Schools of Excellence: The No. 1 ECE & Private School Leadership Podcast

Hosted by Chanie Wilschanski

Entrepreneurship Education

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300

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Jun 2026

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About the show

If you are an Early Childhood director or childcare owner, prepare to transform your school and life with the Schools of Excellence podcast. Tune in each week to learn from Chanie Wilschanski, the founder and host of the Schools of Excellence Podcast and a mom of 4 kids. Each episode will be packed with tools and strategies - equipping school leaders to improve staff retention, increase teacher motivation, grow parent partnerships, create a collaborative culture, and enjoy a beautiful quality of life. Every week, Chanie shares the truth about childcare and early childhood school leadership for those striving towards excellence. If you are an early childhood or childcare school leader looking for strategies to grow your school, that are working TODAY, The Schools of Excellence Podcast is for you. In addition to weekly solo episodes, she'll also be inviting childcare and early childhood industry leaders to discuss the most pressing issues facing school leaders today. Don't miss an episode; subscribe today for everything you need for your school leadership journey!

Listen to episodes

60 recent

June 16, 202611 min

292. Why Your Team Can't Take Accountability (And What to Do Instead)

Accountability conversations going sideways in your school? The problem might not be your staff — it might be where you're starting the conversation.In this episode, Chanie Wilschanski breaks down why most accountability problems are actually identity problems — and why gratitude is the missing foundation. You'll learn:- Why feedback feels like a personal attack (even when it isn't)- How identity and worth impact your team's ability to hear hard truths- Why gratitude and accountability are two sides of the same coin- The question that changes how you approach every difficult conversationIf your accountability conversations keep blowing up, this episode will show you exactly where to start instead.Resources MentionedDownload Chapter One of This Can't Be Normal for free: https://thiscantbenormal.com/chapter-oneThis Can't Be Normal: What to Do When Success Starts to Feel Like Survival by Chanie Wilschanski — https://thiscantbenormal.comConnect With UsLet's Chat on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chaniewilschanski/Mentioned in this episode:Chapter One of This Can't Be NormalDownload Chapter One of This Can't Be Normal for free here: https://thiscantbenormal.com/chapter-one

June 9, 202612 min

291. Why School Leaders Still Feel Burned Out After Summer Break

You survived the school year. So why doesn't summer feel like relief? In this episode, Chanie pulls from her book This Can't Be Normal to talk about why rest alone can't fix exhaustion — and what school leaders really need to recalibrate.- Why your nervous system is still bracing after the school year ends- The difference between achievement and integration- What it means to mortgage your identity to your school- The question that shifts everything about how you experience summer- How rhythms and anchors create stability without removing the chaosIf you've built something meaningful and still feel like you're carrying more than you were meant to hold, this episode is for you. Tune in.Resources Mentioned:Get Chanie's book, This Can't Be Normal: https://thiscantbenormal.comFollow Chanie on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chaniewilschanski/Join the Schools of Excellence Lounge on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/schoolsofexcellenceloungeMentioned in this episode:Chapter One of This Can't Be NormalDownload Chapter One of This Can't Be Normal for free here: https://thiscantbenormal.com/chapter-one

June 2, 202614 min

290. You Survived the Year - At What Cost?

Summer hits every school. The leaders who make it through without spiraling are the ones who built something before the season arrived.In this episode, Chanie breaks down why summer disruption is completely predictable — and why most school leaders keep getting blindsided anyway. She walks through the real financial cost of enrollment dips and staffing misalignment, explains why better systems and checklists won't solve the core problem, and introduces the Standards Installation Toolkit for leaders ready to stop being the centralized shock absorber in their school.In this episode:- Why your school runs at the speed of your capacity (and what that costs)- The math behind summer revenue loss and labor overlap- What standards actually are — and how they remove you from the moment of impact- How to build infrastructure that holds before the season hitsTune in to learn how to lead your school through summer without losing yourself in the process.Resources Mentioned:Access the Standards Installation Toolkit: https://schoolsofexcellence.com/standardAccess the Staff Culture Infrastructure Vault (only 100 spots!): https://schoolsofexcellence.com/vaultGet Chanie's book, This Can't Be Normal: https://thiscantbenormal.comFollow Chanie on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chaniewilschanski/Join the Schools of Excellence Lounge on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/schoolsofexcellenceloungeMentioned in this episode:Chapter One of This Can't Be NormalDownload Chapter One of This Can't Be Normal for free here: https://thiscantbenormal.com/chapter-one

May 26, 202628 min

289. The Missing Layer in Your School's Culture: Why Staff Training Infrastructure Changes Everything

If you've ever rebuilt the same staff training from scratch, paid for a speaker who inspired everyone for two weeks and then disappeared, or stayed up late wondering what to train on next — this episode is for you.Chanie breaks down the four training patterns that keep school leaders stuck in activity instead of infrastructure, explains why most staff culture problems are predictable skill gaps (not personality issues), and introduces the Staff Culture Infrastructure Vault — a decade of field-tested, ready-to-use training assets available to only 100 schools before it's permanently retired.In this episode:- The four training traps and why none of them build lasting culture- Why one-time events don't change behavior — and what actually does- The teachable skills most teachers were never formally trained on- What training infrastructure looks like and how to deploy it across your school yearTune in and stop reinventing the wheel.Resources Mentioned:Get Chanie's book, This Can't Be Normal: https://thiscantbenormal.comExplore the Staff Culture Infrastructure Vault: https://schoolsofexcellence.com/vaultApply for Leadership HQ: https://schoolsofexcellence.com/applyFollow Chanie on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chaniewilschanski/Join the Schools of Excellence Lounge on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/schoolsofexcellenceloungeMentioned in this episode:Chapter One of This Can't Be NormalDownload Chapter One of This Can't Be Normal for free here: https://thiscantbenormal.com/chapter-one

May 21, 202617 min

288. The 5 Fears That Keep Leaders From Investing In Their Team

If you've ever hesitated to invest in your team, this episode is for you.It's not that you don't believe in professional development. It's that you've invested before, hoped before, and been disappointed before.In this bonus episode I walk through the five specific fears that keep directors and owners from investing in their teams, and why every single one of them makes complete sense.Because until you name what you're actually afraid of, you can't move past it.Staff Culture Infrastructure Vault — https://schoolsofexcellence.com/vaultMentioned in this episode:Chapter One of This Can't Be NormalDownload Chapter One of This Can't Be Normal for free here: https://thiscantbenormal.com/chapter-one

May 19, 202634 min

287. I've Told Them This So Many Times

You've told them so many times. And nothing has changed. So what's actually going wrong?In this episode, Chanie Wilschanski digs into the part of leadership that most school directors skip entirely: the messy middle between hiring and firing. She introduces the concept of drift, why it's inevitable in every team, and the four-step rhythm that brings everyone back to the standard.Why hiring and firing is often relief disguised as strategyThe phrases leaders use that sound like leadership but are actually avoidanceThe Notice-Name-Install-Return rhythm for real-time leadershipHow to hold a direct, kind conversation about drifting behaviorWhy rhythm-based leadership builds culture that holds without youIf you've ever caught yourself saying "I've told them so many times" — this episode is your next step.Resources Mentioned:This Can't Be Normal: What to Do When Success Starts to Feel Like Survival by Chanie Wilschanski — available worldwide wherever books are sold: https://thiscantbenormal.comSchool Leadership HQ — apply for our ongoing leadership container: https://schoolsofexcellence.com/applyMentioned in this episode:Chapter One of This Can't Be NormalDownload Chapter One of This Can't Be Normal for free here: https://thiscantbenormal.com/chapter-one

May 12, 202620 min

286. What to Do When School Leadership Feels Like Survival with Nachum Segal

What happens when the success you worked so hard to build starts to feel like survival? In this episode, Chanie Wilschanski joins radio host Nachum Segal on JM in the AM to talk about her new book, This Can't Be Normal. They cover the invisible weight of school leadership, why burnout is a rhythm problem not a workload problem, and what it actually looks like to lead a school sustainably, without running yourself into the ground. If you've ever wondered why leading well still feels so hard, this conversation is for you.This Can't Be Normal: What to Do When Success Starts to Feel Like Survival by Chanie Wilschanski — available on Amazon, Walmart, Barnes & Noble, and wherever books are sold: https://thiscantbenormal.comListen to JM in the AM with Nachum Segal: https://www.nachumsegal.com/Mentioned in this episode:Chapter One of This Can't Be NormalDownload Chapter One of This Can't Be Normal for free here: https://thiscantbenormal.com/chapter-one

May 5, 202654 min

285. She Tripled Her Income Without Burning Out — Here's How

What does it actually look like to triple your income, have your most profitable year ever, and still be home for dinner?In this member spotlight, Chanie sits down with Aliyah Johnson Roberts — owner of two early childhood education centers in Philadelphia — to talk about the real story behind her growth. A few years ago, Aliyah was sitting in her office until six o'clock every evening, not because anyone needed her there, but because she had convinced herself she had to be.Aliyah shares how she shifted from overfunctioning school owner to visionary CEO, and what that made possible, both inside her centers and at home.If you're an early childhood education owner who knows you're meant for more but can't quite see how to get there, this episode is for you.Mentioned in this episode:Chapter One of This Can't Be NormalDownload Chapter One of This Can't Be Normal for free here: https://thiscantbenormal.com/chapter-one

May 4, 202623 min

284. School Leaders: Pressure Test Your Call Out System

If a teacher called out tomorrow, do you know what it's actually costing your school? Not just money, your time, too.In this bonus episode, Chanie breaks down why most call out policies collapse the moment pressure walks in the door, what it means to pressure test your school's infrastructure, and how to build a call out standard that holds even when you're short-staffed, short on sleep, and short on patience.This one started as a Facebook Live, and the response was loud enough that it needed to be on the podcast.Learn more about the Call Out Solution here: https://schoolsofexcellence.com/calloutsMentioned in this episode:Chapter One of This Can't Be NormalDownload Chapter One of This Can't Be Normal for free here: https://thiscantbenormal.com/chapter-one

April 27, 202619 min

283. Why Your School Is Leaving $100K on the Table (And How to Fix It)

Your school isn't losing money because of bad teachers or wrong pricing. It's losing it in the patterns you've started to normalize.Chanie Wilschanski breaks down four profit blind spots that quietly drain revenue from childcare centers and early childhood education schools — from the false comfort of high occupancy rates to the $100,000 follow-up mistake one school owner didn't see coming. Get The Call Out Solution — A focused system to expose and fix one of the most common money leaks in childcare operations. Includes a cost calculator, training, and an installable standard to reduce call-outs and stabilize your staffing: https://schoolsofexcellence.com/calloutsMentioned in this episode:Chapter One of This Can't Be NormalDownload Chapter One of This Can't Be Normal for free here: https://thiscantbenormal.com/chapter-one