The Child Care Directors Chair Podcast
đď¸ The Child Care Directorâs Chair â Where Big Dreams and Bigger Leadership Collide!
Ready to level up your child care career? Whether you're a teacher assistant dreaming of that lead teacher badge, a lead ready to snag that director title, or a director with your sights set on owning your own center (or multiple ones đ)âthis is your seat at the table. And spoiler alert: leadership isnât a title, itâs an action.
Hosted by the one and only Erica Saccoccioâpart coach, part cheerleader, and full-time leadership hype manâyouâll get daily doses of real talk, big laughs, and bold leadership truths. Weâre talking practical strategies, mindset shifts, and serious elevation vibes... all served with love (and a little sass đ).
⨠New episodes drop MondayâFriday at 1 AM ESTâso you can sip your coffee, set your goals, and strut into your center like the boss youâre becoming.
This show is a great addition to your leadership toolbox or the perfect resource for your team onboarding sessionsâbecause the best programs grow their teams from within. đŞ
Pull up your chair, future leader. Letâs do this thing. đźđĽ
Episodes
546 episodes
485 Leadership as the Engine of Quality Improvement
In this episode of The Childcare Directorâs Chair, we dive into one of the most powerful forces behind high-quality early childhood programs: leadership. Fresh off our centerâs unannounced visit â the final step in our jou...
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12:01
484 Intentional Teaching Starts with Intentional Leadership
In this episode, Erica slows down the noise of day-to-day operations and invites directors to take a thoughtful look at whatâs really happening inside their classrooms. Are your teachers busy â or are they intentional? Are you leading a program...
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9:15
483 Coaching Teachers With Confidence: Building Skill, Trust & Real Growth in Your Center
I n this episode of The Childcare Directorâs Chair, Erica breaks down what confident coaching really looks like inside a thriving early childhood program. No fluff, no corporate jargonâjust real strategies you can use today to guide te...
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9:01
482 Calm in the Candy-Cane Chaos: Your Holiday Rush Survival Guide
The holidays are here, and so is the chaos! In this episode of The Childcare Directorâs Chair, Erica shares her essential survival guide for staying grounded, organized, and joy-filled during Decemberâs whirlwind. From supporting...
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10:12
481 Hot Cocoa, Checklists & Happy Kids: Winter Ready
Winter is coming⌠and so are snowstorms, sniffles, and frosty floors! âď¸ In this episode of Childcare Directors Chair, Erica Saccoccio shares practical tips to keep your center running smoothly all winter long. Learn how to prep...
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16:23
480 Donât Hibernate! 10 Ways to Crush January Enrollment
Ready to turn January inquiries into full classrooms? In this episode, Erica shares 10 practical, proven tips to capture every lead and turn them into enrolled families. From mastering your follow-up, refreshing your tours, and creating ...
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12:25
478 Pour the Gravy and the Gratitude: A Thanksgiving Shoutout to Our ECE Family ( Part 1)
Ater finally getting over a stubborn cold and rolling straight into all the preâTurkey Day prep (because in ECE, the work never slows downâcold or no cold), Erica jumps on the mic to talk directly to early childhood leaders about gratitude, giv...
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18:24
479 Thanksgiving Mix-Up & a Massive VIP Giveaway! (Part 2) You are not being punked :)
Happy Thanksgiving, friends! Todayâs episode is full of gratitude, real-life laughs, and a HUGE surprise for my amazing listeners.Yes⌠I accidentally released yesterdayâs episode on the wrong date (cold-season chaos!), and yes⌠I even pu...
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7:44
477 Hot Cocoa, Checklists & Happy Kids: Winter Ready
Winter is coming⌠and so are snowstorms, sniffles, and frosty floors! âď¸ In this episode of Childcare Directors Chair, Erica Saccoccio shares practical tips to keep your center running smoothly all winter long. Learn how to prep...
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16:23
476 Finish the Year Strong â Your Leadership Game Plan for December
In this episode of the Childcare Directorâs Chair Podcast, Erica Saccoccio breaks down exactly how childcare leaders can close out the year with clarity, confidence, and momentum. Instead of coasting through December, Erica shows you how to use...
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15:53
475 A Year in Review: What 2025 Taught Us About Childcare Leadership
In this powerful end-of-year episode, Erica Saccoccio takes you through a grounded, honest reflection of 2025 and the leadership lessons that shaped the childcare field this year. This isnât a surface-level recap â itâs a deep dive into who you...
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8:53
In Case You Missed It: Rerun of Our Most-Loved Diversity & Inclusion Episode
Iâve been sick this week, so we decided to bring back one of our most popular episodes. In Case You Missed It, this is a replay from November 15th, 2024.In this episode, I talk about why diversity and inclusion matter so much in c...
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Episode 238
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17:59
475 Launch to Impact: Dr. Keena Rush Mosley on Leadership Truths
Dr. Keena Rush Mosley breaks down her book Launch to Impact and shares her leadership framework for emerging leaders. We dive into the biggest misstepsâavoiding accountability, dodging hard conversations, and leading without clea...
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15:39
474 Refill Your Cup, Sis â Rest Is a Leadership Strategy
You canât pour from an empty cup â and yet, so many of us in childcare leadership keep trying! In this episode, Erica breaks down why rest isnât lazy â itâs leadership.From battling burnout to reclaiming your âwhy,â this co...
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9:23
473 No, is a Complete Sentence! Stop Being a Doormat, Director.
Directors, listen up â saying no doesnât make you mean, it makes you a leader. Too many of us spend our days exhausted, stressed, and stretched thin because we think every request has to be a âyes.âIn this episode of Th...
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7:19
472 Do You Even Know You? Finding Your Direction Before You Lead
Letâs get real for a minute â how can you lead others if you donât really know yourself? đ¤In this episode of The Child Care Directorâs Chair, weâre diving deep into self-awareness â the secret ingredient to...
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10:41
471 Stop Running on Autopilot: Be Intentional, Baby!
Are you working hard⌠but not really going anywhere? Yeah, Iâve been there too. đââď¸In this episode of The Child Care Directorâs Chair, weâre getting real about what it actually means to be intentional â...
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7:30
470 Conferences, Community & a Little Bit of Therapy đŤśđ§
In this heartfelt episode, Erica reflects on 35 incredible days spent traveling to AEYC conferences across the Northeast â from Connecticut to New Jersey, Maine, and Massachusetts â connecting with early childhood leaders who are making a diffe...
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9:10
Bonus :AI Meets Early Childhood: Are You Ready to Innovate? njaeyc interview
In this episode of the Child Care Director's Share podcast, Erica interviews Malik, a vendor at the New Jersey AEYC conference, who discusses his innovative AI tool designed to enhance engagement and retention in childcare settings. The convers...
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8:31
469 Honoring Heroes: Veterans Day and Community Impact in Early Childhood
In this heartfelt Veterans Day episode, Erica Saccoccio sits down with Karen, Director of the Dear to Dream Ranch in Rhode Island, an organization dedicated to supporting veterans. They explore the journey of healing, the importance of te...
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30:17
Bonus: Teamwork, Growth, ImpactâAre You In? njaeyc interview
In this episode of the Child Care Directors Chair podcast, Erica and Amber discuss the essential qualities of effective leadership in education, the importance of team building, and the role of observations and assessments in fostering student ...
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8:31
Bonus Evolution of Early Childhood Education njaeyc interview
In this episode of the Child Care Directors Share Podcast, host Erica speaks with Cindy Tera Bush, a fellow educator and podcaster, about her journey in early childhood education. They discuss the evolution of Cindy's career from teacher to dir...
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13:57
Bonus: The Role of Environmental Education Nature in the Classroom njaeyc intervieew
In this episode of the Child Care Directors Chair podcast, Erica speaks with Hannah from Earth Friends about the importance of environmental education in early childhood. They discuss how to integrate nature into classroom learning, the signifi...
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11:13
Bonus- Building Brains Through Conversation njaeyc interview
In this episode of the Child Care Directors Chair podcast, host Erica speaks with Lewis from LENA, a nonprofit focused on early childhood development. They discuss the importance of conversation in shaping children's brains, the role of strengt...
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9:22
468 Great Leaders Build Bridges (and Tear Down Walls)
In this inspiring episode of The Child Care Directorship Podcast, Erica Saccoccio kicks off her âBuilding Bridgesâ series with a heartfelt message about connection â because in early childhood education, success isnât built on policies...
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10:50