Ready to Lead

An open and inclusive professional learning community designed specifically for recently hired (one-day to five years of experience) center-based, early childhood administrators of all backgrounds.

Develop your Leadership Essentials. Attendees will delve into topics that identify their leadership strengths, engage is interactive learning activities, and fine-tune strategies for dealing with real-life challenges experienced by new directors. Content in RTL is aligned with the Illinois Director Credential and Illinois Gateways to Opportunity.

A Blended Event of Virtual and In-Person Sessions

Funded by Illinois Department of Human Services

Applications for 2025 cohorts open May 9, 2025, and close July 9, 2025.

Apply for Wheeling, IL Cohort

Apply for Chicago – South Side Cohort

Download the Ready to Lead flyer to learn more:

Download flyer

Session Topics:

Session 1 – Orientation and Forming a Professional Learning Community
Session 2 – New Role, New Relationships: Learning to Lead
Session 3 – From the Inside Out: The Power of Reflection and Self-Awareness
Session 4 – Leadership in Action: How Effective Directors Get Things Done
Session 5 – Professional Development Coaching

Price

$175* and full participation gets you:

• One, two hour virtual orientation (a working computer with Internet accessibility and audio and video capability is required)
• Three, full-day in-person sessions (lunch and snacks included)
• 22 contact hours of Illinois Gateways to Opportunity approved professional development
• Books, handouts, and materials

Additional Opportunities:

• Earn IL Director Credential credits through participation in AIM4Exellence™ online modules
• Select up to three modules at no additional cost
• Five undergraduate college course credit hours from NLU available for an additional course tuition charge

*Valued at over $5,000. The registration fee is only for Illinois administrators. Out-of-state administrators, please contact MCECL.LA@nl.edu

Two RTL cohorts are available:

RTL 12 – National Louis University Campus, 1000 Capitol Dr. Wheeling, IL 60090

• Session 1 | Virtual | September 3, 2025 | 9:00 am – 11:30 am
• Session 2 | In-Person | September 4, 2025 | 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
• Session 3 | In-Person | October 2, 2025 | 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
• Session 4 | In-Person | October 30, 2024 | 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
• Session 5 | Virtual | December 4, 2025 | 10:00 am – 12:00 pm

RTL 13 – Richard J. Daley College, 7500 S. Pulaski Rd. Chicago, IL 60652

• Session 1 | Virtual | September 10, 2025 | 9:00 am – 11:30 am
• Session 2 | In-Person | September 11, 2025 | 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
• Session 3 | In-Person | October 9, 2025 | 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
• Session 4 | In-Person | November 6, 2025 | 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
• Session 5 | Virtual | December 4, 2025 | 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm

Taking the Lead

Connect and collaborate in a professional learning community.

A Blended Event of Virtual and In-Person Sessions

Funded by Illinois Department of Human Services and FDC Foundation

Apply

Download the Taking the Lead flyer to learn more:

Download flyer

TTL Includes:

• 9 monthly training sessions (in-person and virtual)
• 119 total contact hours and credit towards Illinois Family Child Care Credential
• A $300 quality improvement grant
• Support through a community of peers and a TTL coach
• Registration to the Leadership Connections™ National Conference, Family Child Care Summit
• 10 quarter hours of undergraduate college course credit (for an additional fee)

TTL is valued at over $5,000, but costs Illinois administrators only $175. Out-of-state administrators, please contact MCECL.LA@nl.edu.

Session topics:

• Orientation: It Starts With You
• More Than a Nurturing Heart
• Creating Continuous Quality Improvement Plans
• Promoting Quality with the Family Child Care Environment Rating Scale – Revised (FCCERS-R)
• Making Dollars and Sense: Fiscal Management and Recordkeeping
• Put it in Writing: Developing and Strengthening Contracts, Handbooks and Risk Management Plans
• Family Engagement in Your Program
• Marketing with a Message: Communicating the Value of Family Child Care
• Advocacy in Action

Location:

National Louis University-Lisle campus
850 Warrenville Rd. Lisle, IL 60532
Public Forum Room

Note:

Participants must be able to:

• Have computer access with audio and video capabilities
• Access the internet, including Zoom platform and McCormick Center Learning Management System (LMS)
• Save and upload files and open PDF documents

Taking Charge of Change

Taking Charge of Change™ (TCC) is designed to support early childhood administrators of center-based programs in leading an organization to continuous quality improvement.

Funded by the Illinois Department of Human Services

These essential features contribute to the TCC learning experience:

Learn more about the proven outcomes from TCC.

Empower yourself and embrace the change process. Delve into topics that strengthen your leadership style, promote peak performance, implement a quality improvement plan, and build a strong organizational climate.

As a participant, you will:

• Explore a variety of leadership topics including: appreciating individual differences, systems thinking, navigating change, organizational climate, meetings, and shared decision making, to name a few.
• Learn strategies for recruitment, inclusive leadership, meeting facilitation, organizational climate, peer learning communities, supervising staff, and more.
• Engage with a network of peers in a professional learning community about early childhood leadership.
• Participate in interactive learning and guided reflections.
• Use the Program Administration Scale (PAS) and the Early Childhood Work Environment Survey (ECWES) to diagnose organizational challenges and assess the need for change.
• Experience the impact of blending shared decision-making with data-based decision-making skills.
• Receive support and guidance from a coach.
• Receive a mini-grant to support improvements toward circles of quality in ExceleRate™ Illinois
• Participate in the Leadership Connections™ National Conference with hundreds of colleagues as you learn new concepts about Whole Leadership.

Links to research on TCC’s impact

Zoom Report

20-Year Review