Early Educator Podcast

What if a child’s behavior isn’t the problem… but a reflection of something deeper? In this episode of the Early Educator Podcast, we sit down with Ashley Clotfelter to have a powerful and honest conversation about how childhood experiences—both positive and negative—shape the way children learn, behave, and connect. We dive into what it really means to create safe, supportive spaces for children—not just physically, but emotionally—and how educators can play a key role in helping children feel seen, secure, and valued every single day. But this conversation doesn’t stop with the children. Ashley also speaks directly to educators, unpacking how our own childhood experiences can impact the way we show up in the classroom, and why acknowledging and healing those areas matters more than we often realize.

Working with children can be fun and rewarding, but let's not ignore the fact that it can also be hard! Eric from The Flourish Lab gives some solid advice on how educators can show up each day to make a lifelong impact for the people in their care. We would love it if you gave a like on the video and subscribed so you stay up to date on all of our videos! If you would like to know more about Our Daily Bread CACFP, check us out at the following link: https://www.odbcacfp.org Be sure to follow our social media pages for more helpful resources: https://linktr.ee/ourdailybreadcacfp

Being a leader is a responsibility that is not for the faint of heart. Summer Dixon discusses different strategies and situations that leaders must learn and go through in this podcast. https://dixonstrategies.com/

There is a LOT that goes into accounting. The KF group gives us valuable knowledge and advice on how to be in control of your money in the CACFP.

Senta Hester, the Executive Director of Our Daily Bread CACFP, started her career in childcare as an early educator. She's shares her story of how she got started and what drove her to start her own sponsoring agency to help children on a larger scale. Senta also gives great, sound advice to early educators on what it takes to have a safe and healthy environment for educators and children.

Join us as we explore the dynamic world of online engagement and learn how to attract new parents to your childcare program through strategic social media tactics. Blake Hester, our expert guest, shares invaluable tips, strategies, and success stories to help you reach and connect with families in your community. Whether you're a seasoned pro or new to the digital landscape, this episode is a must-listen for all early educators looking to harness the potential of social media to enrich their childcare programs.

One of the key elements in business and in life is clear and constant communication! Rhonda has 22 years of experience working in childcare, and she is going to talk about different wants to keep a healthy relationship with parents. She is also going to give strategies on how to give parents peace of mind while they are away from their children.

Beardsley Farms joins us for this episode as we talk about how we use gardening to help not only childcare facilities in Tennessee & Kentucky, but our local families and schools!

With being a part of the food program, there are different policies and regulations that's required. We take a dive into discussing some of these new policies and talking about the benefits of following these guidelines.

Julia Clark with Childcare Tennessee shows us Childcare Tennessee's website and all of the valuable resources that it has for Daycare Educators.. Oh, and it's FREE!

We get a chance to talk to Ellie Kittrell with United Way of Greater Knoxville about the importance of the Childcare Industry and what United Way of Greater Knoxville is currently doing to try to build the Childcare space.

Building strong relationships can lead to opportunities you couldn't get on your own! Listen to Our Daily Bread CACFP's Public Relations Specialist, Kayla, in this episode for helpful tips and insight on creating relationships and partnerships with parents as well as other local businesses.

Sometimes our plans don't go the way that they are planned. What do you do to recover and to bounce back?

There are countless decisions that you have to make in your business. In those decisions it is also easy for us to pick a solution that will benefit us for the short term. But what happens when the "Big Bad Wolf" comes? Let's talk about why you should focus more on the long term decisions instead of the short term decisions.

When you run a business, hard times WILL come just like in our personal lives. In this episode, we will talk about important things to have in your business to make sure that it stays strong and lasts a long time, no matter what circumstances come your way.

One of the most important things to do to grow your child care facility is have a good marketing plan. Josh Smith, Our Daily Bread CACFP's head IT/Marketing manager, goes deep into ways you can put yourself out there in an online world with both free and paid strategies.

When going for your dreams, there may be people along the way who will try to discourage you from moving forward. Whether it is someone trying to look out for you or maybe your competitor(s) trying to tear you down, we talk about what is the right thing to do for you to keep growing.

There are a lot of different parts of your business to think about, kind of like a ship. We discuss how to discover what parts of your business you should focus on as well as how to discover someone's passions and put them in the right position on your "ship".

No one likes feeling stuck. But what do you do when your days seemed defined by the same, never ending schedule? On this episode we discuss how you can break the monotony of your daily rhythms.

We have a conversation about the importance of having a culture in your business. Your culture defines your core values.