Child Care Rockstar Radio

Finding Hope and Stirring Up Your Own Inspiration with Donna Thornton-Roberts

How Dedication and Intention Make All the Difference — Lori Semke

Despite the challenging times, Kris reminds us that there are ways we can use our time productively and even shift from feeling powerless to powerful. She uses this episode to give tips and strategies to create awareness about our money situation and our mindset, including more information about the Paycheck Protection Program, using a cash forecasting sheet, and successful companies that used innovation to thrive in similar times in history.

Ron McGuckin has gained a national reputation as the “Child Care lawyer,” and trains thousands of child care professionals on a variety of issues including personal, administration, management, and legal issues. He joins the show to talk about how he got into child care and came to own Ronald McGuckin And Associates Law Firm, and what kinds of processes people should have in place for managing employee behavior. He also addresses the new issues that arise dealing with COVID-19.

Leslie Shriver, empire member and owner of Small Wonders Discovery and Learning Center in Ohio, joins the show about how they stand out from the competition in a rural area, getting freedom in the day-to-day of your business, and her strategy to expand from one to five locations.

Veronica Nelson of Child Time, Inc. schools in Salt Lake City joins the show to talk about leading through example, what benefits she has experienced as a Child Care Success Academy Empire member, and what happens when owners have to step back in the day-to-day business. Ronnie and Kris also have a vulnerable and authentic conversation about how to know when it’s time to let a staff member go, and how to build a strong environment that encourages honesty and loyalty.

Karla McCurry and her husband Doug own Palm Beach Preschools in Florida, now with three bustling and successful locations. Karla joins the show to talk with Kris about the lessons she learned after deciding to become a preschool owner, and how their school focuses on social-emotional learning in a play-based environment. Karla shares how she hires and trains based upon Palm Beach Preschool’s core values, and how managing people well is one of the biggest components to success.

Danielle Page opened Academic Explorers in Roosevelt, New York, and has built the business to a place where she is at 95% full capacity, and able to work remotely with an extremely capable and dedicated team. She joins the show to talk about the systems and leadership components she put into place that really made a difference, and how she is able to successfully run her school from Philadelphia.

Neydary Zambrano won Owner of the Year at this year’s Summit, and this week she shares her wisdom on growing enrollment, marketing, staff happiness, and culture. Neydary talks about the metamorphosis her school, Magic Memories, has gone through in 2019, now with nine locations throughout Pennsylvania. She and Kris also talk about the responsibility of a true childcare rockstar, how CRM has helped her track and understand data, and the importance of empowering directors and teachers.

Jane Hulbert of The Jane Group joins the show to talk about her crisis communication firm, and how she landed working in education. Jane shares her background working at companies like McDonald’s, and how it prepared her for helping owners and leaders put together a plan of action for times of crisis. Jane discusses the importance of doing the right thing, the events that shifted crisis communication in schools, and the main steps leaders and their team should take in times of crisis.

Victoria Lynch and her team at First Discovery Children’s Academy in Virginia are having what she feels is the best year yet, and she explains what exactly her process has been for all of the expansion, growth, and most importantly — fun. Victoria and Kris talk about why she had success in hiring an Executive Director, how she delegates, and what she has done in marketing and enrollment that has made the biggest difference.

Nina Lemon, Owner and Founder of the Lemon Tree Academy in Georgia, has the enthusiasm and commitment to action and implementation of a true Child Care Rockstar. She talks with Kris about how she went from a Pediatric Nurse to a businesswoman with two full locations, the biggest challenges she faced as she scaled up and out, and how her love of HGTV plays into making her centers a welcoming environment for children and their families.

This week, Kris is thrilled to chat with Judy Bradby, winner of the 2019 Child Care Rockstar Award. As a Pediatric Nurse with over 30 years of experience, Judy saw a need for a place for children who had no other place to go to learn and grow. She opened up LeaRN Lily Child Development Center and through much trial and error and overcoming adversity, now has tripled her enrollment in just 8 months.

Kris starts this week off with a big announcement — her new book, Rockstar Stories, is out and available! She then dives into the three important principles of one of the most important success strategy books out there today, Think and Grow Rich, by Napoleon Hill. These three principles and their associated action items are the foundation for manifesting your dream life and creating a space where the universe rewards you with what it is you actually seek.

Lisa Giancarli is the Executive Director and Owner of Over the Rainbow Child Development Center, located in Bordentown, New Jersey. Lisa followed her passion to own her own business and fell in love with childcare after acquiring the center in 2011.