The Growth. Systems. Over. Stress  is a diagnostic presentation for childcare CEOs who have added programs, staff, locations and more stress—but never installed the operating systems required to sustain that growth. In this session, Dr. Andrea Dickerson walks you through the exact growth traps that cause leadership burnout, staff breakdowns, compliance risk, and decision overload. You’ll learn how to distinguish real growth from used growth, identify where your systems are failing under pressure, and walk away with a clear executive framework for stabilizing operations, protecting your authority, and preparing your organization to scale without collapsing under its own success. 

A practical, heartfelt guide that helps leaders diagnose the disconnects in their workplace, heal what’s broken in their culture, and become the kind of leader people trust, follow, and grow with without burning out or losing themselves in the process.

• Discover what’s really causing burnout, emotional volatility, and disengagement.
• Communicate with clarity, rebuild trust, and reset expectations.
• Create a culture aligned with your mission… not the mess.
• Lead with confidence, courage, and conviction in a post-pandemic world.

The Operational Gaps Quietly Costing You Profit and How to Close Them

Many child care leaders feel stretched thin—doing everything themselves while trying to stay compliant, staffed, and financially stable. In this session, Chelyn will walk leaders through practical, implement-now systems that reduce overwhelm and increase profitability without sacrificing values or well-being. Attendees will learn how simple leadership structures, clear expectations, and repeatable systems can create calmer days, stronger teams, and healthier finances. This session is designed for owners and directors who want sustainability, clarity, and confidence—not hustle and burnout.

Here’s what I’m going to do for you today.

In the next 20-ish minutes, I’m going to give you one framework—simple, practical—that will materially improve your financial position over time.

You will walk away knowing:

1. Why most childcare owners overpay the IRS by $35K–$100K+ each year
2. The one lever that changes everything: strategic tax planning
3. The three-part planning rhythm that stops tax surprises before they happen: identify-plan-implement

Then we’ll go Q&A, and I’ll answer the most common questions I get from childcare owners who are doing real revenue.

Discover how trauma-aware leadership practices can radically strengthen staff wellbeing, performance, and retention. Drawing from real-world experience across education and health sectors, this session explores how everyday interactions impact culture — and how emotionally attuned leadership transforms burnout into belonging. You’ll walk away with practical tools to build trust, reduce reactivity, and support your team to thrive — even during change or crisis.

Leadership drives results. When you lead with clarity, confidence, and accountability, your business grows — and so does your profit. Lead It. Grow It. Profit From It. shows childcare owners and directors how strong leadership directly impacts enrollment, retention, team performance, and financial stability.

In this powerful session, you’ll learn how mindset, culture, communication, and systems influence your bottom line. Stop reacting to daily challenges and start leading with intention. When you strengthen your leadership, you strengthen your revenue — because sustainable profit begins at the top.

In Strong Leaders, Strong Centers: Benefits That Support Child Care Success, we’ll discuss how the right benefit approach can help child care leaders support their teams, reduce turnover, and create more stable, successful centers. Attendees will gain insight into flexible benefit options and strategies that align with the unique needs of early learning programs.

Too many child care programs struggle—not because of enrollment or staffing shortages—but because owners and directors aren’t aligned. When leadership roles, expectations, and decision-making authority are unclear, confusion spreads through the program and profitability suffers.

In this focused session, Kate Woodward Young and Carrie Casey share practical strategies to align owners and directors around a shared vision and clear roles. You’ll learn how leadership alignment improves communication, speeds up decisions, and creates the foundation for stronger enrollment and financial stability. Whether you attend as an owner, a director, or together, you’ll leave with insights you can apply immediately.

Too many child care programs lose money not because of a lack of demand, but because owners and directors aren’t aligned. When leadership teams lack a shared vision, the result can be under-enrollment, inconsistent practices, and financial strain.

Too many child care programs lose money not because of a lack of demand, but because owners and directors aren’t aligned. When leadership teams lack a shared vision, the result can be under-enrollment, inconsistent practices, and financial strain.

Too many child care programs lose money not because of a lack of demand, but because owners and directors aren’t aligned. When leadership teams lack a shared vision, the result can be under-enrollment, inconsistent practices, and financial strain.

Turn Followers into Families is a session all about using social media and online marketing to bring families to your center. You’ll learn how to post with purpose, talk to parents online, and turn likes and comments into real calls and tours. We’ll break down what to post, how to build trust, and how to help families move from scrolling on their phones to enrolling their child. No confusing marketing words—just clear steps you can use right away.

ECE compliance is like the service at your favorite restaurant: smooth, invisible, and expected… until one questionable meal is served or a damaging headline hits social media. Enter the intense scrutiny.

Childcare compliance works the same way. One poor licensing inspection, one news report of an incident, or one insurance claim can make what you do every day highly visible—and high stakes.

In this session, you’ll learn how to make everyday compliance visible--on YOUR terms.  Discover how to proactively turn routine practices into clear proof of safety, risk management, and trust.

We LOVE Teacher Appreciation Week... but what about the other 51 weeks of the year? Your staff KNOWS you value them, but on those days--the days with non-stop behavior challenges, late parents, and potty accidents--some child care providers wonder is this worth it? We know the answer: ABSOLUTELY! And there are 5 simple actions you can take to create connetion, show appreciation, and foster happiness in your center. Join me to explore the power that small, daily actions can have to build a strong team and create a program that teachers love and parents rave about!

Lasting change doesn’t start with new strategies—it starts with how leaders see the people they lead. In this practical, mindset-shifting session, leaders will explore how perceptions of teacher behavior shape coaching conversations, accountability, and outcomes. Participants will learn how to lead with both compassion and clarity, using reflective questions and simple coaching structures that strengthen relationships without lowering expectations. This session offers concrete tools to move beyond fear-based leadership and create a culture of trust, growth, and accountability.

In today’s childcare landscape, profit isn’t a luxury — it’s protection. In this powerful session, Rachel Supalla shares the Childcare Leader Operating System designed to build margin, leadership strength, and long-term stability without burnout or dependency on grants. You’ll learn how to move from reactive survival mode to strategic decision-making by strengthening enrollment systems, tightening operational discipline, and building a leadership bench that reduces owner reliance. Walk away with practical frameworks to protect your people, your mission, and your peace — while building a childcare business that is resilient, scalable, and positioned for lasting success.

Today’s parents begin their childcare search online—often long before they ever schedule a tour. In this session, you’ll learn three simple, practical ways to help more families discover your center and feel confident choosing you. We’ll cover how to create a strong first impression online, build trust through authentic reviews and real classroom stories, and share a consistent, welcoming message across your digital platforms. You’ll walk away with easy-to-implement strategies that turn clicks into connections—and connections into enrollments—so your center becomes the clear, comfortable choice for families in your community.

The hidden metrics behind stalled enrollment—and how to fix them.

We know that strong child-caregiver connections are vital for learning—but what happens outside the classroom? To truly elevate an early childhood center, we must carry practices like receptive listening and emotional regulation into our engagement with adults as well. By prioritizing meaningful relationships with both staff and families, we create a campus-wide ripple effect of high-quality care.