Workshops & Professional Development

What this is about: childcare workforce training — hiring, onboarding, adult learning, staff retention, communication, finance, and responsibility. Who it is for: early childhood and out-of-school-time teams, directors, owners, associations, and workforce partners. Browse all childcare keynote topics.

Kate Woodward Young offers breakout sessions, half-day trainings, full-day professional development, leadership retreats, and virtual sessions for early childhood and out-of-school-time audiences.

These sessions are practical, engaging, and grounded in the reality of the field. They are designed for mixed audiences, including educators, family child care providers, assistants, directors, owners, administrators, trainers, association members, workforce partners, and program teams.

Kate's workshops help participants move from ideas to action with language, frameworks, and tools they can use in real conversations, real classrooms, and real programs.

Kate Woodward Young facilitating a workshop

Speak Where It Matters

Use your voice in the rooms where decisions are made.

Early childhood professionals do not need to wait for a keynote stage to use their voice. Some of the most important leadership moments happen in city council meetings, county commissioner conversations, Chamber of Commerce events, school board meetings, workforce discussions, community coalitions, parent orientations, and five-minute presentations where the right people are listening.

Sometimes leadership is not about holding the microphone for 90 minutes. Sometimes it is about using five minutes in the right room to make sure early childhood is no longer invisible.

This session helps participants identify where their voice matters, what message needs to be heard, and how to speak with clarity, confidence, and purpose.

Participants Will Explore

—Which rooms shape funding, trust, visibility, policy, partnerships, and community support.
—How to prepare a clear message for a short speaking opportunity.
—How to talk about early childhood without apologizing, shrinking, or over-explaining.
—How to use personal experience and professional expertise strategically.

Best Fit For

Women's leadership events, association conferences, advocacy days, owner/director events, family child care networks, workforce boards, community leadership programs, and professional development audiences.

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Staff Who Stay Implementation

Build everyday practices that help people stay.

This workshop takes the "Staff Who Stay" keynote deeper by looking at the daily practices that affect whether people feel prepared, respected, supported, and connected to the work.

Staff retention is not only about hiring. It is shaped by what people experience before they apply, during the interview, in their first week, through onboarding, in staff meetings, during hard conversations, and in the moments when they are deciding whether the work is still worth it.

This session helps participants identify what is helping people stay, what is quietly pushing people out, and what can be changed without waiting for perfect conditions.

Participants Will Explore

—What staff experience before, during, and after hiring.
—How onboarding shapes confidence, culture, and retention.
—Why clarity, communication, and realistic expectations matter.
—How to build small practices that help people feel capable, connected, and respected.
—How everyone in a program contributes to a culture where people can stay and grow.

Best Fit For

Professional development days, owner/director events, mixed team trainings, workforce events, association conferences, and programs working on retention, onboarding, morale, or culture.

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More Than Tuition

The money decisions that shape program reality.

Early childhood programs are built on relationships, but they still have to be financially viable. Tuition, enrollment, staffing, pricing, discounts, family communication, and program promises all connect to the same reality: programs cannot serve children well if the business underneath the work is unstable.

This session helps early childhood professionals connect financial decisions to real program choices. It is not about turning educators into accountants. It is about making the numbers less mysterious so teams can understand the decisions that shape staffing, quality, communication, and sustainability.

Participants Will Explore

—Why tuition is only one part of the financial picture.
—How staffing, enrollment, pricing, and family expectations connect.
—Why financial clarity supports better decisions for children, families, and teams.
—How to talk about money without shame, confusion, or avoidance.

Best Fit For

Owner/director events, administrator trainings, workforce gatherings, business leadership sessions, association conferences, and professional development for people responsible for program decisions.

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Ducks in Practice

Do it. Delegate it. Document it. Discuss it. Ditch it.

This workshop takes the "Where Are My Ducks?" keynote and turns it into practical implementation.

Early childhood professionals carry a constant mix of tasks, decisions, emotions, expectations, and unfinished conversations. Without a way to sort them, everything can feel urgent, personal, and impossible to put down.

The duck framework gives participants a simple way to name what they are carrying and decide what needs action, ownership, documentation, conversation, or release.

Participants Will Explore

—How to identify what is actually yours to carry.
—How to sort tasks and expectations into five categories: do it, delegate it, document it, discuss it, or ditch it.
—How to use the framework with teams, families, staff meetings, and personal planning.
—How to reduce overwhelm without ignoring responsibility.

Best Fit For

Mixed ECE audiences, staff development days, family child care events, director trainings, teacher conferences, leadership retreats, and teams navigating overwhelm, communication, or role clarity.

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The Edge: Technology With a Why

Technology as access, opportunity, decision-making, and advantage.

Technology changes quickly. The real question is not whether early childhood professionals should use every new tool. The better question is: what does this tool make possible, what problem does it solve, and how does it help people make better decisions?

Kate has been helping educators, trainers, and program teams understand the purpose behind technology since 1999. Her approach is not about chasing the newest platform. It is about helping people understand how and why technology can support learning, leadership, communication, and better decisions.

This session is especially useful for audiences exploring artificial intelligence, software adoption, digital tools, decision intelligence, parent communication, operational efficiency, and technology confidence.

Participants Will Explore

—How to evaluate technology by purpose, not hype.
—Why technology should support people, not replace judgment.
—How digital tools can reduce friction, improve communication, and support better decisions.
—How to talk about technology with staff, families, and teams in practical, non-intimidating ways.

Best Fit For

Early childhood conferences, director/owner events, workforce gatherings, association trainings, technology-focused events, leadership retreats, and professional development days.

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Custom Sessions

Kate can also customize workshops around conference themes, audience needs, sponsor priorities, or current field challenges.

Common customization areas include:

—Early childhood leadership and decision-making
—Staff communication and retention
—Parent trust and family communication
—Technology confidence and artificial intelligence
—Program finance and enrollment decisions
—Professional identity and advocacy
—Team culture and role clarity
—Play, curiosity, and child-centered practice
—Women's leadership and authority

Formats Available

Kate's workshops are available as:

—Conference breakout sessions
—60-minute or 90-minute sessions
—Half-day professional development
—Full-day training
—Leadership retreats
—Virtual workshops
—Association events
—Workforce partner trainings
—Custom professional development days

Bring Practical, Memorable Professional Development to Your Event

Kate's workshops are designed for people who want more than a good idea. They want language, tools, and next steps they can actually use.

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