The Child Care Directors Chair Podcast
Because childcare leadership deserves a real conversation.
If you're looking for another leadership podcast filled with corporate buzzwords and theories from people who haven't stepped inside a childcare center in years... this probably isn't it.
I'm Erica Saccoccio—a multi-center childcare owner, leadership coach, keynote speaker, and podcast host who still leads in the work every single day.
This podcast is for childcare directors, daycare owners, assistant directors, preschool leaders, and early childhood professionals who are ready to find their voice, build confidence, strengthen their teams, and create programs where children, families, and educators thrive.
Each week, you'll hear honest conversations, practical leadership strategies, and inspiring stories from childcare directors, owners, educators, authors, and industry leaders who understand what it really takes to lead in early childhood today. We'll tackle the conversations others avoid, celebrate the wins that matter, and give you practical ideas you can take back to your center tomorrow.
Around here, we don't chase perfection—we build confident leaders, multiply future leaders, and create a ripple of impact throughout the early childhood profession.
Pull up a chair. Find your voice. Lead with confidence. Create lasting impact.
🎤 Let's Grow Leaders Together
Looking for a keynote speaker, breakout session presenter, leadership retreat facilitator, professional development trainer, or leadership coach for your childcare organization?
Erica partners with conferences, state associations, childcare organizations, school districts, and leadership teams across the country to deliver engaging presentations that are practical, relatable, and transformational. Every session is designed to inspire audiences, spark meaningful conversations, and equip leaders with strategies they can immediately implement in their programs.
Connect with Erica for:
- 🎤 Keynote Presentations
- 🎓 Conference Breakout Sessions
- 🏫 Professional Development Days
- 🌱 Leadership Coaching
- 👥 Leadership Retreats
- 🎙️ Podcast Guest Opportunities
🌐 www.childcaredirectorschair.com
Pull up a chair. Find your voice. Lead with confidence. Create lasting impact.
The Child Care Directors Chair Podcast
118 - Creating a Calm and Supportive Environment With Karla Saldivar
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In this episode, Erica Saccoccio and Karla Saldivar discuss strategies for managing challenging behaviors in children. They emphasize the importance of creating a positive and supportive environment, setting clear expectations, and building strong relationships with the children. They also discuss the role of consistency, transitions, and positive reinforcement in managing challenging behaviors. Additionally, they provide insights on deescalating challenging behaviors and promoting self-regulation in children. In this conversation, Karla Saldivar and Erica Saccoccio discuss strategies for deescalating challenging behaviors in early childhood education. They emphasize the importance of creating a calm and supportive environment, implementing consistent routines, and practicing active listening. They also highlight the value of collaboration between educators, parents, and administrators in addressing challenging behaviors. The conversation concludes with a reminder that educators have a significant impact on children's lives and should strive to support their emotional well-being.
Takeaways
- Creating a positive and supportive environment is crucial for managing challenging behaviors in children.
- Setting clear expectations and boundaries helps children feel safe and reduces challenging behaviors.
- Building strong relationships with children is essential for managing challenging behaviors.
- Consistency and predictability in daily routines and transitions can help prevent challenging behaviors.
- Using positive reinforcement and focusing on strengths can promote positive behavior.
- Deescalating challenging behaviors requires staying calm, being present, and providing support.
- Promoting self-regulation through mindfulness and breathing techniques can help children manage their emotions. Create a calm and supportive environment to deescalate challenging behaviors
- Implement consistent routines and practices
- Practice active listening and help children identify and process their emotions
- Collaborate with parents and administrators to address challenging behaviors
- Educators have a significant impact on children's lives and should prioritize their emotional well-being
The Child Care Director's Chair Podcast is proudly powered by WatchMeGrow, our premier podcast sponsor and a trusted partner in early childhood education.
WatchMeGrow helps child care programs strengthen family engagement through secure live-streaming, classroom video access, and communication tools that build transparency, trust, and peace of mind for families. Their innovative technology empowers programs to enhance safety, strengthen relationships, and showcase the incredible learning happening in their classrooms every day.
To learn more about how WatchMeGrow can support your program, visit www.watchmegrow.com.
Thank you to WatchMeGrow for supporting our mission to inspire, equip, and empower child care leaders around the world.
