For Conference & PD Planners
Childcare director speaker
What this is for: authority and judgment, staffing decisions, delegation, financial reality, and building systems the program can survive a bad week on.
Who it is for: center directors, multi-site administrators, owners, and leadership teams at state and national early childhood conferences.
What Attendees Walk Out With
Language they can use before they get back to the parking lot
Name the work nobody sees
Attendees leave with language for the invisible work they carry — and a way to hand back what was never theirs.
Decide without second-guessing
A repeatable way to make a staffing or budget call and stand behind it after the room empties.
Stop being the single point of failure
Which parts of the program only work because one person is holding them, and what to rebuild first.
Put a number on turnover
The real cost of one departure, in dollars a board or owner can act on.
Sessions That Fit
Built from existing keynotes and workshops
- Authority Without Apology
Keynote
- Where Are My Ducks?
Keynote
- Leaders, Not Fixers
Workshop / PD session
- Staff Who Stay: The Financial Case for Retention
Workshop / PD session
Formats
Shaped to your agenda
Conference keynote
45–75 minutes for a general session.
Breakout or workshop
60–120 minutes on one piece of the work.
Half- or full-day PD
Working sessions that end with a plan, not notes.
Read first: Staff stability and workforce training · Retention is a financial strategy
Planner Questions
Answered before you have to ask
FAQ
Questions leaders ask
A 45–75 minute keynote for a general session, or a half-day working block where directors leave with a written plan for one decision they have been avoiding. Both work virtually.
Related Resources
Keep building the system.
Staff Stability and Workforce Training for Childcare Leaders
The cornerstone hub — how staffing, training, onboarding, and leadership fit together.
ReadEarly Childhood Keynote Speakers: A Planner's Guide
Who to know, what each one is known for, and the six questions worth asking before you sign a speaker contract for an early childhood event.
ReadRetention Is a Financial Strategy
Turnover shows up on the schedule long before it shows up on the budget. Here is what it actually costs — and what stability buys.
ReadTraining Staff the Way Adults Actually Learn
Adults do not learn from being told. They learn from practice, feedback, and reasons that hold up on a hard day.
ReadRecruiting Beyond Job Boards
The best candidates are rarely scrolling listings. Recruiting is relationship work, and relationship work starts long before the opening.
Read30/60/90-Day Onboarding: Confidence and Competence
Paperwork is not onboarding. A first ninety days built around confidence and competence changes who stays and who quietly gives up.
ReadExplore more of Kate’s work
The work of early childhood is hard. Booking a speaker shouldn't be.
Send the date, the audience, and what you hope people walk out with. You will get a real reply, not a media kit.