ChildCare Conversations with Kate and Carrie
Kate and Carrie have over 62 years in the childcare business industry and bring that background to their conversations. Having worked with over 5000 childcare programs across the country in the last 30 years together they are a fun and powerful team - ready to help you tackle your problems with practical solutions.
Episodes
321 episodes
310: How Nonprofits and Private Programs Can Collaborate for School-Aged Success! With Tyler and Autumn
In this episode of "Childcare Conversations," Kate and Carrie sit down with Tyler and Autumn from Wichita Falls’ Southside Youth Center to chat all things school-aged care. You’ll hear how their program blossomed from a small girls’ club into a...
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32:24
309: How Can AI Transform Communication in Childcare? With Kaila Linder
In this episode of "Childcare Conversations," Kate and Carrie sit down with Kaila Linder, an AI trailblazer and preschool owner, to chat about how artificial intelligence is transforming the childcare industry. ☎️🤖 Kayla shares her journey from...
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25:39
308: Are You Missing Out on Tax Savings for Your Childcare Center? With David Encarnacion
In this episode of Child Care Conversations, Kate and Carrie sit down with tax pro David of DaycareAccounting Pro to chat about smart, proactive tax strategies just for childcare center owners. They break down why traditional accountants might ...
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28:54
307: Protecting Your Childcare Business: The Ultimate Guide to Insurance with Samantha Phillips
You’re in for a treat with this episode of "Childcare Conversations"! Kate and Carrie sit down with insurance specialist Sam Phillips, who shares her hard-earned wisdom on protecting your childcare business. From why bundling insurance isn’t al...
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25:53
306: Are You Ready to Kickstart Your 2026 with Confidence in Childcare Leadership?
In this episode of Child Care Conversations, Kate and Carrie chat about kicking off 2026 with a fresh mindset for childcare leaders. They share practical tips on setting micro-goals (no vision board required!), finding the right mentors or coac...
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12:30
305: Building Strong Connections in Early Childhood Leadership With Lori Buxton
In this episode of ChildCare Conversations, you’ll sit in on a warm chat with Lori Buxton from the Association of Early Learning Leaders and our hosts Kate and Carrie. Lori shares her unexpected journey into early childhood care, the healing po...
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33:26
304: How Can Home-Based Childcare Providers Thrive in a Competitive Landscape? With Jerletha McDonald
In this episode of "Childcare Conversations," hosts Carrie and Carrie sit down with Jerletha McDonald, CEO of Family Tracker, to chat about the joys and challenges of home-based childcare. Julia shares her inspiring journey from hospital lab te...
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31:30
303: How Can We Reclaim the Power of Play in Early Childhood Education? With Denita Dinger
In this episode of Child Care Conversations, Kate and Carrie chat with Denita Dinger, a passionate early childhood educator, about the magic of child-led play. They dive into the challenges of balancing structured themes with letting kids’ inte...
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30:42
302: Advocacy, Family Dynamics, and Business Strategies for Success! With Tim Kaminski
In this episode of Child Care Conversations, you’ll join Kate, Carrie, and guest Tim Kaminski for a warm, insightful chat about what it really takes to lead in early childhood education. Tim shares his journey from healthcare to child care, the...
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34:50
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301: How Can We Transform Early Childhood Education with STEAM? With Susie Beghin
In this episode of Child Care Conversations, Kate and Carrie sit down with Susie Beghin, a passionate early childhood leader from Toronto. They chat about weaving STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) into preschool life—think...
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27:42
300! Let's Transform Your Team With Beth Cannon
In this episode of "Child Care Conversations," Kate and Carrie sit down with Beth Cannon, a seasoned leadership coach, to chat about the real challenges of leading early childhood programs—especially as the new year rolls in. Beth shares her jo...
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26:50
299: How Can We Elevate the Perception of Early Childhood Educators? With Tym The Trainer
In this episode of "Childcare Conversations," Kate and Carrie sit down with Tym Smith—aka "Tym the Trainer"—to chat about his 38-year journey in early childhood education. Tym shares insights on advocacy, the importance of language in elevating...
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29:02
298: Empowering Young Mothers Through Childcare and Education With Nancy Sylvester
In this heartwarming episode of "Child Care Conversations," you’ll meet Mrs. Nancy Sylvester, a true champion for young mothers still in school. Nancy shares how her center offers not just childcare, but tutoring, parenting classes, and wraparo...
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26:04
297: How Can We Transform Childcare to Support Families and Communities? With Crystal Campbell
In this episode of "Child Care Conversations," Kate sits down with Crystal Campbell, President of SICA, for a warm, insightful chat about the real challenges and bright spots in early childhood education. They swap stories about building resili...
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32:47
296: The Greatest Superpower for Early Childhood Directors: Emotional Intelligence
In this episode of "Child Care Conversations," hosts Carrie and Kate explore the vital role of emotional intelligence (EQ) for early childhood education directors. They discuss how EQ helps leaders build trust, manage staff and parent relations...
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22:30
295: The Best Strategies for Navigating Child Care Management Challenges with Rob and Amanda
In this episode of Child Care Conversations, Kate sits down with Rob and Amanda from Playground, the all-in-one child care management software. They swap stories about their unique paths into early childhood tech—think opera singer turned accou...
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23:22
294: How Can Technology Transform Your Child Care Center? With Latrice Galloway
In this episode of "Child Care Conversations," Latrice Galloway shared her journey from juggling multiple tech tools to streamlining everything with Playground software, saving time and money (hello, $2,000/month!). Kate, Carrie, and Latrice sw...
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21:56
293: The Best Strategies for Boosting Staff Compliance in Early Childhood Education with Cindy Morgan
In this episode of "Child Care Conversations," Kate and Carrie sit down with Cindy Morgan from One Place to chat about the real-life challenges of keeping child care centers compliant and running smoothly...
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30:16
292: Professional Development Made Easy (and Free!): Exploring Early Childhood Investigations with Hannah
In this episode of Child Care Conversations, you’ll sit in on a warm chat with Hannah, the head of Early Childhood Investigations (ECI) webinars. She shares how ECI brings top-notch, research-backed training straight to educators—no matter wher...
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28:40
291: From Enrollment to Engagement: Strategies for Thriving Amidst Universal Pre-K
In this episode of Child Care Conversations, Kate and Carrie chat about the big challenge of losing kids to universal pre-k programs. They share smart tips for keeping families in your center, like building strong relationships from day one, hi...
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21:29
290: How Can Child Care Directors Tackle Staffing Challenges Head-On?
In this episode of "Child Care Conversations," Carrie and Kate share the real-life staffing struggles they’ve heard from directors across the country, think hiring headaches, covering for absent teachers, and the never-ending HR puzzles. They c...
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20:58
289: Why Professional Associations Matter: SECA’s Story with Judy Prine
You’re in for a treat with this episode of Child Care Conversations! Kate and Carrie sit down with Judy Prine, President-Elect of SECA, for a warm, insightful chat about the Southern Early Childhood Association. Judy shares SECA’s rich history,...
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22:30
288: Navigating the Yellow Brick Road of Childcare Leadership: Insights from Rachel Supalla
In this episode of Child Care Conversations, you’ll meet Rachel Supalla, a seasoned early childhood leader who grew from preschool teacher to managing 11 childcare centers! She shares her journey,...
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19:23
287: How to Build a Manageable Leadership Team in Your Child Care Center
In this episode, Kate and Carrie cozy up to chat about the real challenges of leading a childcare center, especially when directors have way too many direct reports. They share smart strategies for building a leadership team, like dividing role...
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26:28
286: How Can Mystery Shopping Transform Your Child Care Center? With Joanna and Marie
In this episode, you’ll join a warm, insightful chat with Marie Young and Joanna Casey from Child Care Mystery Shop. They share how their family-run business helps child care centers boost enrollment and polish their customer experience through...
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24:40
