The Group Admin Leader’s Digest

Hi Directors & Child Care Leaders! 👋💛

Welcome to your weekly ChildCareEd Director Brief—made for the people who keep everything moving: staffing, schedules, compliance, families, budgets, and the “surprise situations” that pop up before 9 a.m. 😅

This newsletter is your quick, leadership-friendly reset: practical tools you can use today, plus encouragement for the work that often happens behind the scenes (and after hours). You’re leading big, meaningful work—and you don’t have to do it alone.

🚨✨ Group Admin Updates ✨🚨

New tools to make staff training easier—especially if you manage subscription seats!

✅ Assign up to 4 in-progress trainings (updated)

You can now assign 4 unfinished trainings per staff member (up from 3)—more flexibility to meet required yearly hours.

📄 Download a Professional Development Plan (NEW!)

You can now download a staff member’s Professional Development Plan with completed + in-progress courses—perfect for licensing documentation and tracking.

🧭 How to download the plan:

Group Admin → Team Management → click staff name (blue) → Download a Professional Development Plan

🔒 Important privacy option for staff:

Staff can choose whether Group Admin can view previous + in-progress records:

Profile → Privacy Settings → check “I allow Group Admins…” → Save

If enabled, the plan can include courses purchased by both the admin and the staff member.

UPCOMING CLASSES

Pediatric Blended First Aid & CPR/AED Adult, Child, Infant

Pediatric In-Person First Aid & CPR/AED Adult, Child, Infant

SEE FULL CLASS SCHEDULE HERE!

Basic Health & Safety and Breastfeeding Awareness

February 12, 2026 —

6:45 PM to 9:45 PM (EST)

February 22, 2026 —

8:30 AM to 11:30 AM (EST)

March 4, 2026 —

6:45 PM to 9:45 PM (EST)

March 7, 2026 —

8:30 AM to 11:30 AM (EST)

Including All Children and the Americans with Disabilities Act

February 12, 2026 —

6:45 PM to 9:45 PM (EST)

February 18, 2026 —

6:45 PM to 9:45 PM (EST)

February 22, 2026 —

8:00 AM to 11:00 AM (EST)

February 26, 2026 —

6:45 PM to 9:45 PM (EST)

6 Hour Medication Administration Training (MAT)

Level Up Your Team's Skills!

The Balancing Act for Administrators: Managing Responsibilities

Administrators in childcare are responsible for a lot! Understanding and managing these responsibilities is essential to effective management and program planning. When administrators are able to balance their responsibilities they are better able to ensure children are receiving high quality, developmentally appropriate instruction and staff are provided with effective feedback and support. This training will assist administrators in balancing their time and managing their varied responsibilities with strategies and tips for effective daily practices.

👉 View the class

Are You Looking for Onsite or Virtual Trainings? 🧑‍🏫💻

If you don’t see what you need on our calendar, you can request an onsite or virtual training for a group of 10 or more here:

Submit an On-site Request

➡️List of All Instructor-Led Courses

Director Toolkit

What’s one morale-boosting idea we can do this week? 💛

2-Minute Team Huddle Prompt:

“What’s one change that would make transitions smoother this week?”

Win-of-the-Week Wall:

Put up a sheet of paper in the break room: “This week, I’m proud of…”

Everyone adds one sentence. It builds morale fast. 📝✨

Silly leadership question:

If your center had a “theme song,” would it be a calm playlist 🎧 or a dance party anthem 🕺?

SOCIAL MEDIA THIS WEEK

Childcareed Shared with Public · Follow Brent Bourgeois · Chinese New Year 🐲🤩 Welcome the Lunar New Year with this lantern activity! Great fine motor fun + cultural learning. ChildCareEd wishes all who celebrate, good fortune and prosperity! 🌟

Boom, Clap, Snatch! Sharpen Focus and Listening Skills. Try it, it'll be a hit in your classrooms. Like, share, and follow ChildCareEd for more :)

😍💖 Here are 3 simple and fun Valentine’s Day STEM activities for child care and daycare providers. These are sure to leave the kids in awe and wonder! Like and share the post by tagging your friends in the comments

READ ALL ABOUT IT!!

Winter Classroom Activities for Child Care Providers

Winter can be a magical season in #early-childhood #classrooms. Snow, cold #weather, and shorter days create new opportunities for creative #learning. At the same time, winter often means children spend more time indoors, which can #lead to extra energy and restlessness. For child care providers, planning engaging winter activities is an important way to keep children active, learning, and #happy.

Winter Classroom Activities PDF

🗂️ Operations & Compliance Corner

Here are quick director check-ins that prevent big headaches later:

Training tracker check: Are new hires’ required trainings logged and filed?
Attendance + staffing records: Are entries complete and easy to verify?
Classroom walkthrough: One 5-minute walk—look for one praise + one fix.
Emergency readiness: Confirm today’s attendance sheets + emergency contacts are current.

If it helps: schedule one “paperwork power hour” each week—same day, same time.

GROUP ADMIN PORTAL

📲 Communication Scripts (Copy + Paste)

Parent follow-up:

“Thanks for checking in—let me confirm details and I’ll follow up by end of day.”

Staff coaching:

“I noticed ___ . That helped the classroom. Next time, let’s try ___ to make it even smoother.”

Boundary (protect your focus):

“I want to give this my full attention—can we circle back after drop-off / after nap?”

Maryland Providers!

💡 MSDE TRAINING VOUCHERS ARE BACK 💡

🎓 MSDE Training Voucher Program (Maryland Providers)

Maryland child care providers may qualify for up to $400 in training vouchers through the MSDE Training Voucher Program, while funds are available.

✅ Who Is Eligible?

You may qualify if you are a Maryland child care provider with:

A Child Care Credential Level 2 or higher (at least 2 stars), OR

A Level 2+ credential that expired between July 1, 2024 and August 30, 2025

👉 How to Apply

Visit our Grants page: Maryland: MSDE Training Vouchers

Click “Interested” to receive an email with step-by-step application instructions

For full program details, visit the MSDE Training Vouchers and Reimbursements page:

https://earlychildhood.marylandpublicschools.org/child-care-providers/office-child-care/credentialing-branch/training-vouchers-and-reimbursements

✨ Don’t miss this opportunity to complete required training at a reduced cost!

CLICK FOR FULL DETAILS on GEORGIA Scholarships

DECAL reopened their CDA Scholarship application window on Wednesday, JANUARY 21, 2026.

Who Can Apply for this Scholarship?

To be eligible for this Georgia CDA grant, you must:

Work at least 30 hours per week in a child care learning center licensed by DECAL or the Department of Defense, a family child care learning home licensed by DECAL, an exempt Georgia Head Start center or a Georgia Lottery-funded Pre-K program in a public school.

Work 15 hours per week if your employer is an after school program licensed by DECAL.

Have maintained 6 months of continuous employment in one of the following paid roles (unpaid hours do not qualify): Teacher, Assistant Teacher, Floater, Director, Assistant Director or Owner.

Hold a high school diploma or GED. (This is required by the CDA Council.)
Have completed 120 hours of CDA training and 480 clock hours before scheduling your CDA assessment.

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