You drop off your three-year-old at nursery, watching her small hand slip into her teacher’s before the classroom door closes. In that moment, you trust that someone capable is steering her day. At the back of your mind, there are questions that is hard to ignore.
Science tells us that more than 90% of a child’s brain develops by the age of five. These early years are a golden window, rich with potential. They shape how a child learns, connects and copes. They influence everything from confidence to resilience, from curiosity to compassion.
But when early education is seen as babysitting or a stepping stone to “real” school, the people leading those settings, teachers, directors and program designers, are rarely given the tools, resources, or respect they deserve. That mindset, in turn, impacts the very children we want to uplift.
For many families, early childhood education isn’t just a convenience, it’s a cornerstone. The people who lead and shape our children’s earliest learning environments hold enormous influence. They’re not only caretakers, but architects of the emotional and intellectual scaffolding on which our children will build the rest of their lives. And yet, early childhood leadership has often been overlooked, underpaid, and undervalued.
In the quiet moments before dawn when you pack a lunchbox, tuck a note into a backpack, and kiss a still-sleepy child goodbye, one question keeps you awake: Who do I trust with my child’s future?
The People Who Shape the Next Generation of Leaders
The adults managing early childhood education programmes, predominately women, hold more influence over children’s daily experiences than most people realise. When a team leader handles staff conflicts well, it shows up in how calmly teachers respond to a toddler’s meltdown. When a supervisor communicates clearly with her team, it filters down to how confidently educators guide children through their learning activities.
Recent research shows that effective leadership in early childhood education directly impacts children’s learning, development and wellbeing. Yet the sector faces mounting pressures that make strong leadership more crucial than ever.
Here’s what’s happening: nearly 45% of early childhood educators report significant stress and burnout, while turnover rates run about 65% higher than typical jobs. These aren’t just statistics – they represent the daily reality of teams struggling to maintain stability in environments where consistency matters most for young children.
A Different Approach to Leadership Development
Dr. Keena Rush Mosley, who holds a doctorate in Educational Leadership, founded Momentum Leadership Group after recognising that traditional leadership training often misses the mark for early childhood supervisors. Her approach blends practical strategies with team connection and accountability – areas that matter when you’re managing educators who work directly with children aged two to five.
‘We’re bringing together supervisors and middle managers to discover actionable strategies that help them focus on what matters most and lead with intention,’ explains Dr. Keena. ‘The goal is to elevate your results.’
Her Launch to Impact Leadership Summit represents a concentrated effort to address the specific challenges facing early childhood leaders. Rather than generic management training, the programme tackles issues like leading across different generations of staff, maintaining engagement during constant change and reframing accountability as growth rather than punishment.
These improvements in adult communication and problem-solving directly influence the emotional climate children experience daily. When supervisors handle team conflicts skillfully, teachers feel more supported. When leaders communicate clearly, staff spend less time confused and more time focused on children’s needs.
Every child deserves more than a safe environment. They deserve a space filled with warmth, creativity, inclusion, and purpose. That requires leaders who understand not just child development, but equity, cultural context, trauma-informed care, and family engagement. We need visionary leaders who aren’t afraid to challenge outdated systems, invest in professional development, and reimagine what quality looks like for all children—not just the privileged few.
Strong early childhood leadership isn’t about micromanaging nap schedules or snack time. It’s about shaping policies that honor diverse family needs. It’s about mentoring educators, retaining talent, and creating emotionally intelligent learning spaces that see every child as capable and whole.
The timing of Dr. Keena’s summit reflects urgent needs within early childhood education. Staffing shortages, high turnover and poor working conditions have created a crisis that threatens programme quality and availability.
The expiration of pandemic relief funding in 2024 added financial pressure just as programmes were rebuilding their teams. Australia’s early childhood sector estimates needing 24,000 additional educators by 2025, while similar shortages affect programmes across the United States.
Strong supervisors can help retain good teachers, create positive working conditions and maintain programme stability – all factors that directly benefit the children in their care. Successful early childhood programmes require leaders who understand both educational goals and team dynamics.
Early childhood education has always been about creating environments where young children feel safe, valued and excited to learn. That work starts with the adults who create those environments and the leaders who support those adults.
Dr. Keena’s summit represents what is possible for the women and men who shoulder responsibility for early childhood programmes: the chance to step back from daily pressures and focus on leading with intention rather than just managing crises. Leadership opportunities like this help develop the skills needed to truly support teams.
At its core, this is a story about trust: who we give it to, how it’s earned and why it matters. The people we trust with our children’s early years are shaping more than letters and numbers. They are building identity, belonging and belief. They are shaping futures.
It is time we treat them as the leaders they are, and give them the support, resources and recognition they deserve. When we invest in strong, inspired early childhood leadership, we don’t just protect our children’s future—we amplify it.
