Schools of Excellence: The No. 1 ECE & Private School Leadership Podcast

Most school owners aren’t losing money because of one major expense.

They're losing money in the quiet places—the small operational habits, the unspoken “just this once” purchases, and the daily micro-decisions no one sees.

These are money leaks—and they drain profit, capacity, and emotional bandwidth far more than leaders realize.

In this episode, Chanie shares a short but powerful clip from HQ member Nikki, who took the Money Leaks Diagnostic and used one simple rhythm—not an overhaul—to cut her supply costs by 50% in 90 days.

But the deeper transfo...

Every school leader drifts, even the strongest ones.

Drift is not burnout, not laziness, and not a leadership flaw. It is one of the quietest, most human forces in leadership. And it shows up long before leaders ever realize they’re off course.

In this powerful episode, Chanie unpacks the two forms of leadership drift, Calm Drift and Chaos Drift,  and reveals why both are inevitable, expected, and deeply human. More importantly, she explains the one skill every school leader needs:

The ability to return.

Because leadership strength isn’t measured by ho...

Leadership in early childhood has long been treated like an “extra,” a bonus you get after the fires are out and the classrooms are staffed.

But here’s the truth:

Leadership development isn’t a perk.

It’s the job.

Because calm doesn’t grow you, discomfort does.

In this episode, Chanie names a trap many school owners fall into: waiting for life to “settle down” before investing in their own growth. But settled never comes. Systems will always need refining, enrollment will always ebb and flow, team members will always cycl...

You can’t call in tired when you’re the leader.

Even on the days when your body aches, your brain is foggy, and every text feels like one more demand — leadership still needs you. Parents still email. Licensing still calls. Staff still need direction.

And in that fatigue, it’s easy to believe the lie: I just need a break. I just need a new system. I just need to get through this week.

But energy isn’t something you find. It’s something you create.

In this deeply personal episode, Cha...

If your brain feels like a filing cabinet that never closes, you’re not alone.

For many school leaders, memory becomes the hidden system — the thing holding birthdays, licensing dates, parent notes, staff needs, and the million invisible details that make your school run. But here’s the truth: your brain was never meant to be the system.

In this powerful, personal episode, Chanie shares how her once-reliable memory began to fail — and how that moment became the turning point for her leadership. Forgetting wasn’t a crisis; it was clarity. It revealed that her business h...

In early childhood education, it’s easy to feel like marketing changes faster than you can keep up. But the truth is, while tactics evolve, the fundamentals of trust, rhythm, and authenticity never go out of style.

In this episode, Chanie sits down with longtime friend and industry leader Nick Williams, CEO of Childcare Business Growth, to discuss the timeless marketing strategies that stand the test of time.

They explore how to create authentic content, follow up with confidence, and use AI and systems to reclaim your time — all while staying true to your school’s valu...

Leadership is heavy in ways no one talks about.

We expect long hours, enrollment pressure, staff turnover, and parent demands — but the invisible weight of leadership isn’t in the spreadsheets. It’s in the emotions, expectations, and energy you absorb every day.

In this powerful conversation, Chanie redefines burnout and exposes why the “fix-it-fast” advice doesn’t work. Because burnout doesn’t come from working too hard, it comes from becoming the system.

If you’ve been the leader who holds everyone else’s fear, absorbs everyone’s disappointment, and smiles while suffocating inside...

When Irene Gomez stepped into her role as director at the J Center for Early Learning in El Paso, Texas, she carried what so many new leaders do: hyper-responsibility, people-pleasing, and the pressure to be the “hero” in every situation.

In this episode, Irene shares her journey inside the Schools of Excellence coaching program and the transformation that followed—from chasing fires and working late nights, to leading with clarity, boundaries, and trust.

You’ll hear how a calendar became her leadership lifeline, how gratitude reshaped her staff culture, and how self-trust shifted her from over-fun...

If you’ve ever thought, “It’s just easier if I do it myself,” or found yourself ready to “burn it all down” after one too many hand-holding moments—this episode is for you.

In this solo episode, Chanie Wilschanski exposes the false binary so many school leaders get trapped in: over-functioning or giving up entirely. Through real client stories, she unpacks how these extremes are both driven by the same craving for instant relief—and how true leadership means learning to live in the messy middle.

You’ll hear how one owner, “Sarah,” learned to hold her team accou...

Scaling is glorified in our culture. In early childhood education, that often means opening more schools, adding more classrooms, and constantly chasing “what’s next.” But is that the only way to define success?

In this episode of the Schools of Excellence Podcast, Chanie Wilschanski sits down with Latrice Galloway, known as The Child Care Chick, to talk about the overlooked power of scaling with one location. Latrice shares how she built Kidsville Learning Academy into a multimillion-dollar school that has sustained for 18 years without expanding into multiple sites.

This conversation dives into the foundation of sus...

Leadership doesn’t pause for grief, betrayal, or personal storms. In this deeply vulnerable conversation, Chanie sits down with Beth Cannon to talk about what it means to lead when life unravels. From walking through the terminal illness of a loved one, to staff exits and leadership mistakes, Beth shares her “discomfort zone” season and the messy middle of showing up for her people while falling apart inside.

This episode is not about perfection, it’s about presence. It’s about choosing honesty over image, showing up when you don’t have it all together, and finding systems and...

Admin & Tech isn’t flashy like enrollment or emotional like staff culture—but it’s one of the biggest hidden profit drains in schools. In this finale of the Money Leaks series, Chanie breaks down how underutilized software, paper-based SOPs, missing automations, and messy file systems quietly torch your time capacity and cash. You’ll get a simple, CEO-level playbook to audit your tech stack, automate the right tasks, assign platform “champions,” and build rhythms that stop dependency and start true scalability.

👉 Take the free diagnostic mentioned in this episode: schoolsofexcellence.com/moneyleaks

What You’ll Learn

Your Amazon bill isn’t proof of overspending, it’s proof of a missing rhythm.

In this fifth episode of the Six Money Leaks series, Chanie uncovers why supply management is one of the most overlooked operational leaks in schools. From the toner that’s reordered twice in a week to the “just in case” stockpiles that clutter closets, poor systems quietly drain thousands of dollars and create chaos for your team.

You’ll hear how one school leader cut supply costs by 50%, not by cutting corners, but by building rhythms of accountability, teacher ownership, and smarter...

Pizza at staff meetings. Coffee for PD days. Uber Eats orders that feel small at the moment. These choices come from generosity, but without systems, they quickly become one of the biggest hidden drains on your budget.

In this fourth episode of the Six Money Leaks series, Chanie Wilschanski explains why leaders don’t have food budget problems, they have food system problems. You’ll learn how to build baselines, create seasonal rhythms, and plan for the actual people you serve, so generosity strengthens culture without draining profit.

Through real stories from school leaders, Chanie show...

Payment problems aren’t about “bad parents.” They’re about broken systems.

In this episode of the Schools of Excellence podcast, Chanie exposes the hidden money leak that’s quietly draining schools: payment systems. From failed cards and ignored invoices to outdated agreements and manual chasing, every gap in your tuition process pulls focus and drains energy.

You’ll hear real client stories, from a $15,000 recovery in failed payments to a 90% drop in late tuition within one billing cycle and walk away with practical steps to finally stop chasing money and start leading with clarity.

If you’...

.This is the second episode in Chanie Wilschanski’s Six Money Leaks series, and it’s all about a leak that quietly drains thousands from your school each year, schedule efficiency.

Your payroll is your biggest expense, which means inefficiencies in your staffing schedule are some of the most expensive mistakes you can make. From unnecessary shift overlaps to inconsistent break coverage and directors constantly stepping into classrooms, the lack of a strategic coverage system can cost you tens of thousands annually, without you even realizing it.

In this episode, Chanie shares real-world examples, including how closi...

Turn Underused Classrooms, Time Blocks, and Facilities Into Predictable Profit With Systems That Last

This episode kicks off Chanie Wilschanski’s Six Money Leaks series, diving deep into the first profit drain most school leaders overlook: space optimization.

Your school building’s square footage is either making money or silently draining it. If your classrooms feel full but your budget is still tight, you may be missing out on hundreds, sometimes thousands, in unrealized revenue.

Chanie shares real client stories where underutilized classrooms, missed extended care opportunities, and unused rooms were costing schools between...

In this solo episode, Chanie Wilschanski unpacks Three Money Truths every school leader must face in 2025.

If your classrooms are full, your team is in place, and your calendar is set but you’re still feeling financial, mental, and emotional pressure you’re not doing anything wrong. You’re likely experiencing what Chanie calls survival success: a quiet, creeping strain that comes from hitting the ceiling of patchwork fixes and short-term wins.

This conversation is about moving beyond band-aid growth and into strategic, sustainable school leadership, where predictable rhythms, financial clarity, and strong operational systems replac...

In this strategic episode of the Schools of Excellence podcast, Chanie Wilschanski sits down with longtime industry expert Kathy Ligon, founder of Hinge Advisors and the BOOST nonprofit initiative, to unpack what it truly takes to lead a financially sustainable school—without compromising your mission.

Together, they explore how school leaders can align mission, metrics, and money, and why profit isn’t the opposite of purpose—it’s what makes your vision possible. If you’ve ever felt the pressure of payroll, struggled with discounting, or wondered how to strengthen your school operations for long-term sustainability, this conversati...

Most school leaders have said: “We just need to get on the same page.”

But what if that phrase is actually sabotaging your culture, creating false harmony, and leaving you exhausted from holding standards alone?

In this episode, Chanie dismantles the “same page” myth and explains why schools thrive on shared standards, not passive agreements. You’ll learn how to create clarity, build ownership, and design guardrails and rhythms that keep standards alive even when things get messy.

If you’ve ever felt like you’re repeating the same expectations week after week—and still doing...

In this client spotlight episode, Chanie Wilschanski sits down with longtime coaching client Niki Van Cleave, owner of Butterfly Bunch in Metro Detroit, to explore what it means to lead a school with sustainable systems, real accountability, and operational clarity—especially during seasons of personal and professional upheaval.

Niki’s leadership journey spans two centers, a season of grief, increased operational pressure, and the bold decision to consolidate into one location with strategy and purpose. The turning point? She stopped defaulting to survival mode and started anchoring into intentional leadership. With the support of the Five Gears Diag...

As the school year gains momentum, it's easy for school leaders to fall into survival mode—abandoning the very rhythms that anchor sustainable growth, effective school operations, and confident leadership. In this episode of the Schools of Excellence Podcast, Chanie Wilschanski breaks down the essential distinction between anchors and enhancers, and why understanding this difference is critical for school directors managing high-pressure seasons.

If you're facing a surge in enrollment, onboarding new staff, or navigating leadership fatigue, this episode will help you identify the systems, habits, and non-negotiables that protect your energy and peace of mind. Because ru...

In this timely solo episode, Chanie Wilschanski shares a powerful leadership truth every school owner and director needs to hear as the new year begins: what you tolerate in August becomes the culture you’re stuck managing by February.

This isn’t just a motivational pep talk—it’s a wake-up call. As classrooms buzz with fresh energy and bulletin boards get a glow-up, your old leadership reflexes start creeping back in. The skipped 1:1s, the ignored red flags, the well-meaning rescues? They’re not small moments. They’re culture-setting decisions that will quietly shape your entire year.

...

From Burnout to Boundaries: Redefining Female Leadership in Private Education

In this deeply honest and emotionally resonant episode, Chanie Wilschanski invites female school leaders into a transformative conversation about the “impossible standard” of leadership in education. She explores the emotional labor women carry, how over-functioning and people-pleasing lead to burnout, and why leading with warmth shouldn’t come at the cost of boundaries or energy. Chanie offers practical strategies—and powerful mindset shifts—to help leaders reclaim their authority and redefine what it means to lead well.

What You’ll Learn

“Tough conversations aren’t about fixing everything immediately — they’re about understanding each other enough to keep moving forward.”

What does it really mean to be present in a tough conversation? In this episode, we explore how presence—not just words or timing—shapes the quality and outcome of difficult conversations in leadership and relationships.

Key takeaways:

“When enrollment is low, you don’t hire a marketing agency. You examine your identity.”

What do you do when your enrollment numbers drop—but you know you're running a powerful, heart-centered program? In this episode, we unpack what it takes to rebuild enrollment without defaulting to expensive ad agencies or slick marketing campaigns.

Key Takeaways

 “If you don’t decide or name the intention, the season will decide for you.”

How do you move from chaotic, catch-up summers to ones that genuinely renew your family and your leadership? In this behind-the-scenes episode, Chanie shares the intentional framework her family uses to plan summers that serve as a map for the year ahead—grounding their values, relationships, and rhythms.

 Key Takeaways:

“Essentials are not what’s in your handbook. They’re what you do under pressure.”

What do you protect when you're overwhelmed—not in a crisis, but in the daily fog of leadership? In this episode, Chanie explores the crucial distinction between what's urgent and what's truly essential—and why many leaders are still swirling in chaos, despite their experience and commitment.

Key Takeaways:

“We don’t light candles because we’re ready. We light them because it’s time.”

What if energy isn’t something you wait for—but something you create?

In this episode, Chanie opens up about walking through profound personal grief while still leading a team, running a business, and showing up for others. She explores the surprising shift that helped her lead from a place of clarity, even when she felt completely depleted—and why great leadership is anchored not in energy reserves, but in energy rituals.

Key takeaways:

“You can delegate work, but you cannot delegate trust.”

You’ve done everything right—checklists created, SOPs in place, team hired and trained. So why does it still feel like you’re the glue holding everything together? This episode is for the leader who has mastered structure but is still shouldering the soul of the school. We’re unpacking the hidden weight leaders carry, why systems alone aren’t enough, and the critical role that rhythms and rituals play in sustainable culture and freedom.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

How do you keep leading when life knocks you down?

Grief, loss, and hardship don’t pause for leadership responsibilities—and yet, as school owners and leaders, we’re expected to keep showing up, making decisions, and guiding our teams, even in the midst of personal pain.

In this deeply moving and powerful episode, I sit down with Evelyn Knight—TEDx speaker, childcare business coach, and center owner—who has walked through profound loss and emerged with an unshakable commitment to faith, leadership, and emotional maturity.

Inside This Episode, We Dive Into:

You’ve checked the boxes.

✅ Built the center.

✅ Hired the team.

✅ Filled the classrooms

✅ Hit the revenue goals.

On paper, everything looks like a dream.

So why does it still feel… heavy?

In today’s conversation, I sit down with school owner Bri McCarty for a powerful and honest look at the evolution of leadership—from proving and performing to leading with peace, clarity, and purpose.

We explore what happens when you stop building from hustle and start building from alignment. When you stop being the h...

What if the biggest difference between stress and stability wasn’t strategy—but emotional maturity?

In this powerful episode, we explore how emotionally mature leaders rise above chaos, drama, and second-guessing to lead with confidence and clarity. From gossip and manipulation to inconsistent behavior and reactive decisions, emotionally immature environments drain energy and sabotage growth.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. Through real stories and practical insights, you’ll learn how to embody emotional maturity and lead a culture of trust, discernment, and accountability.

What you’ll learn:

✅ The 5 behavi...

If drama keeps showing up in your school—it’s not a people problem, it’s a design problem.

In this episode, Chanie unpacks how school leaders can move from managing chaos to designing a culture where drama simply can’t survive.

Using real (anonymized) stories from our work with school leaders, Chanie breaks down five signs of drama-fueled leadership—like gossip, victimhood, and constant complaining—and how they drain emotional and mental energy from your team.

Then, she offers clear tools to shift out of drama and into drama-free leadership that is grounded in...

What if you had a Culture Decoder — a way to see exactly why your school feels stuck in constant chaos?

Every day, you're bombarded with decisions, interruptions, and team confusion. It's not just exhausting — it's cultural.

The truth is, your school culture runs on hidden systems. And when those systems are reactive and unclear, maintenance becomes a drain instead of a strength.

In the fourth episode of the 5 Gears series, we unlock the Culture Decoder hidden inside the Maintenance Gear.

What you’ll learn:

The sixth and final episode in the 5 Gears series, today’s episode focuses on the Strategic Growth Gear. This episode looks a little different from others in the series because strategic growth is not just about building other systems or how to optimize other systems — it's about really understanding when and how to expand your impact.

You’ll learn the four distinct paths of growth:

Imagine if parents didn't just receive updates — they became your biggest champions.

Let me tell you a story. For years, schools have been playing an exhausting game of "communicate and hope." Newsletters flying into inboxes. Random app notifications. Sporadic event invites. Parents scrolling, sighing, deleting.

But what if there was a different way? A way where parents lean IN instead of tune OUT?

The fifth in the 5 Gears series, this episode explores the Parent Engagement Gear.

What you’ll learn:

The fourth in the 5 Gears series, this episode dives deep into the Staff Culture Gear. 

Here’s a surprising truth about staff culture: It's not just about having great benefits or competitive pay. A comprehensive retention ecosystem goes beyond the basics. Using Schools of Excellence’s Retention Intelligence Framework, we examine how school leaders can build an environment where staff can thrive and grow.

What you’ll learn:

Why do some schools effortlessly attract families while others struggle — despite offering the same features, pricing, and programs?

The secret isn’t more Facebook ads or another website refresh. It’s identity.

In this game-changing episode of the Schools of Excellence podcast, I sit down with marketing expert Veronica Romney, author of Identity Marketing, to break down why schools that market with identity — not just benefits — win the enrollment game.

🔥 What You'll Learn in This Episode:

✅ The "Be This" vs. "Buy This" Marketing Shift – Why features and tuition rates don’t drive decisions (an...

Warren Buffett famously said: “Only when the tide goes out do you discover who has been swimming naked.”

Right now, the financial tide is going out. And many school leaders are about to be exposed.

MYTH: As long as your school is mostly full, you're financially healthy.

Many school leaders believe that high enrollment equals financial success. When your classrooms are full and parents seem happy, you might think you're doing great. This myth persists because enrollment numbers are tangible, visible, and feel like an immediate measure of success.

But here's the...

When was the last time you looked at your enrollment numbers and thought, “This is fine?” Many school leaders mistake “not terrible” for “optimal” — and it's costing them more than they realize.

One of our clients, Missy, thought her multi-location program was doing “fine” too. Her center wasn't full, but that was just the nature of that location ... or so she thought.

After implementing three specific systems, that same center enrolled 80 new families for the upcoming school year and five new immediate enrollments — all within 30 days.

The most surprising part? None of these changes required wor...

We know the feeling of trying to juggle everything at once and feeling overwhelmed when we aren’t able to.

That’s why this episode introduces a Schools of Excellence proven framework that will revolutionize your school’s operating system. It’s called the 5 Gears, and it explores the idea that it’s impossible to work on everything at once.  

Today we’re kicking off a 6-part series during which Chanie will break down each of the gears: enrollment, staff retention, parent engagement, financial health, and strategic growth.

In this first episode, you’ll learn

This episode looks a little different. Chanie was recently joined by school leaders wanting to fill their programs without spending a dollar on marketing. 

During this exclusive roundtable replay, three education leaders will share:

The secret to their success isn’t about fancy marketing tactics or complex sales funnels. It’s about having the right system that does the heavy lifting for you.

Rea...

.

Every school leader we talk to is feeling the same crushing pressure:

Schools of Excellence has studied hundreds of schools who broke through the enrollment ceiling. They are not spending more money on marketing, a fancy website, or desperate discounts and panic pivots. They have done a complete system overhaul of intentional growth. 

This episode, Chanie walks you through the strategic shifts that you can make today to revamp your enrollment ecosystem.

It all starts with three principles for s...

Millennial and Gen Z parents are engaged in what feels like an academic arms race — treating their children's education like a life or death strategic operation — and for good reason.

On average, these parents will spend a quarter of a million dollars on their child’s education, not to mention the emotional energy and strategic planning they dedicate.

The enrollment pressure compounds as families look for the perfect school and center owners and directors seek to convince them theirs is the right choice. 

Let’s simplify this picture a bit. What if w...

We see how hard you’re working as you continue to lose money to free pre-k programs. We see you losing sleep over next month’s enrollment. We see you struggling to maintain your rates while spots remain empty. 

Now, we want you to pause and answer this question: What are you doing to drive enrollment?

Unfortunately, most school leaders are prioritizing activities that are farthest from the cash. 

Instead of changing the answering machine, try personally calling inquiry families. Instead of rearranging the front desk, try conduc...

This episode looks a little different. Chanie was recently joined by school leaders, just like yourself, who are ready to join the top schools that are growing enrollment by 25% without cutting rates or compromising quality.

What you’ll learn in this workshop replay:

You can turn potential into profit.

Ready to create such compelling value that families can’t help but become a part of your story? Check out...

We know there’s a lot of hesitancy around financial conversations, but let’s overcome that discomfort to acknowledge this truth: enrollment and finances are two sides of the same coin. When we’re content with “fine but could be better” enrollment numbers, we are leaving money on the table. 

Let's say you have two open spots in your Pre-K classroom. It doesn't sound like a lot, but if we do the math, those two spots add up to $2,500 in loss revenue every single month. That's $30,000 a year you could be making. 

We call this a profit bli...

There is an educational extinction event happening right now. You're not just losing students. You are witnessing the systemic dismantling of traditional education.

In the last three years alone, 37 % of private schools have seen enrollment drop by over 20%. And the numbers continue to worsen. But you don’t have to continue fighting just to survive. 

In this episode, you’ll learn how to become irreplaceable by:

Remember: You can find your way out of enrol...

When we struggle with enrollment, we say things like:

Schools of Excellence hears you, but we’re going to flip this narrative…

These are not your real problems. These are symptoms.

In today’s episode, you will learn the three fundamental barriers actually preventing schools from enrolling families right now:

The good n...

Whether you live in a bustling city or a quiet suburban area, the educational landscape is shifting. Schools can no longer depend on default systems or traditional approaches. 

Can you feel it? We’re in the midst of a Great School Enrollment Awakening.

The old enrollment approach feels hollow and artificial. Parents are no longer looking for an institution; they’re seeking a community — one that honors their values and values them as members.

As we react to this shift as leaders, we fall into one of three categories:

Chanie was recently joined by women multi-site owners for a CEO Power Hour to uncover the money leaks in their operations. You cannot listen to this without saving some money. We promise!

In this episode you will learn:

Discover the breakthrough approach used by the elite 1% of women multi-site owners.

To create your 2025 growth plan, hop on a profit finding session with the Schools of Excellence team. https://schoolsofexcellence.com/money-leaks/

High-achieving leaders understand how to align their goals and actions to drive meaningful progress in their centers.

In this episode, Chanie shares why the schools that will win in 2025 challenge conventional wisdom and embrace discomfort.

Chanie’s five powerful truths that will propel your leadership:

To explore how to join the Schools of Excellence community with leaders ju...

Important reminder for every school leader who’s reading this: 

You’re not just getting by or just managing a school; you’re transforming lives in your center one decision at a time. 

In this episode, Chanie reconnects you to the heart of your mission and why you do what you do by walking through some celebration prompts for what you’ve achieved in 2024.

Need some inspiration to remember?

Treat you...

This episode is for every school leader out there who feels there is no one in their life who “gets” the challenges of being the leader.

In this episode, Chanie is joined by Amy Retchless, an ECE owner from Frederick, Colorado. 

Like all leaders, Amy has experienced various seasons as a school leader. In both the times she’s crushing it and when she needs a little more support, she’s found comfort in the Schools of Excellence community.

What you will learn:

Ashley Perron-Knutson, a fellow ECE leader, found herself at a crossroads with her center. She had to decide whether to continue struggling or commit to becoming the best leader she could be. 



In this episode, Chanie and Ashley discuss how she regained clarity and organization with the frameworks she received as a Schools of Excellence member:

What you will learn:

Can you relate to Ashley and want to know how the...

This episode looks a little different than others. 

November 14th, Chanie was joined by school leaders for an interactive workshop that tackled the complexity of attracting, engaging, and retaining families in 2024.

Are you ready to stop guessing what your families want and start knowing exactly how to connect with every family in your school? 

In this episode, you will learn how to implement 5 power plays:

Need more enrollment? Learn this simple framework.

If you’re over generic solutions that don’t move the needle, and are ready for something tangible that can consistently attract, engage, and retain your families, listen in and register for the New School Playbook Workshop.

Design your new enrollment playbook in only 1 hour with our live interactive workshop - November 14th 

To attend live or get the replay, you need to register at schoolsofexcellence.com/families

Ready to move faster? 

Directors:  Join  the Director’s Inner Circle

Owners:  Join the Ow...

Whether it be election-related stress, end of the year hecticness, or just a busy season of your life, we can all benefit from creating moments of tranquility. Our bodies literally hold this stress inside us. It’s imperative we understand this for our long-term health.

Our mental state deeply impacts our physical state and the other way around. When our brains and bodies feel overwhelmed, it’s especially important to pause, to reset, and to lead from a place of calm and clarity.

What do you do when everything around you feels outside of your cont...

The Playbook for enrolling new families in your school has changed. The old rules of building a website, sending a postcard and holding an open house just don’t work like they used to. 

In previous episodes, Chanie emphasized taking action by knowing your families, speaking their language, being where they are, and training the troops.

Now it’s time to make it happen! Develop a weekly, monthly, and quarterly schedule to strategically adapt to your evolving school families.

In the fifth and final part of the New School Playbook series, Chanie shares what...

The Playbook for enrolling new families in your school has changed. The old rules of building a website, sending a postcard, and holding an open house just don’t work like they used to. 

In today’s episode, the fourth part of the New School Playbook Series, Chanie breaks down how to Train Your Troops.

We’ve all had awkward social interactions — accidentally bumping into someone, forgetting someone’s name, or even realizing that we had a stain on our shirt after running into someone we haven’t seen in years. Afterward, we’re left wishing everyth...

The Playbook for enrolling new families in your school has changed. The old rules of building a website, sending a postcard and holding an open house just don’t work like they used to. 

How many different ways are you sending out information to your families? Maybe it’s just one email. Or maybe it’s seven emails, 4 texts and a printed flyer. 

When you step back and examine your different parent avatars (listen to the previous episode to learn how to build yours), you can start to understand when to send text or email and easi...

The Playbook for enrolling new families in your school has changed.  The old rules of building a website, sending a postcard and holding an open house just don’t work like they used to.

Think about how good it feels when someone notices something that’s uniquely you  and engages with that in mind… You’re a person who matters to them. When you can achieve this with your families, you create a connection that makes a big difference in your school’s success.

In part two of the New School Playbook series, Chanie shares how to reach...

The Playbook for enrolling new families in your school has changed.  The old rules of building a website, sending a postcard and holding an open house just don’t work like they used to. 

In part one of this series, Chanie will be sharing the 5 new power plays to attract, engage, and retain families. 

The first is: Know Your Families.

Key Ideas: 

How can mentor relationships stabilize and strengthen the core of your organization and have an impact on your life?

In this episode Chanie talks with Todd Herman, renowned leadership coach and author of "The Alter Ego Effect," and her mentor of 9 years. He shares personal stories and strategies that have helped him successfully mentor high achievers, Olympians, and entrepreneurs, offering valuable lessons that can be applied in educational settings.

Key Topics:

Picture this–you’re walking through your school, juggling urgent emails, staff questions, and never-ending paperwork. 

The days blur together as you tackle one crisis after another. But what if there was a way to break free from this chaos?

In this week’s episode, Chanie addresses a critical challenge faced by school leaders: being trapped in the day-to-day operations. Chanie explains how creating a “Work Smarter” calendar can revolutionize your leadership approach, allowing you to move from reactive management to proactive, strategic leadership. With practical insights into time blocking, delegation, and the importance of regular rev...

In the journey of life, we often encounter moments that challenge our resilience and redefine our understanding of joy. 

Join Chanie, as she courageously shares her deeply personal experience with pregnancy loss, revealing the unexpected lessons that emerged from her heartache and healing. 

In this week’s episode of Schools of Excellence, Chanie opens up about her emotional journey following a pregnancy loss. From the initial joy of discovering her pregnancy to the profound heartache that followed, she explores how this experience reshaped her perspective on healing, resilience, and the importance of community support. Chanie emph...

What does it take to move from survival mode to true leadership?

In this week’s episode, Chanie interviews Mel Elridge, a director at an early education lab school, who shares her powerful transformation since joining the Schools of Excellence program in 2020. Together, they explore how Mel built stronger connections within her team, shifted her mindset from chaos to growth, and implemented practical systems that foster a healthier work-life balance. 

Key Topics Discussed: 

A parent is standing at your school's front desk, full of questions about how your program will fit their family’s unique needs. 

Now, multiply that by dozens of families, each with different backgrounds, expectations, and concerns.

How do you speak to all of them with each of their individual needs?

In this episode, Chanie introduces her Parent Archetypes Framework, helping schools decode the unique needs of families—from first-time parents to multicultural families and grandparent guardians. By tailoring communication and marketing strategies to each family type, schools can boost enrollment and foster stron...

What do you do when two of your most trusted teachers have unexpectedly handed in their resignations? 

This is the reality of staff turnover faced by many school leaders.

In this episode of the Schools of Excellence podcast, Chanie delves into the multifaceted issue of staff retention within early education centers. Drawing on her extensive research and hands-on experience, Chanie introduces the "Retention Intelligence Framework" and guides school leaders on how to build a positive and sustainable culture that caters to the diverse needs of their staff, ultimately reducing turnover.

Key Topics Discussed: 

What do you do when two of your most trusted teachers have unexpectedly handed in their resignations? 

This is the reality of staff turnover faced by many school leaders.

In this episode of the Schools of Excellence podcast, Chanie delves into the multifaceted issue of staff retention within early education centers. Drawing on her extensive research and hands-on experience, Chanie introduces the "Retention Intelligence Framework" and guides school leaders on how to build a positive and sustainable culture that caters to the diverse needs of their staff, ultimately reducing turnover.

Key Topics Discussed: 

Making decisions when leading in the school system can feel like a storm, and with the economic state of things, it can feel like the storm is only getting stronger.

But… as you navigate the turbulent waters of school management, you may be surprised to find out that the right strategies can turn challenges into opportunities. 

In this episode of Schools of Excellence, Chanie breaks down critical strategies for early education leaders to optimize cash flow, manage enrollment challenges, and stand out in a competitive market. She shares actionable tips on aligning your calendar with pro...

I know you know that feeling of immense overwhelm when you look at the endless tasks on your school calendar. 

A pit in your stomach starts to form just by looking at everything you need to accomplish with such little time. 

But it doesn’t always have to feel that way…

In this episode, Chanie reveals the secrets to mastering calendar audits and making strategic decisions that align with your school’s long-term goals. Through personal anecdotes and practical advice, Chanie illustrates how thoughtful decision-making can keep a school’s operations aligned with its core p...

Struggling with school enrollment can feel like navigating a maze of challenges and stress, leaving you wondering if there’s a clear path to attracting and retaining families.

Join Chanie Wilschanski as she cuts through the confusion and reveals actionable strategies to transform your enrollment process, turning it from a daunting task into a streamlined, effective approach. Chanie goes over three key tactics that can drive immediate results and set the stage for long-term success. These tactics are also tailored to help create meaningful connections and attract new families for enrollment. 

Key Discussion Points:

In the demanding world of early education, balancing professional challenges and personal life can feel overwhelming.

So, how did Stacy Smith, founder of Big Timber Daycare, transform her childcare center into a thriving example of integrated leadership and personal fulfillment?

Join Chanie Wilschanski as she and Stacy delve into the transformative effects of values-based leadership on both professional and personal realms. Stacy opens up about her journey in reshaping her approach to leading a childcare center, balancing business demands with personal life, and integrating effective strategies for sustainable success. Listeners will gain actionable insights on...

When I lived in New York, I spent a lot of time inside during the winter because I didn’t want to freeze my face.

But here in Florida, it’s the exact opposite.

I find myself indoors all summer because I don’t want to melt.

My older kids are away at camp, and Mayer’s and my work schedules both have a little bit more flexibility.

We’ve started a family tradition of using the summer to assess our household.

Is there maintenance we need to do on the hou...

One of my clients is a school owner who hired a new director to lead a brand-new location.

In the beginning, the director was doing a great job.

But then she started to fall short… including on tasks that were not all that complicated.

The owner was concerned the director was acting helpless, especially when it came to her regular duties.

She said to me, “Chanie, I don’t know what to do. What do I tell her? How do I train her?”

If she wanted to invest in this dir...

I remember when I got my first W2 job when I was 19.

I was so proud and excited.

I was working hard, showing up every day, and doing my best.

But when I got that first paycheck, my heart sank.

I thought, “There’s something wrong. This is not the amount that was in my contract.”

I went to my boss and gently let her know about the mistake.

Little did I know there was no mistake.

She showed me the other side of the payche...

Big decisions are tough.

I was speaking with one of my clients who was considering letting a director go.

There was a clear mismatch of values between the director and the school.

Everything the owner had tried to get the director on track had failed.

And yet if she fired the director, the owner would have to expand her workload. She would get stuck doing all the director’s tasks, even though she was already tired. Plus, she would have to go through the exhausting process of hiring a replacement.

...

During my second year of teaching, I was only 20 years old.

Our school had teachers do home visits before the school year started, so the child could get to know their teacher before entering the classroom.

I remember one home visit distinctly because the child’s mom came on so strong.

“How old are you? Do you have a college degree? Are you in a relationship? Have you ever provided childcare before?”

She interrogated me.

I remember thinking, “This woman’s going to eat me alive!”

The insecurity I...

I was recently texting with a one-on-one client.

She had a decision to make about professional development, and she asked me what she should do.

It would have been easier for me to say, “Do XYZ.”

But I didn’t.

Instead, I wrote back, “You hired me to coach, mentor, and uplevel you. I want you to trust your decision-making ability. What do you believe should happen?”

She clearly thought I was overcomplicating things (and I don’t blame her!). She wrote back, “Chanie, I just want answers.”

She had decisi...

Recently, I was reading an article in the Journal of Human Resources that highlighted a difference in the teaching practices between veteran teachers and new teachers. 

Veteran teachers demonstrate confidence and expertise in the classroom. They’re experienced, and they love to be recognized for what they’ve brought to your school.

New teachers are more likely to experiment and innovate, especially when it comes to integrating technology into the class. They’re searching for mentorship and validation.

Both are so valuable for any school. One is silver and the other gold.

This...

In 2019, Kathy owned three ECE centers near Richmond, Virginia. 

She felt a lot of empathy for the dedicated women who worked in her school. 

They always were the kind of people who would always give, give, give without receiving in return. 

They were burning the midnight oil and without inner peace. That meant burnout was on the horizon.

Kathy knew she couldn’t guide them as a leader just yet, because she was exactly the same.

She was running herself ragged wearing all the hats in her school.

Whe...

Recently, I was speaking with an owner who was opening a second location.

Despite this being an exciting time for her school, she was drowning in shame.

“Chanie, I keep starting and stopping, starting and stopping,” she told me.

I asked her what she meant.

She told me she felt ashamed that she couldn’t be consistent with her decisions. “I keep creating policies, implementing them, then getting pushback, and changing the policy again. I feel like I’m always backing out of my commitments.”

First of all, there’s wisdom in fl...

Comparisonitis is so common for school leaders.

I used to compare myself to others constantly.

It’s only natural in the face of successful-looking influencers and mountains of social media content.

But two and a half years ago, I got super honest with myself. 

What was actually important to me? Was it accolades and endless business growth?

No. What truly mattered was these two things: my faith and my family.

So I committed to maintaining my business programs, revenue, and profit margins for 24 months, giving me the cha...

My client, Jaycee, was doing something truly amazing. She’d worked hard and put in extra hours to build a culture of teacher collaboration.

As a result, there was unity within the staff, and children’s learning and engagement soared.

She was really pleased with the outcome.

…But no one else seemed to notice.

She brought the question to the Schools of Excellence community for owners and directors. 

She kept reassuring us, “I am happy! This is exactly what I wanted.” 

And then she’d add, “I just wish other...

I’m one of the few people who actually enjoys public speaking.

Walking onto a stage excites me, and I gain a lot of energy from interacting with a crowd.

But I know I’m an outlier.

Most people panic when they’re asked to give a thought-provoking response in front of the whole staff with no advanced warning.

You can avoid this reaction in your staff meetings while creating a more thoughtful gathering. My suggestion is to prepare a handful of teachers ahead to be called on—and let them know the...

In January, the internet was full of cute memes about going back to the gym, eating salads, and recommitting to your health.

At the end of the calendar year, school leaders often take a look at fiscal performance and next year’s goals.

But right now, as the school year comes to a close, we tend to focus on the next thing. 

Our brains are already in summer mode. We are entering a new season for our lives and our schools.

But what if, before jumping head-first into what’s next, we to...

In 2020, everyone’s world turned upside-down 

Sioux Falls school owner Cayla Rush knew there was too much on her plate as the pandemic began, but she didn’t see an alternative. 

She felt it was her responsibility to make countless decisions that could impact the health and well-being of her staff, herself, and the families she served.

“My self-trust was shaken,” she told me. “Before 2020, I felt like I could trust myself to make decisions. But then that went out the window.”

That’s when we met. 

Instead of allowing herself...

Have you seen Forbes’ 30 Under 30 and 40 Under 40 lists?

They feature the brightest, shiniest, hardest-working entrepreneurs. These individuals embody hustle, grind, and achievement.

It would be exciting to get on one of those lists, right?

Let’s step back for a moment.

When you’re 40 years old, or even 50, 60, 70, or 80, your school will still be there. You have your whole life to be an owner or director. As I like to say, “I’m playing the decades game.”

So who says you have to hit a certain level of success before a par...

Leaders have lots of amazing ideas. 

And sometimes, those ideas can turn into multiple priorities. This is absolutely normal. 

But when there’s a new idea, a new priority, every month, week, or day, it’s exhausting and confusing for the whole school.

As the focus shifts constantly from one urgent matter to the next, everything becomes a priority. In a culture like this, the team learns that when everything is a priority, nothing is actually a priority.

They may delay starting a project or put in low effort in the beginn...

Summer is coming, faster than we could have anticipated. 

Have you figured out what you and your family are doing for the break?

“What are your summer plans?” It sounds like a simple question—one you’ll probably get asked a bunch over the coming weeks—but the reality is anything but easy.

If you’re feeling panic or irritation at having to make yet another decision about summer break (or even what's for dinner), that’s because there is a whole world of invisible labor that goes into every single choice. 

My friend, you...

Learn more and apply for the Director’s Inner Circle & Owner’s HQ: https://schoolsofexcellence.com/membership/ 

More about the show:

If you are an Early Childhood director or owner, prepare to transform your school and life with the Schools of Excellence podcast. Tune in each week to learn from Chanie Wilschanski, the founder and host of the Schools of Excellence Podcast and a mom of 4 little kids. Each episode will be packed with tools and strategies – equipping you to build schools with higher staff retention, teacher motivation, parent partnership, collaborative culture, and beautiful...

When my business was new, I was in the practice of waking up at 5:00am to work on some big, exciting projects. I would reply to emails and write content while my house was asleep, so I could get some focused work time in.

But when I had my fourth child, Yossi, I suddenly could no longer set an alarm for 5:00am and expect to be productive—because I was also waking up at 12:00am, at 2:00am, at 4:00am, and at 6:00am to care for my baby.

I often talk about respecting the season of li...

“We were only closed for two weeks when the pandemic started, but I swear it felt like we were closed for four months.”

This is what Paige Kepner, Glen Allen, VA center owner, told me during a recent conversation.

I find this is such a common experience for school leaders when they're in the midst of a crisis.

The sheer amount of pressure, communication, decision-making, and information-gathering that happened in March, 2020 (and beyond), was overwhelming for school leaders. Not to mention the amount of energy they had to give to protecting their own fami...

A director I was coaching a few weeks ago told me about a repeat problem that kept coming up in her center. She was constantly being interrupted by teachers coming to her office asking for help with little things. She was glad to support them, but it was getting to a point where she couldn’t focus on her own tasks.

Her own behavior—going out of her office to give them what they asked for, every single time—was enabling their behavior and dependency, instead of empowering them to be resourceful.

We want to be enc...

Recently, I was speaking with a school owner who was selling a location. She had truly done her due diligence in her preparations for this moment, crossing every T and dotting every I. The only thing left to do was to inform her team.

Feeling anxiety about the conversation, she came to me for coaching and guidance. Many coaches might give general advice about drinking water, going on a walk, or meditating. But she wasn’t coming to me for help shaking off her nerves. She was looking for something deeper.

So I asked her, “Do y...

Recently, I was on a coaching call with two ECE center owners.

The first owner had just purchased her second location. This was a huge milestone for her, and she expected to feel accomplished. And yet, she was struggling to step into a double identity as both an owner and the director of the second site, until it could get fully staffed.

The second owner had just sold her second location. She reflected back on when she had first purchased it, and at the time, she wondered if she was enough. Now that she sold...

When’s the last time you went to a huge buffet? While it seems like a treat to eat anything you want, you can’t eat it all—and that means you have to choose. The number of decisions you have to make in the buffet line is totally overwhelming.

In the same way, too many choices can feel paralyzing when it comes to our centers—for leadership, teachers, parents, and children.

Will the kids play with blocks or go outside? Which parent-teacher communication system will we use? Which professional development option should we pick? Which cu...