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.

RTL 8 (Lisle, IL), RTL 9 (Bloomington, IL) – Deadline to Apply July 7, 2023

Applications will open this spring. (Sign up for updates)

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

Price

$150* 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)
• 19.5 contact hours of Illinois Gateways to Opportunity approved professional development
• Books, handouts, and materials

*Valued at over $4,000. The registration fee is only for Illinois administrators. Out-of-state administrators, please contact MCECL.LA@nl.edu

Two RTL Cohorts Available

Select the cohort that is right for you!

RTL 8 – NLU Campus, 850 Warrenville Road, Lisle, IL
Deadline to Apply: July 7, 2023

• Session 1 | Virtual | September 13, 2023 | 9:00 am – 11:00 am
• Session 2 | In-Person | September 14, 2023 | 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
• Session 3 | In-Person | October 19, 2023 | 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
• Session 4 | In-Person | November 9, 2023 | 9:00 am – 4:00 pm

Professional Development Coaching | Virtual | December 6, 2023 | 10:00 am – 12:00 pm

RTL 9 – Location TBD
Deadline to Apply: July 7, 2023

• Session 1 | Virtual | September 20, 2023 | 9:00 am – 11:00 am
• Session 2 | In-Person | September 21, 2023 | 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
• Session 3 | In-Person | October 26, 2023 | 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
• Session 4 | In-Person | November 30, 2023 | 9:00 am – 4:00 pm

Professional Development Coaching | Virtual | December 7, 2023 | 10:00 am – 12:00 pm

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 $500 mini-grant to support improvements toward circles of quality in ExceleRate™ Illinois
• Participate in the Leadership Connections™ Virtual 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

Taking the Lead

Taking the Lead (TTL) is designed to support early childhood administrators of home-based programs to grow and sustain their business.

A Blended Event of Virtual and In-Person Sessions for 2022–2023

APPLICATIONS CLOSE JULY 15, 2022

APPLICATIONS CLOSED

Funding provided by Illinois Department of Human Services and FDC

Download the Taking the Lead flyer to learn more:

Download flyer

These essential features contribute to the TTL learning experience:

As a participant, you will:

• Explore and strengthen business and professional practices, focus on improving the learning environment, and practice advocacy strategies.
• Learn strategies for building your leadership capacity, recordkeeping, budgeting, marketing, and improving contracts and handbooks.
• Participate in interactive learning and guided reflections.
• Engage with a network of peers in a professional learning community about early childhood leadership.
• Use the Business Administration Scale for Family Child Care (BAS) and the Family Child Care Environment Rating Scale-Revised (FCCERS-R) to diagnose administrative and learning environment challenges and assess the need for change.
• Experience the impact of using data to improve program quality.
• Apply a $300 mini-grant to support improvements toward circles of quality in ExceleRate™ Illinois.
• Participate in the Leadership Connections National Conference with colleagues from around the world as you learn new concepts.

Price:

$125.00 Registration Fee and full participation gets you:

• Ten training sessions (5 in-person sessions and five virtual sessions) from September 2022-May 2023
• Lunch included for in-person sessions
• $300 program improvement funds
• Books, handouts, materials, and program assessment tools
• 119 total contact hours and 6 points of Illinois Family Child Care Credential approved training delivered through:
  • Group learning, one Saturday per month
  • Independent online learning
  • Self-assessment
  • One-on-one coaching
• Registration to the 2023 Leadership Connections™ National Conference
• 10 quarter hours of optional undergraduate college course credit for an additional fee

TTL is valued at over $2,000, but costs you only $125.

Location:

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

National Louis University-Wheeling campus
1000 Capitol Dr, Wheeling, IL 60090
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

Share the excitement about Taking the Lead on your social networks! Download our easy-to-use social media toolkit:

Download Social Media Toolkit