Taking Charge of Change™ (TCC)

Leading an organization to continuous quality improvement is a complex job; get the support you need by joining Taking Charge of Change. These essential features contribute to the TCC learning experience:

Learn more about the proven outcomes from TCC.

Empower yourself and embrace the change process. Dive deep into topics embedded in whole leadership to strengthen your leadership style, promote peak performance, implement a quality improvement plan, and build a strong organizational climate. As a participant, you will:

• Explore individual differences, communication styles, systems thinking, and how to build team cohesiveness.
• Learn strategies for recruitment, inclusive leadership, meeting facilitation, organizational climate, peer learning communities, supervising staff, and more.
• Participate in interactive learning and guided reflections.
• Use the Program Administration Scale (PAS) and the Early Childhood Work Environment Survey (ECWES) to diagnose organizational problems and assess the need for change.
• Experience the impact of blending shared decision-making with data-based decision-making skills.
• Receive a $500 mini-grant to support improvements toward circles of quality in ExceleRate™ Illinois.
• Receive one full-conference registration to attend Leadership Connections™ National Conference.

Valued at over $3,000 but priced at $775, there is no other leadership program as impactful and cost-effective as TCC.

Taking the Lead (TTL)

Learn strategies to grow and sustain your business. Apply to join Taking the Lead (TTL) and work alongside other family child care providers to enhance your skills as an entrepreneur and educator. As a participant, you will:

• Dive deep into whole leadership topics specific to family child care, including fiscal management, environments, recordkeeping, marketing, family partnerships, and advocacy.
• Gain an understanding of your role as a change agent—at the individual, business, and community levels.
• Become part of a professional learning community of family child care providers and receive individual support from a mentor.
• Gain increased access to professional resources that support the ExceleRate™ Illinois Quality and Rating Improvement System (QRIS).
• Develop and implement a quality improvement plan.
• Participate in interactive learning, online modules, and guided reflections.
• Receive one full-conference registration to attend Leadership Connections™ National Conference.
• Receive a $300 mini-grant to support improvements toward circles of quality in ExceleRate Illinois.

Content in TTL is aligned with ExceleRate Illinois, Illinois Gateways to Opportunity, and the Business Administration Scale for Family Child Care (BAS). Work toward achieving professional certificates and improving your QRIS rating.

The value of TTL is more than $1,000 but costs you just $120*.

Note: The price of $120 is only for Illinois residents. Out-of-state residents, please contact Barbara Volpe at barbara.volpe@nl.edu or 847-947-5132.