Lead classrooms that truly work for young children
Early Ed Leadership gives childcare directors, lead teachers, and ECE coordinators the practical frameworks, observation tools, and coaching skills to raise instructional quality — center-wide, not just classroom by classroom.
High-quality early childhood programs aren't built by accident — they're built by leaders who know how to look closely, coach honestly, and improve relentlessly.
— Wanda Holmes
What you'll learn
What you'll be able to do
- Design developmentally appropriate curriculum frameworks aligned to early learning standards for infants through pre-K
- Conduct structured classroom observations and use evidence-based tools (e.g., CLASS, ECERS) to assess instructional quality
- Coach and mentor teaching staff through reflective feedback cycles that improve daily practice
- Build and manage a continuous curriculum improvement process tied to child outcome data
- Lead professional development planning that closes skill gaps across a diverse teaching team
- Navigate licensing requirements, NAEYC accreditation criteria, and family engagement expectations with confidence
How it works
A school that adapts to you
This isn't a set of static videos. Every lesson is generated live and tuned to where you actually are.
We learn your level
A quick placement check tailors your starting point so you're never bored or lost.
Lessons adapt as you go
Each lesson is written for your pace and your goal, adjusting as your skills grow.
Your AI coach keeps you moving
Checkpoints, feedback, and gentle nudges turn progress into a real result.
The curriculum
What's inside your school
6 modules · 28 lessons
Foundations of Developmentally Appropriate Curriculum
Establishes the research base and standards landscape that underpin high-quality early childhood curriculum design from infants through pre-K.
- 1.1Understanding Developmental Stages: Infants Through Pre-KIncluded
- 1.2Early Learning Standards and FrameworksIncluded
- 1.3Principles of Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP)Included
- 1.4Selecting and Aligning a Curriculum ModelIncluded
- 1.5Designing a Center-Wide Curriculum FrameworkIncluded
Classroom Observation and Instructional Quality Assessment
Builds the skills to conduct structured, reliable observations and use validated tools to measure and communicate instructional quality.
- 2.1The Purpose and Ethics of Classroom ObservationIncluded
- 2.2Using the CLASS Tool to Assess Teacher-Child InteractionsIncluded
- 2.3Using the ECERS and ITERS to Evaluate Learning EnvironmentsIncluded
- 2.4Conducting a Structured Observation CycleIncluded
- 2.5Turning Observation Data into Improvement PrioritiesIncluded
Instructional Coaching and Reflective Feedback
Develops the coaching mindset, communication skills, and feedback structures that shift teaching practice over time.
- 3.1The Instructional Coach Role in Early Childhood SettingsIncluded
- 3.2Reflective Conversation TechniquesIncluded
- 3.3Delivering Evidence-Based FeedbackIncluded
- 3.4Goal-Setting and Action Planning with Teaching StaffIncluded
- 3.5Coaching Across Experience Levels and Diverse TeamsIncluded
Professional Development Planning and Staff Learning Systems
Equips leaders to design, implement, and sustain a professional development infrastructure that closes skill gaps across the entire teaching team.
- 4.1Conducting a Staff Skills and Needs AssessmentIncluded
- 4.2Designing a Center-Wide PD PlanIncluded
- 4.3High-Impact PD Formats for Early Childhood EducatorsIncluded
- 4.4Supporting Staff Credentialing and Career PathwaysIncluded
Continuous Curriculum Improvement and Child Outcome Data
Builds a systematic, data-informed improvement cycle that links curriculum decisions directly to children's growth and learning outcomes.
- 5.1Selecting and Using Child Assessment ToolsIncluded
- 5.2Collecting and Organizing Child Outcome DataIncluded
- 5.3Analyzing Data to Inform Curriculum AdjustmentsIncluded
- 5.4Running a Curriculum Review CycleIncluded
Licensing, Accreditation, and Family Engagement
Prepares leaders to confidently navigate regulatory requirements, pursue NAEYC accreditation, and build meaningful partnerships with families.
- 6.1Understanding Childcare Licensing RequirementsIncluded
- 6.2Pursuing and Maintaining NAEYC AccreditationIncluded
- 6.3Quality Rating and Improvement Systems (QRIS)Included
- 6.4Building Authentic Family Engagement PracticesIncluded
- 6.5Preparing Staff and Classrooms for Monitoring VisitsIncluded
Who it's for
Is this you?
First-time center directors
She's just stepped into the director seat and needs a clear framework for curriculum leadership before her next licensing review.
Veteran lead teachers
She's been in the classroom for years and is ready to formalize the mentorship and curriculum skills that will move her into an instructional leadership role.
ECE program coordinators
He oversees multiple classrooms and needs reliable observation tools and coaching systems to raise quality consistently across his sites.
Accreditation seekers
She's guiding her center through the NAEYC accreditation process and wants to build the documentation, practices, and staff readiness to do it right.
Experienced directors leveling up
Her center runs well, but she wants to move from reactive management to a true continuous improvement cycle grounded in child outcome data.
Aspiring instructional coaches
He's been informally mentoring newer teachers and wants the reflective feedback and goal-setting skills to make that coaching truly effective.
Questions
Frequently asked
Your teacher
A note from your teacher
Wanda Holmes
If you're reading this, I'm guessing you care deeply about what happens inside your classrooms — maybe more than most people around you realize. You notice when a room feels chaotic versus calm. You lose sleep over a teacher who isn't quite connecting with the children in her care, or a curriculum that looks polished on paper but doesn't show up in daily practice. You want to fix it. You're just not always sure where to start, or how to get your team moving in the same direction without it feeling like surveillance or top-down pressure.
I've been in this field long enough to know that the hardest part of early childhood leadership isn't learning the content — it's figuring out how to lead adults while also holding yourself accountable to the children and families who depend on you. That's the work Early Ed Leadership is designed to support.
This school is built around the real instructional challenges directors and lead teachers face: designing a curriculum framework that actually guides daily teaching (not just satisfies a licensing box), using tools like CLASS and ECERS in ways that open up honest conversations rather than shut them down, and coaching teachers through reflective feedback cycles that stick. We go deep on professional development planning, because a one-size PD calendar doesn't serve a team where one teacher is pursuing her CDA and another has been in the field for twenty years. And we go deep on data — not to overwhelm you, but to help you actually use the child outcome information you're already collecting to make smarter curriculum decisions.
The licensing and accreditation piece matters too. Navigating NAEYC criteria, Quality Rating and Improvement Systems, and monitoring visits takes real knowledge and real preparation — and I want you to approach all of it from a place of confidence, not anxiety.
What I most want you to take from this school is a clear, repeatable leadership process — one you can come back to season after season, and that grows with your team. The field needs leaders who can hold the vision for high-quality early learning while also sitting across the table from a struggling teacher with empathy and a plan. I believe that's exactly what you're capable of, and I built this curriculum to help you get there.
Come learn with me. Your classrooms — and your team — are ready for what comes next.
— Wanda Holmes
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- 6 modules, 28 lessons
- AI-adaptive lessons tuned to your level
- Quizzes & checkpoints to lock in progress
- Your own AI learning coach
- Learn on any device, at your pace
- Full access for as long as you're subscribed