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.
Episodes
717 episodes
652 Check In Before They Check Out: Supporting Your Teachers
What if one of the most powerful things a director could do for an educator was simply ask, “How are you doing?”—and actually listen to the answer?Recorded at the Connecticut AEYC Conference, Erica Saccoccio sits down with Teresa Reynold...
651 You Take Care of Everyone. Who Takes Care of You?
Family child care providers are used to doing it all—caring for children, supporting families, managing the business, maintaining the home, and keeping everything moving. But what happens when the person holding it all together needs a reset?
650 The One Thing That Makes Children Love Coming to School
What separates a good early childhood educator from a truly great one? Eva from Church Early Learning Center makes the case that the answer is not just curriculum—it’s consistency, compassion, and a deep commitment to helping children feel safe...
649 Stop Leading Alone: Why ECE Leaders Need Community
Early childhood leadership can feel lonely, especially when you are carrying the needs of children, families, staff, and an entire program. But strong leaders are not meant to grow in isolation.In this episode of The Child Care Director’...
648 The Leadership Mistake Early Childhood Directors Keep Making
What if the fastest way to strengthen your early childhood program is not tighter control, but more accountability, empathy, and support? Ruth shares the leadership shifts that help educators feel seen, stay motivated, and do their best work fo...
647 Lead Beside Them: What Great Directors Do Differently
What separates a director who simply manages a program from a leader teachers actually want to work for?In this episode of The Child Care Director’s Chair, Erica Saccoccio sits down with Nicole, a preschool owner and director from Seymou...
646 What Educators Need From Their Directors
What makes an educator feel truly supported by their director?In this episode of The Child Care Director’s Chair, Erica Saccoccio sits down with Reva Deonarine, a teacher assistant at Southfield Children’s Center, for a candid conversati...
645 Why Women Keep Minimizing Their Authority at the Table
Women in early childhood education aren’t “just” anything. They’re business leaders, employers, community builders, and decision-makers—and this conversation with Kate Woodward Young makes the case for why it’s time to stop apologizing f...
646 A Few Closing Words from Kevin ( Part 2)
One of my favorite moments from my conversation with Kevin from WatchMeGrow came at the very end.After talking about his work, the relationships he has built in early childhood education, and the role WatchMeGrow plays in supporting prog...
646 Behind the Camera: Meet Kevin from WatchMeGrow
What really happens behind the camera when it comes to building trust, supporting childcare programs, and helping leaders feel more confident about safety and communication?In this episode of The Child Care Director’s Chair, Erica sits d...
645 What Really Makes a Childcare Professional?
Professionalism in early childhood education is about much more than what you wear to work.In this episode of The Child Care Director’s Chair, Erica takes a deeper look at what it really means to be a childcare professional, inc...
644 Supporting Educators Through Authentic Leadership
What does it really mean to support educators as a leader?In this episode of The Child Care Director’s Chair, Erica sits down with Annette Eberhart for a conversation about authentic leadership, trust, communication, accountabil...
643 How Do We Believe Children Should Be Educated?
Have you ever stopped to ask yourself how you truly believe children should be educated?In this episode of The Child Care Director’s Chair, Erica takes a deeper look at that question through ideas connected to Maria Montessori, ...
642 The Courage to Keep Growing
Your next level of leadership may have nothing to do with a new title—it starts the moment you stop treating your experience like it only belongs inside one classroom, one center, or one set of four walls. Angela McCarthy has spent more than 20...
641 You’re Going to Get Your Feelings Hurt: Leading When You Can’t Please Everyone
You can be the best boss someone has ever had, support a family for years, extend grace, make exceptions, and genuinely care—and still become the “bad guy” the moment someone does not get what they want.In this honest episode of the Chil...
640 Stop Leading Everyone the Same Way
One of the biggest mistakes leaders make is assuming everyone on their team needs the same kind of leadership. They don’t.In this episode, we’re talking about why strong leadership means knowing your people well enough to understand when...
639 Do They Feel Like They Belong? Building Real Connections With School-Age Children
School-age children need more than supervision, snacks, homework help, and activities. They need connection, belonging, respect, and adults who truly see them.In this episode of the Child Care Director’s Chair Podcast, Erica talks direct...
637 Why Her After-School Program Became the Smartest Move She Made
The quiet advantage in childcare ownership is not scale—it is fit. A director in Atlanta shares how she built a center around real demand, a homey culture, and the kind of trust families feel the moment they walk in. Erica Saccoccio catches up ...
636 Build Your Child Care Business Like a Business, Not a Feeling
Miranda Moore on the child care policies that protect your business, your staff, and your sanity If you are a child care owner who is ready to grow but knows you need stronger systems first, Miranda Moore delivers the mindset shift that ...
635 Why Child Care Centers Lose Everything at Lease Renewal with Todd Harris
Leasing can look cheaper on paper, but in child care real estate, the wrong move can cost you your business. Todd Harris, known as the Nursery Navigator, breaks down how directors and owners can protect their centers, negotiate smarter, and bui...
634 When Things Change: Leading Through the Hard Parts Without Losing Yourself
Change is one of the hardest parts of leadership, especially when you care deeply about your program, your team, and the families you serve. Staff leave. Families move on. Children transition to new classrooms. Plans you thought were solid sudd...
633 The Confident Childcare Director
If you’re waiting to feel confident before you lead, this episode is your wake-up call. Erica Saccoccio breaks down why confidence in childcare leadership is built through action, not personality, and how John Maxwell’s leadership prin...
632 Your Center Doesn’t Need More Rules—It Needs Stronger Leadership
In this episode of Childcare Directors Chair, Erica makes the case that many childcare centers don’t need another policy, memo, or handbook update—they need clearer leadership. She explains the difference between managing people with rules and ...
631 Beyond Babysitting: Professionalism in Family Child Care
Family child care is not babysitting, and this conversation makes that impossible to ignore. Erica Saccoccio and Dacia Dumas unpack how home-based providers can lead with warmth and operate like the professionals and business owners they are, w...