [32:17]

• “As a rock star, you are somebody that empowers your team to reach their full potential.” — Tasha [32:53]

• “We have to have fun because fun is what’s going to get us through the hard times.” — Tasha [32:58]

• “This is childcare guys! If it’s not fun, what are we doing?” — Kris [35:08]

• “Just commit to learning how to be a good leader. Because if you do that, everything else falls into place.” — Tasha [39:10]

Sponsored By:

ChildCare Education Institute (CCEI)

Use code CCSC5 to claim a free course!

Mentioned in This Episode:

Kris Murray

The Child Care Success Company

The Child Care Success Academy

The Child Care Success Summit

Grow Your Center

Childcare Education Institute: use code CDARenewal22 to get $100 off your renewal

Child Time Inc.

Jon Gordon

Maxwell Leadership

Hal Elrod

Seth Godin

Kris welcomes the awesome Ashley Blackmon, owner and founder of A Perfect Start Learning Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Ashley shares her remarkable journey from humble beginnings to running a thriving, nationally accredited childcare center with plans for expansion. She discusses how she’s built a program focused on empowerment, growth, and helping families rise. Ashley opens up about overcoming significant challenges including a major health scare, and how she’s transformed herself from a childcare provider to a true CEO through mindset shifts and finding her tribe. Her story is one of resilience, passion for serving children and families, and the power of continual personal and professional growth.

Key Takeaways:

[4:55] Make sure you are following Kris on IG!

[5:57] Ashley joins from Huntsville, Alabama and gives an overview of A Perfect Start Learning Center and its current stats and accreditation.

[9:27] Ashley’s approach to empowering parents through a Parent Academy program.

[12:16] Don’t forget to celebrate your wins before moving on to the next goal!

[12:44] How Ashley has built strong relationships and retention with families and staff.

[13:17] Parent prep at their Academy.

[17:52] The culture at the Academy and how Ashley has grown as a leader.

[19:02] Losing her corporate job and being encouraged by her aunt to open a childcare center.

[29:03] More about Ashley’s home and personal life.

[30:26] Ashley has fostered 14 children, including twins.

[33:48] Upcoming second location and expansion plans.

[40:27] Realizing that you can’t please everyone and letting go of negative team members.

[48:03] The health crisis that led to a major mindset shift for Ashley.

[51:44] How joining the Childcare Success Academy transformed Ashley’s perspective and business.

Quotes:

• “I think just overall, naturally, I have an urge to really be my best self. So I try to hire others who don’t mind putting their best foot forward to always achieve all the crazy things that I come up with in my head.” — Ashley [8:50]

• “I think one of the biggest things is empowerment and growth… We not only empower the children with our high-quality educational care, but we do the same thing with the parents.” — Ashley [12:44]

• “It’s an us thing. It’s like, we’re raising this kid together.” — Ashley [14:40]

• “I’m going to be providing high-quality education, right, I need you to know what this education can get you. I don’t want to be a bit basic in every sense of the word.” — Ashley [29:00]

• “I want for the women and children that have access to me that look like me, I want them to be able to look at me and see other things as possible.” — Ashley [29:14]

• “No matter how much you pour positivity, growth, and support, you’re not going to satisfy everybody.” — Ashley [40:27]

• “Now I’m a CEO. That’s the mindset. And I think the tools that you’ve given me to be able to see my program as a business have been critical to my development.” — Ashley [52:44]

• “I’m creating generational wealth for my families, and hopefully for their children. I am a bridge to all kinds of different people.” — Ashley [53:56]

Sponsored By:

ChildCare Education Institute (CCEI)

Use code CCSC5 to claim a free course!

Mentioned in This Episode:

Kris Murray

The Child Care Success Company

The Child Care Success Academy

The Child Care Success Summit

Grow Your Center

Childcare Education Institute: use code CDARenewal22 to get $100 off your renewal

A Perfect Start Learning Center

It’s an extremely valuable and informative episode, as Kris welcomes Militza Mezquita, Senior Advisor with Save the Children. Save the Children is the primary organization in the United States, helping childcare centers with emergency preparedness, resources, and funding for over 100 years. Militza shares a wealth of knowledge about funding and what you can do to come back stronger after an emergency event, even if you are a for-profit business. She talks about the importance of embedding emergency preparedness into business plans, the Gulf Coast Resilience Network, and the process of accessing funding after a disaster. Militza also emphasizes the critical need for mental health support for both teachers and children following emergencies.

Key Takeaways:

[7:44] Militza talks about Save the Children’s background, mission, and history.

[9:11] Explanation of Save the Children’s support methods including remote assistance and fundraising.

[13:56] What is the Gulf Coast Resilience Network?

[20:40] The importance of prioritizing teachers’ mental health after disasters.

[21:02] How Save the Children gets their funding.

[23:35] Advocating and staying in touch with legislators.

[24:19] The importance of prioritizing the mental health of teachers and providers.

[28:45] Tips for relocating childcare facilities after a disaster, including the FEMA-SBA application strategy.

[32:15] All of Save the Children’s training and materials are free for childcare providers.

Quotes:

• “We teach our childcare folks that emergency preparedness is embedded in your business plan, it’s got to be in there.” — Militza [11:01]

• “If parents can’t have stable and high-quality childcare, they’re not going to work and our economy will collapse. And then when you finally paint that picture, you can see the light bulb go off.” — Kris [23:21]

• “We’ve done the mental health work, we’ve done the hard part and we’re really proud of that. And we’ve seen a lot of good come out of those training sessions and getting teachers and families ready to go back into centers.” — Militza [27:22]

• “We really saw a lot of good results in building our teachers’ resiliency and our children’s resiliency. We know that when our teachers are ready and calm, then our children will be ready and calm. And then together, they can facilitate advantageous learning and quality learning.” — Militza [27:15]

Sponsored By:

ChildCare Education Institute (CCEI)

Use code CCSC5 to claim a free course!

Mentioned in This Episode:

Kris Murray

The Child Care Success Company

The Child Care Success Academy

The Child Care Success Summit

Grow Your Center

Childcare Education Institute: use code CDARenewal22 to get $100 off your renewal

Save the Children