Impact
The Leadership Institute is building a racially and linguistically diverse network of early educators. Collectively, they are catalyzing the local and systemic change needed now to improve the quality of instructional practices and devise business innovations that will ensure that quality programs are available and accessible in low-income communities, and that the expertise of early educators is valued and respected. Our goal is to mobilize a critical mass of leaders so that every child care program in America has a trained leader and change agent.
Our graduates have reached over 5,000 children and their families. They are opening new preschools; testing innovations in their practice; and achieving efficiencies in business operations through innovations such as shared services that free up resources for quality enhancements. They are conducting cutting-edge research and advocating for public policies that support young children and their families. They are re-energized and sustained with our alumnae Leadership Network that reinforces their leadership and retains them in the field.
Our approach to meeting the persistent challenges and systemic inequities in ECE sits at the cutting edge of knowledge creation and real-world practice. Our research and applied research-practice partnerships expands understanding and accelerates creative and critical thinking about ECE leadership, improvement, and innovation. Collectively, our work informs policy recommendations and proposals at local, state, and federal levels to transform systems so that they support, rather than undermine, the entrepreneurial leadership of early educators.
Stories of Impact
BUILDING POLITICAL POWER
Theodore Kokoros has a quick answer when asked for the best way to build strong leadership within the ECE field: “Making sure our voices are heard.”
EDUCATING PARENTS AND THE PUBLIC
Diane Hodges-Hunter says child care providers and early education teachers have “a lot of knowledge and no one knows it.” So she's started sharing it.
ADVANCING EARLY CARE AND EDUCATION THROUGH SCHOLARSHIP
If you wanted to change your classroom or your teaching practice to more deeply encourage the work of play among your students, how would you do it? Amanda Lopes has some ideas.
CREATING COMMUNITY
When you take care of a child, you’re also caring for an entire family and strengthening local communities. Dottie Williams explains how it works.
This institute is part of the College of Education and Human Development.