Podcast
The Child Care Directors Chair Podcast
Hosted by Erica Saccoccio · EN
Because childcare leadership deserves a real conversation.
If you're looking for another leadership podcast filled with corporate buzzwords and theories from people who haven't stepped inside a childcare center in years... this probably isn't it.
I'm Erica Saccoccio—a multi-center childcare owner, leadership coach, keynote speaker, and podcast host who still leads in the work every single day.
This podcast is for childcare directors, daycare owners, assistant directors, preschool leaders, and early childhood professionals who are ready to find their voice, build confidence, strengthen their teams, and create programs where children, families, and educators thrive.
Each week, you'll hear honest conversations, practical leadership strategies, and inspiring stories from childcare directors, owners, educators, authors, and industry leaders who understand what it really takes to lead in early childhood today. We'll tackle the conversations others avoid, celebrate the wins that matter, and give you practical ideas you can take back to your center tomorrow.
Around here, we don't chase perfection—we build confident leaders, multiply future leaders, and create a ripple of impact throughout the early childhood profession.
Pull up a chair. Find your voice. Lead with confidence. Create lasting impact.
🎤 Let's Grow Leaders Together
Looking for a keynote speaker, breakout session presenter, leadership retreat facilitator, professional development trainer, or leadership coach for your childcare organization?
Erica partners with conferences, state associations, childcare organizations, school districts, and leadership teams across the country to deliver engaging presentations that are practical, relatable, and transformational. Every session is designed to inspire audiences, spark meaningful conversations, and equip leaders with strategies they can immediately implement in their programs.
Connect with Erica for:
- 🎤 Keynote Presentations
- 🎓 Conference Breakout Sessions
- 🏫 Professional Development Days
- 🌱 Leadership Coaching
- 👥 Leadership Retreats
- 🎙️ Podcast Guest Opportunities
🌐 www.childcaredirectorschair.com
Pull up a chair. Find your voice. Lead with confidence. Create lasting impact.
96episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
587 Why Confidence Is a Leadership Skill, Not a Personality Trait
Jun 1600:11:46Tap to summarizeSend us Fan MailMost childcare owners and directors would describe themselves as confident—and in many ways, they are. They lead teams, make critical decisions, manage families, navigate staffing challenges, and keep programs running every day. But true leadership confidence goes far beyond being comfortable in your role.In this episode of the Childcare Director's Chair Podcast, Erica Saccoccio challenges the common belief that confidence is something you're born with. Instead, she explores why confidence is actually a leadership skill—one that can be developed, strengthened, and refined over time.You'll discover the difference between surface-level confidence and deeper leadership confidence, the kind that helps you make difficult decisions, lead through uncertainty, have courageous conversations, and recover from setbacks without losing trust in yourself. Erica shares five practical strategies that childcare leaders can implement immediately, including creating a leadership decision log, conducting a No Rescue Challenge, seeking meaningful feedback, leading with questions instead of answers, and building confidence through consistent action.If you're ready to strengthen your leadership, communication, and conference speaking skills while developing the confidence to lead with greater clarity and influence, this episode is for you.Support the show
Transcribe →586 Finding Your Leadership Voice in a Noisy Industry
Jun 1500:12:17Tap to summarizeSend us Fan MailIn an industry filled with opinions, expectations, and constant demands, many childcare directors lose confidence in their own leadership voice. In this episode, Erica Saccoccio explores why so many leaders struggle with self-doubt, second-guess their decisions, and feel pressure to lead like everyone else. You'll learn three practical strategies to develop a leadership voice rooted in clarity, confidence, and authenticity. Whether you're an emerging leader or a seasoned director, this episode will help you build stronger leadership, communication, and conference speaking skills while leading with greater purpose and influence.We want to hear from you let's connect on the text the show feature and don't forget to share our podcast with a director who would benefit from giving our show a listen.Support the show
Transcribe →Bonus Episode The Next Level of Your Life Requires a Different Version of You
Jun 1200:14:25Tap to summarizeSend us Fan MailThe goals, opportunities, and dreams you're pursuing will require more than new strategies—they'll require growth. Whether you're thinking about becoming an owner, opening another location, earning a degree, speaking at conferences, starting a business, or stepping into a larger leadership role, the next level of your life will demand a different version of you.In this episode of the Childcare Director's Chair Podcast, Erica Saccoccio explores why growth often feels uncomfortable, how limiting beliefs can keep talented leaders stuck, and why investing in yourself is one of the most important leadership decisions you'll ever make. You'll discover how successful leaders continually reinvent themselves as they grow and learn practical steps you can take today to begin moving toward your next level with confidence.Come Join us Membership | Child Care DirectorSupport the show
Transcribe →585 Are You the Bottleneck? The Conversation Every School Owner Needs to Hear
Jun 1000:32:46Tap to summarizeSend us Fan MailWhat if the biggest thing holding your school back... is you?In this energetic and thought-provoking conversation, Erica and Sherri J. White get real about what it actually means to be a school owner. Spoiler alert: it's probably not what you're spending most of your day doing.If you're jumping in to solve every problem, answering every question, covering every role, and wondering why your team isn't stepping up, this episode is your wake-up call. Erica and Sherri unpack why owner-level work requires protected, uninterrupted time, how the right leadership team can change everything, and why doing everyone else's job might be creating the very bottlenecks you're trying to fix.They also dive into setting boundaries, being crystal clear about expectations from day one, maintaining a culture of excellence, and having the courage to hold the line when standards matter.Most importantly, they talk about building a business that supports your life—not one that consumes it. Because yes, you can be deeply committed to your school, your team, and your students while still making time for the people, passions, and experiences that bring you joy.Whether you're a new owner or a seasoned leader, this conversation will challenge you to step out of the weeds, trust your team, and start leading from the seat you're actually supposed to be sitting in.To give Sherri J White a follow visit her IG page at (2) InstagramThe Sherri J. White Collection — Childcare Leadership OffersBecause ownership isn't about doing it all—it's about creating a school where excellence can thrive without everything depending on you. ✨Support the show
Transcribe →584 The Human Skills That Will Make Childcare Leaders Irreplaceable in an AI Future
Jun 900:40:55Tap to summarizeSend us Fan MailIn this episode, Erica and Chris Danilo explore the irreplaceable human skill that sets childcare leaders apart in an AI-driven world. Discover why emotional intelligence remains a cornerstone of effective leadership, enabling professionals to build trust, foster resilience, and create nurturing environments. Join us as we delve into practical strategies to harness this skill, ensuring your leadership thrives amidst technological advancements.Support the show
Transcribe →583 Life, Loss, Love & Leadership: An Honest Conversation
Jun 800:43:23Tap to summarizeSend us Fan MailIn this deeply honest and heartfelt episode, Erica and Regina Miller come together as two seasoned educators to reflect on the full spectrum of life—what we carry, what we release, and what continues to shape us as leaders in early childhood education and beyond.Through stories of love, loss, resilience, and growth, they explore how personal experiences inevitably influence leadership styles, decision-making, and the way we show up for children, families, and teams. This is not a surface-level conversation—it’s real talk between two professionals who have lived enough life to know that leadership is never just about titles, but about presence, perspective, and purpose.Together, they unpack the lessons that only time can teach: how grief reshapes empathy, how love fuels service, and how reflection becomes a leadership tool when the work feels heavy. Listeners will walk away with a deeper understanding of how life experiences shape the way we lead—and how authenticity is often the most powerful leadership skill we have.This episode invites you to pause, reflect, and reconnect with your own “why” as an educator, leader, or human being navigating both joy and challenge in real time.Leadership Lessons: Miller, Regina Ruth: 9798340474506: Amazon.com: BooksSupport the show
Transcribe →582 Stop Supervising Teachers and Start Coaching Them
Jun 500:13:58Tap to summarizeSend us Fan MailMany child care directors were promoted because they were strong educators—but leading adults is a completely different skill set.In this episode of Your Daily Child Care Director’s Chair Podcast, Erica Saccoccio continues the Whole Leadership Series by breaking down one of the most important shifts in Pedagogical Leadership: moving from supervising teachers to coaching them. You’ll explore why traditional supervision often creates compliance instead of growth, how coaching changes teacher practice and classroom quality, and what it actually looks like to lead instructional improvement in real time.This episode also connects to the McCormick Center’s Whole Leadership Framework and helps directors understand how Pedagogical Leadership directly impacts outcomes for children, staff retention, and program quality.If you’ve ever felt like you’re “telling teachers what to do” but not seeing real change in the classroom, this episode will give you a new way to lead that builds trust, accountability, and professional growth at the same time.🎧 Sponsor: Famly Child Care Apphttps://www.famly.co🌟 Join the Trailblazers Leadership Programhttps://www.childcaredirectorschair.com/trailblazersSupport the show
Transcribe →581 Why Good Child Care Programs Still Lose Money
Jun 400:17:10Tap to summarizeSend us Fan MailEven full, well-run child care programs can still struggle financially—and most directors don’t understand why.In this episode of Your Daily Child Care Director’s Chair Podcast, Erica Saccoccio continues the Whole Leadership Series by breaking down one of the most overlooked truths in early childhood leadership: being full does not mean being financially stable. You’ll learn how staffing, pricing, labor costs, and enrollment patterns directly impact sustainability, and why many directors are making financial decisions without clear visibility into their data.This conversation connects directly to Administrative Leadership in the McCormick Center’s Whole Leadership Framework and will help you begin shifting from guessing to leading with clarity and confidence.If you’ve ever thought, “We’re full… so why are we still struggling?”—this episode will give you the perspective shift you’ve been missing.🎧 Sponsor: Famly Child Care Apphttps://www.famly.co🌟 Join the Trailblazers Leadership Programhttps://www.childcaredirectorschair.com/trailblazersSupport the show
Transcribe →580 The Numbers Every Child Care Director Needs to Know
Jun 300:08:51Tap to summarizeSend us Fan MailMost child care directors aren’t struggling because they don’t care or aren’t working hard enough—they’re struggling because they’ve never been taught how to read the numbers that actually run their program.In this episode of Your Daily Child Care Director’s Chair Podcast, Erica Saccoccio continues the Whole Leadership Series by breaking down what “numbers” really mean in early childhood leadership and why they are one of the most important tools in Administrative Leadership. You’ll learn the five key data points every director should understand—enrollment, capacity vs. utilization, staffing ratios, labor cost percentage, and turnover rate—and how to actually use those numbers to make leadership decisions.Most importantly, Erica walks you through exactly what to do once you identify a problem: how to shift from reacting to systems thinking, how to find the root cause behind the data, and how to build simple, sustainable systems that reduce overwhelm and increase stability in your program.If you’ve ever felt like you’re leading on instinct instead of information, this episode will give you a practical starting point to change that.🎧 Sponsor: Kindermotion New EnglandKindermotion New England brings purposeful movement programming into early childhood classrooms to support physical development, engagement, brain growth, and emotional regulation. Their movement-based curriculum helps educators create more connected, active, and developmentally rich learning environments.🔗 https://kindermotionnewengland.com🚀 Join the Child Care Director’s Chair MembershipConnect with leadership coaching, tools, community, and professional development designed specifically for child care owners, directors, and emerging leaders.🔗 https://www.childcaredirectorschair.com/membershipSupport the show
Transcribe →579 Why Great Directors Still Feel Overwhelmed
Jun 200:08:36Tap to summarizeSend us Fan MailMost child care directors aren’t struggling because they don’t care or aren’t working hard enough—they’re overwhelmed because they were never taught how to lead with systems.In this episode of Your Daily Child Care Director’s Chair Podcast, Erica Saccoccio continues the Whole Leadership Series by breaking down Administrative Leadership through the McCormick Center framework. You’ll discover why so many directors feel stuck in constant reaction mode, what’s really causing the overwhelm behind the scenes, and how shifting from “hero leadership” to systems-based leadership can completely change the way your program runs.This conversation will challenge how you think about your daily work and help you start identifying where systems—not effort—are the missing piece in your leadership.🎧 SponsorThis episode is sponsored by Kindermotion New England, a movement-based enrichment program designed to support early childhood development through fitness, coordination, creativity, and purposeful play in child care and school settings.🔗 https://kindermotionnewengland.com🚀 Join the CommunityExplore leadership tools, coaching, and the ECE Trailblazers Membership inside the Child Care Director’s Chair community.🔗 https://www.childcaredirectorschair.com/membershipSupport the show
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