Welcome!

The McCormick Tribune Center for Early Childhood Leadership is dedicated to enhancing the management skills, professional orientation, and leadership capacity of early childhood administrators. The activities of the Center encompass four areas: training, program evaluation, research, and public awareness.

If you visit our training section, you'll learn about our current initiatives to improve the knowledge base, skills, and competencies of directors who administer early childhood programs. Also included are the train-the-trainer options for consultants and technical assistance specialists who work with administrators. This training section includes information about Leadership Connections, our national conference held each May as well. Most of our training initiatives provide participants with the option of receiving college credit. This credit is applicable to the core requirements of the Illinois Director Credential (IDC) and National-Louis University's graduate degree program in Early Childhood Administration (ECA).

If you explore the evaluation section, you can get information about the Center's many projects to improve the quality of early childhood programs including the assessment of leadership and management practices using the Program Administration Scale (PAS), the assessment of organizational climate using the Early Childhood Work Environment Survey (ECEWS), and the assessment of family child care business practices using the Business Administration Scale (BAS).

In the research section, you can find out about recent studies conducted by the Center. This area also contains current and past issues of our quarterly Research Notes.

If you check out the public awareness section, you can learn more about our activities to increase the public's understanding of the critical role that early childhood administrators play in the provision of quality services for children and families. This area also contains current and past issues of our quarterly newsletter, The Director's Link, our monthly eBulletin, and an order form to obtain a hard copy of any of our publications.

Finally, we understand that directing an early childhood program is a difficult and exhausting job. All directors need an occasional time out for reflection and nurturing their own professional development. The Center annually hosts a series of online discussions moderated by nationally renowned early childhood experts. Each expert is a featured guest for a week-long open discussion on issues of interest to early childhood administrators. You can join the conversation to connect with the people who have written books and helped shape early childhood policy and practice.

We invite you to keep exploring and discover how the McCormick Tribune Center for Early Childhood Leadership is creating a brighter future for children one leader at a time.