Leadership Initiative Events

The Leadership Initiative is pleased to bring you a valuable opportunity to develop your core business practices. Join Erica Chase-Gregory​, Regional Director of the Small Business Development Center at Farmingdale, as she leads a 3-part professional learning community where you will:  

• Build a strong business foundation
• Evaluate how legal structures and tax rules impact your business
• Calculate the true cost of care for each child in your program 
• Analyze market rate and what it means for your business
• Create a record keeping and budgeting system
• Identify community resources to support next steps in making informed business decisions 

Please note this event has a limited number of seats and is exclusive for family child care and group family child care Leadership Initiative members. 

Join the Council for Professional Recognition for a virtual information session to learn more about becoming a Child Development Associate (CDA) Professional Development Specialist. 

If you enjoy mentoring, meeting new people, and observing educational environments, becoming a PD Specialist may be for you! PD Specialists use their expertise in early childhood education to assess CDA candidates' competencies and facilitate reflective conversations with candidates. PD Specialists receive an honorarium from the Council for each Verification Visit they conduct.

Join us to learn more! 

As a member of the Southern Tier Leadership Initiative, you are invited to join our monthly virtual networking meetings. Meeting topics are driven by your questions and needs. 

Please join the Southern Tier Leadership Initiative in our yearlong learning community on Elena Aguilar's: Onward: Cultivating Emotional Resilience in Educators. This text is a practical resource for cultivating resilience in educators. The book is based on the author's research on emotional resilience, psychology, systems thinking, and change management.

In our professional learning community, you will:

• Come together with other leaders each month to discuss one of the 12 habits and dispositions of resilient educators outlined in the book.

• Develop habits like knowing yourself, telling empowering stories, being a learner, and riding the waves of change.

• Practice dispositions including humor, empowerment, courage, and perseverance that build resilience in ourselves and in our school communities!

This learning community will meet monthly via Zoom and will be limited to the first 15 Southern Tier Leadership Initiative members. Those who commit to our monthly discussions will receive a copy of the book at no cost.

To ensure timely delivery of the book, please register no later than Jan. 5, 2024.

As a member of the Southern Tier Leadership Initiative, you are invited to join our monthly virtual networking meetings. These evening meeting are especially designed for leaders and owners of family and group family programs. 

We are proud to welcome you to a follow up event with Imani Missouri on biases in early childhood. This event is intended as an opportunity to continue our conversation from our October event and deepen connections with others in the community.

At our October event, Imani led us in deepening our understanding of what unconscious bias is (and isn’t!) with an interactive session. We spoke in breakout rooms and as a large group about our experiences and ways to both identify and interrupt biases when we notice them happening. This space may have also included moments of discomfort and stretching ourselves with new ideas.

Our follow up event is by invitation only to members who attended our October Speaker Series event. We welcome you to join us to continue our conversations from October and reflect on what has come up since then. This time together will include experiences in small groups with participants from across NYS. Since we’ll have interactions in break out rooms, we encourage you to register if you are interested and able to attend the full event with your camera/microphone. We hope to see you there!

In this Leadership Initiative discussion, we'll welcome panelists from a variety of roles in Early Intervention. Our panelists will discuss the early intervention process, including observation, documentation, communication and working together with families and staff to support the development of each child. We'll also share regional resources and organizations that can support our Southern Tier leaders and your staff!

Join the Southern Tier Leadership Initiative in our final book group of 2023, Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When the Stakes are High (Third Edition). A Crucial Conversation is a discussion between two or more people where the stakes are high, opinions vary, and emotions run strong! This three-part lunchtime series will support program leaders in understanding how to master dialog skills for improved relationships and results. This event is open to the first 15 people registered. All participants will receive a copy of the book by being committed to this this meaningful book study!  

We are proud to welcome you to our next Speaker Series event featuring Imani Missouri. She brings to us an opportunity to deepen our understanding of what unconscious bias is (and isn’t!) in an interactive session. Unconscious Bias is used often in our field, and together with Imani, we’ll talk about the differences between biases and racism. We’ll pause to reflect on our experience with the content and consider ways to attend to ourselves in these moments. This space may have moments where we sit bravely with productive, but transformative, discomfort.

All are welcome in this space. This time together will include experiences in small groups to learn with participants from across NYS. We aim for each participant to leave with the framework for a personal goal to increase their awareness of biases in their life and leadership role. Since this event includes interactions in small group break out rooms, we encourage you to register if you are interested and able to attend the full event. We hope to see you there!

The Southern Tier and the WNY Leadership Initiative have collaborated to present the upcoming Leadership Panel Discussion “Trauma Informed Supervision”.  Our expert panelist will share information to empower early childhood leaders in creating environments that support their staff and their needs. Our panelists will share their career pathway to their current work, along with understanding the effects of trauma and strategies for leaders to build resilience practices within.

As early childhood leaders and educators, you’ve probably noticed the “generation gap,” or how people born in different generations may think and behave differently — and you may have even experienced generational differences among your colleagues or early childhood educators at work. We invite you to join the Early Childhood Leadership Initiative for an illuminating conversation with Dr. Megan Gerhardt, an expert in intergenerational workplaces and the author of “Gentelligence: The Revolutionary Approach to Leading an Intergenerational Workforce.” Dr. Gerhardt will discuss how to reflect on your own age-based biases, look beyond stereotypes associated with different generations and develop an understanding of why people who grew up in different times may behave in unique — and valuable! — ways. 

We are pleased to welcome our colleagues from NY Works for Children for another informative event to support leaders with the Aspire Registry workforce registry system. This event is a follow up to our July meeting. Several participants from our July meeting shared their interest in a second event with a focus on the professional development section of the Aspire Registry. Our August meeting will focus on this including information on how to create professional developments on the Aspire Registry, how to document professional development, and how to feature trainings on the Aspire Registry website. This is meeting is a statewide opportunity through the Leadership Initiative.

We offer special thanks to members who were able to participate in our July event and surveys. If you were not able to join the July meeting, you are still welcome to join our August session. Please email us if you'd like to see a copy of the recording. We hope to see you there! 

Join the Southern Tier Early Childhood Leadership Initiative and the Regional Quality Stars Improvement Specialists as they support leaders in discussing strategies and quality practices for leaders to create comprehensive professional development systems.  During this three-session learning community participants will engage in collaboration with other regional leaders to define and develop meaningful program-wide and individual models of professional development.

We are pleased to welcome our colleagues from NY Works for Children this July for an informational event to support leaders with the Aspire workforce registration system. This will be an opportunity to learn more about why this system is a valuable tool for our field and how you can use it to support your work. We've designed the content for this session after hearing from Leadership Initiative members about their needs and curiosities. We hope you can join us! 

 "Educated"  by Tara  Westover.
Join us on May 17th, 31st and June 14th from 6:30pm - 8:00 pm . This interactive, virtual book group will engage leaders to reflect their personal development as a leader and establish the practice of authenticity.

Born to survivalists in the mountains of Idaho, Tara Westover was seventeen the first time she set foot in a classroom. Her family was so isolated from mainstream society that there was no one to ensure the children received an education, and no one to intervene when one of Tara’s older brothers became violent. When another brother got himself into college, Tara decided to try a new kind of life. Her quest for knowledge transformed her, taking her over oceans and across continents, to Harvard and to Cambridge University. Only then would she wonder if she’d traveled too far, if there was still a way home.

This Southern Tier Book Group will be limited to the first 15 Southern Tier Leadership Initiative Members.  Those registered will receive a copy of the book at no-cost.  Please register by April 26th to have a copy of the book mailed to you in time for this great discussion.

As a member of the Southern Tier Leadership Initiative, you are invited to join our evening networking meetings on Zoom. Meeting topics are driven by your questions and needs. Participants will send questions in advance of the meeting or come to the meetings with questions, strategies and resources to share, or an interest in listening and learning from others' experiences.  This is a space to share stories, strategies, feelings, ideas, resources, and words of encouragement about leading an early childhood program in the Southern Tier!

This networking event is geared toward family and group family providers, but all program leaders are welcome!

The Leadership Initiative is pleased to bring you this opportunity to develop your core business practices. Join Erica Chase-Gregory, Regional Director of the Small Business Development Center at Farmingdale, as she leads a 3-part professional learning community for family and group family providers.

As a member of the Southern Tier Leadership Initiative, you are invited to join our monthly virtual networking meetings. Meeting topics are driven by your questions and needs. Participants will send questions in advance of the meeting or come to the meetings with questions, strategies and resources to share, or an interest in listening and learning from others' experiences.  This is a space to share stories, strategies, feelings, ideas, resources, and words of encouragement about leading an early childhood program in the Southern Tier region.

Please join the Southern Tier Regional Coordinator for an information session to find out about the support, resources and programs that the Southern Tier Early Childhood Professional Development Institute's Leadership Initiative has to support you in your leadership journey!  These Information Sessions will go over all the opportunities that we provide to you or an upcoming leader in your program to advance your leadership skills, build networks and provide insight on future programming.  This 30 minute presentation will also have a 30 minute Q&A Session afterward to answer specific questions you may have! 

Internships, field experiences, and student teaching connect future early childhood educators to the profession and cultivate growth in our workforce. As early childhood leaders, you play a critical role in fostering this ‘pipeline to the profession’. Join us for a dynamic panel event and hear from program directors, higher education faculty, and leaders in early career development about how you can create meaningful and sustainable partnerships with preservice teacher programs and support the early childhood community!  

Connecting with a mentor who has experience and expertise to support the effectiveness and goals of early childhood leaders is an essential component of opportunities offered through the Southern Tier  Leadership Initiative.

Mentoring provides the mentee an opportunity to learn from an experienced practitioner how to navigate many of the challenges and decisions faced by early childhood leaders within the context of a confidential and supportive relationship. Mentors benefit through the opportunity to develop their skills in communication, leadership, and adult education, and to share their expertise, contributing to ensuring quality in the early childhood field. Mentor/mentee matches are made on a rolling basis, based on the needs of mentees and our current pool of mentor’s qualifications and experiences.

If you are a member of the Southern Tier Leadership Initiative and are interested in developing your leadership and management skills, exploring careers, developing contacts, and/or identifying resources then mentoring may be the right opportunity for you.

Information Sessions will take place via Zoom.

Sessions will be one-half hour with an option of Q&A session following

The Southern Tier Leadership Initiative is proud to present our Fall 2022 Leadership Panel Discussion. These panel events focus on a different aspect of leadership in Early Childhood Education and feature moderated panel discussions with a diverse group of professionals.  This Leadership Panel Discussion will focus on understanding trauma, signs of trauma, strategies for building resilience within and supporting others as a leader.

This virtual panel discussion, “Moving Beyond Surviving: Cultivating a Trauma Responsive Environment Within Your Early Childhood Program," will offer diverse perspectives, experiences, strategies and resources. Our panelist will share information on trauma and supports to build resilience within and strategies to support others.  Our panelists will share their career pathway to their current work, along with understanding the effects of trauma and strategies for leaders to build resilience practices within.

Please join our facilitator, Karen Lawrence, MS Ed, as she leads this crucial conversation with our incredible panelists.

Our Panels are:

• Laura Gates-Weeks, Young Wonders Daycare at the YWCA, Director
• Tracy Lyman, Binghamton University in the Department of Teaching Learning and Educational Leadership and Pyramid Model Master Cadre Trainer
• Bouakham Rosetti, Senior Project Manager with Care Compass Network (CCN) and the Program Director for the CCN Regional Trauma-Informed Care Network (RTIC)
• Trina Zigata, Family Enrichment Network, Infant/Toddler Mental Health Specialist

panel events focus on different aspects of leadership in Early Childhood Education and feature moderated panel discussions with a diverse group of professionals. 
 

This virtual panel, “Voices from the Field: Exploring Pathways to Leadership", will highlight unique early childhood leadership roles for those considering opportunities outside of programs/schools.

Our panelists will represent diverse pathways in Early Childhood Leadership; and each will share their career pathways, how their role has impact on the field, and the skills, credentials, and dispositions that have helped them be successful in their respective positions.

panel events focus on different aspects of leadership in Early Childhood Education and feature moderated panel discussions with a diverse group of professionals. 
 

This virtual panel, “Exploring Leadership Pathways: Voices From Our Field”, will highlight unique early childhood leadership roles for those considering opportunities outside of programs/schools.

Our panelists will represent diverse pathways in Early Childhood Leadership; and each will share their career pathways, how their role has impact on the field, and the skills, credentials, and dispositions that have helped them be successful in their respective positions.

The Southern Tier Early Childhood Leadership Initiative is proud to present a film screening and discussion, featuring the film "Resilience: The Biology of Stress & The Science of Hope."  The event will include a screening of the film followed by a interactive discussion with Karen Roseman, MS, Ed. The event will be hosted live over Zoom. 

Please join the Southern Tier Leadership Initiative in this three-part Learning Community on the NAEYC book, "Advancing Equity and Embracing Diversity in Early Childhood Education." Co-facilitated by Kate Canino, MScED, participants will focus on the NAEYC  Advancing Equity in Early Childhood Education"  Position Statement and review the 'voices' in the book that guide leaders to reflect on equity, understand and evaluate responsive pedagogical practices for their programs, and how to move forward as a profession to create environments of inclusion for their staff, children and families.  This Learning Community will be limited to the first 15 participants and each participant will get a copy of the book.  Please register by November 7th to ensure you receive your materials on time!

Guest Facilitator: Kate Canino, MS, Ed.

This event will be virtual via zoom.

Join the Leadership Initiative & QUALITYstarsNY Long Island Specialists in a three-part series learning community. We will explore how to think about your policies and procedures; the importance of cultivating relationships; and ways to mentor and build a cadre of leaders in your program. 

Handouts and reading material will be emailed to participants once they register for the series.

Please join the Southern Tier Leadership Initiative in our Fall Book Group: Set Boundaries, Find Peace: A Guide to Reclaiming Yourself, by Nedra Glover Tawwab.  This event is co-facilitated by Kristine Morseman, Director of My Place: A Play and Learning Center in Watkins Glen and Christine Duffy-Webb, Regional Coordinator.  This is a great two day evening event that will explore this incredible New York Times Best Selling books that "End the struggle, speak up for what you need, and experience the freedom of being truly yourself. 

Nedra Glover Tawwab is a licensed counselor and sought after relationship expert and this book group will explore Healthy boundaries and "how to create have them--in order to achieve work/life balance, cope with toxic people, and enjoy rewarding relationships with partners, friends, and family."  

This book group will focus on how to really invest in yourself - as the new school year begins and as well as to set you up for the new you for 2023!  Participants are limited to 15 and will receive a book at no-cost.  The deadline for signing up will be August 1st and the books will be mailed out in early-August for ample time for reading and full-participation for our two-evening discussion!

Get ready to create those healthy boundaries and focus on both your personal and leadership goals!

The Southern Tier and the Finger Lakes Leadership Initiative is offering a summer speaker series for early childhood directors and leaders on the topic of Leading and Sustaining Inclusive Workplace Cultures.

We would like to welcome our distinguished speaker, Raji Ramanan.  Raji is a SHRM-SCP (Senior Certified Professional in HR) in the US, a Certified Human Resource Executive (CHRE) from Canada and a Global Human Resources Professional (GPHR) designation in HR by HRCI.

Raji will discuss the entire Human Resources 'Lifecycle" from and through the lens of inclusivity.  She will discuss strategies of recruitment, onboarding, policies and professional development to create work environments that support Diversity, Inclusion and Equity for your staff.  

The Finger Lakes and Southern Tier Leadership Initiatives are offering a summer speaker series for early childhood directors and leaders on the topic of Leading and Sustaining Inclusive Workplace Cultures.

We would like to welcome our distinguished speaker, Raji Ramanan.  Raji is a SHRM-SCP (Senior Certified Professional in HR) in the US, a Certified Human Resource Executive (CHRE) from Canada and a Global Human Resources Professional (GPHR) designation in HR by HRCI.

Raji will discuss the entire Human Resources 'Lifecycle" from and through the lens of inclusivity.  She will discuss strategies of recruitment, onboarding, policies and professional development to create work environments that support Diversity, Inclusion and Equity for your staff. 

"The Gifts of Imperfection, Let Go of Who You Think You're Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are"  by Brene Brown.

A motivational and inspiring guide to wholehearted living, rather than just the average self-help book, with this groundbreaking work Brené Brown, Ph.D., bolsters the self-esteem and personal development process through her characteristic heartfelt, honest storytelling. With original research and plenty of encouragement, she explores the psychology of releasing our definitions of an “imperfect” life and embracing living authentically. Brown’s “ten guideposts”  are benchmarks for authenticity that can help anyone establish a practice for a life of honest beauty—a perfectly imperfect life.

Facilitated discussion of leadership books
Book groups present an opportunity for members to gather to discuss leadership publications and resources and are facilitated by committed professionals, dedicated to deepening the dialogue and illuminating the key messages​

Please register for a Book Group, as there is limited space.

This event will be Co-Facilitated by Laura Gates-Weeks, Director, Young Wonders at the Binghamton YWCA

Participants will be provided a FREE copy of  "The Gifts of Imperfection, Let Go of Who You Think You're Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are"  by Brene Brown

The Southern Tier and WNY Leadership Initiatives invite you to the upcoming Speaker Series focusing on Recruitment, Retention and Onboarding. The last few years have brought much change in the hiring process, between Covid-19 and the Great Resignation.  As families return to the work force, they will be relying on Early Childhood Education programs.  Are you ready? Do you have the staff? Have you reviewed your hiring practices? Come reflect upon your current practice and what changes you may wish to bring. Lisa Stefanie from Triple Track HR Partners will lead us though the practices of Recruitment, Retention and Onboard with a new lens. Come join us on June 10th from 1:00pm-2:30pm for this virtual Speaker Series.

Over the last few months, there has been an increased focus on investment in early childhood care.  With new federal and state investments, Southern Tier leaders should examine their business practices. We are launching our first learning community focused on calculating the true cost of care. In these sessions, leaders will examine their program costs by age group and identify the "gap" between program expenses, cost per child, and teacher salary.  Erica Chase will lead the group to explore trends and discuss ways in which leaders can strengthen their business practices to ensure stability for their programs.  We plan to have our first meeting Thursday, May 5th.   Please note this event has a limited number of seats and is exclusive for family child care and group family child care Leadership Initiative members.  If you have any questions, please contact Christine at Christine.Duffy-Webb@cuny.edu

Family/Group Family Providers - Please join us for a facilitated discussion of leadership book, "Graceful Leadership in Early Childhood Education"

We welcomed NAEYC President  Ann Terrell at our Southern Tier Speaker Series Launch of our Leadership Initiative back in 2021!  Ann provided our audience with captivating discussions of the qualities of the contemporary leader in Early Childhood Education.  We began our reflection as leaders and our personal leadership journeys. We will continue these discussions to build a deep understanding of the topics during our three-part Book Group Series.  

Book groups present an opportunity for members to gather to discuss leadership publications and resources and are facilitated by committed professionals, dedicated to deepening the dialogue and illuminating the key messages​ of the book!  

Those registered for this event will be provided with a FREE copy of Ann's book to engage and discuss the topic of leadership and how to apply it in your own work environment.  To ensure prompt arrival of your book, please register by April 15th, 2023 *This event is only for Leadership Initiative Family/ Group members from the Southern Tier and Central NY

Sessions will take place via Zoom on Wednesdays: May 10th, May 24th and June 7th from 6:30 - 8:00 pm

We invite you to our next virtual Book Group discussion featuring 
"How Full is Your Bucket" by Tom Rath and Donald O. Clifton.  

Organized around a simple metaphor of a dipper and a bucket, How Full Is Your Bucket? shows how even the smallest interactions we have with others every day profoundly affect our relationships, productivity, health and longevity. It will immediately help readers boost the amount of positive emotions in their work and their lives.

First meeting is Wednesday, February 23rd, 2022
Second meeting, Wednesday, March 9th, 2022 
Time: 6:30 - 8:00pm
Location: Zoom

Registration will be capped at 15, and a waitlist will be made available. Due to a limited number of books available please only register if you can commit to attending and participating fully. Register no later than February 10th, 2022

We welcome Terrance Lee to join us and speak to his work on core leadership principles that can enhance our stance as leaders. He will share thoughtful insights on being identified as an "introvert" and the misconception that this attribute prevents one from becoming an "ideal" leader. Participants will have an opportunity to reflect on their stance as a leader, hear about principles that can enhance their daily practice in a leadership role, and learn about the inner power introverts bring to every team.

As a member of the Southern Tier Leadership Initiative you are invited to join our monthly virtual networking meetings. Come network with your peers. Meeting topics are driven by your questions and needs. Participants will send questions in advance of the meeting or come to the meetings with questions, strategies and resources to share, or an interest in listening and learning from others' experiences.  This is a space to share stories, strategies, feelings, ideas, resources, and words of encouragement about leading an early childhood program in the Southern Tier  region.

Third Thursday of every month, 1:30pm-2:30pm, via Zoom

The Southern Tier Early Leadership Initiative is proud to present the next event in our Leadership Panel Discussion. Each session focuses on a different aspect of leadership in Early Childhood Education and features a moderated panel discussion with a diverse group of professionals.

This session is designed to to support Early Childhood Leaders in self-care. Join us for an afternoon with self-care professionals and learn ways to nurture your physical, emotional, and mental health. Come join this Leadership Panel Discussion, Tuesday, December 14th, from 12:30 - 2:00 pm..

Our distinguished panel of leaders include:

• Khieanne Dawson, Integrative Nutrition Health Coach
• Tina Fetten, Foundational Yoga Therapist, Wellness Educator, Adjunct Instructor (Binghamton University)
• Leslie Vermaat, Infant/Toddler Mental Health Specialist, Social Worker
• Carrie Verracchio, Motivational Speaker, Podcaster, Certified Transformation, Forgiveness and REBT Coach

Core Body of Knowledge (CBK) is designed to help all early childhood professionals including students, directors, teachers, and providers. In this 3-part series leaders will be invited to: 

• reflect on areas of strength using the tool,
• share strategies for using the CBK as a leadership tool and
• discuss how leaders might use the CBK for professional goal setting and development with their staff. 

This Learning Community will be driven by discussions and reflections from participants, using the Core Body of Knowledge for self-reflection and a framework for guiding your professional growth as a leader.

The meetings will take place on November 19th, December 3rd and December 10th from 1:00 pm - 2:30pm 

This event is limited to 18 participants; a waitlist will be made available!

Book groups present an opportunity for members to gather to explore and discuss issues in early childhood and in leadership-deepening the dialogue and considering key messages in their work.  Please join the Leadership Initiative in our next book group, "Dare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts" by Brene Brown

Registered Participants will get a FREE copy of the book.

Registration will be limited to the first 15 participants.

As a member of the Southern Tier Leadership Initiative you are invited to join our monthly virtual networking meetings. Come network with your peers. Meeting topics are driven by your questions and needs. Participants will send questions in advance of the meeting or come to the meetings with questions, strategies and resources to share, or an interest in listening and learning from others' experiences.  This is a space to share stories, strategies, feelings, ideas, resources, and words of encouragement about leading an early childhood program in the Southern Tier  region.

Third Thursday of every month, 1:30pm-2:30pm, via Zoom

Please join us for a facilitated discussion of leadership book, "Graceful Leadership in Early Childhood Education" by Ann McClain Terrell.

We welcomed NAEYC President Ann Terrell at our Speaker Series launch event of our Southern Tier Leadership Initiative!  Ann provided our audience with captivating discussions of the qualities of the contemporary leader in Early Childhood Education.  We began our reflection as leaders and our personal leadership journeys. We will continue these discussions to build a deep understanding of the topics during our two-part Book Group Series.  

Sessions will take place via Zoom on Wednesday, August 18th and Wednesday, September 1st 5:00pm - 6:30pm.
Those who register will be provided with a FREE copy of the book. *This event is only for Leadership Initiative members from the Southern Tier*

The Institute is hosting a professional development offering: Introduction to the Revised New York State Early Learning Guidelines: A Child Development Resource for Educators of Children Ages Birth Through Eight. These sessions are designed specifically for Directors and other leaders of early childhood programs. This professional development session will provide an overview of the shifts within this new and improved version of the New York State Early Learning Guidelines. A specific focus will be provided on utilizing this resource as a leader in your program and supporting its use among your staff. 

Choose one of the session dates and times that works for you. 

Join us for our first Leadership Speaker Series event, featuring:

Ann McClain Terrell
Author Graceful Leadership in Early Childhood Education
President, NAEYC Governing Board
and former Executive Director of the Milwaukee Public Schools Foundation Inc.

Admission is free for this virtual event!

Wednesday June 30, 2021 5:30pm-7:00pm
via Zoom

*we will have a capacity of 300 for this event. Waitlist is available. Priority registration given to individuals in the Southern Tier and Finger Lakes regions

Join us for this special two-part Leadership Speaker Series event, featuring Abby Thorman.

"Making Impact: Strengthen Your Voice, Your Message, and Your Story-telling"

As professionals and leaders we have responsibility to use our experience and knowledge to inform and influence others about appropriate practices and the needs of the early childhood field (Core Body of Knowledge 6.6).
Abby will explore and help attendees understand the skills and components of effective storytelling for early childhood advocacy. Part 1 on May 26th will cover crafting effective messages, using those messages for advocacy, and strategies to achieve power in numbers. Join us again on June 3rd in an interactive session with Abby to hone those message-making skills with opportunities for feedback and strategizing.

The Leadership Initiative has officially launched in the Southern Tier region! Come to one of our virtual information session to learn how the Leadership Initiative can support you in your work as a leader of early childhood programs in our region. All current and aspiring leaders are welcome to attend. Learn about our various professional development opportunities, resources to support you, as well as how to stay connected and become a member. The first 45 individuals to complete a Leadership Initiative profile will receive a free NAEYC membership (details will be shared at the info session!)  Also please come to share with us your unique perspectives and needs as a leader and which supports would be most helpful to you.