The Director's Planner: Week of March 31st, 2025
We are almost to April!
I’ve worked in early childhood education for almost a decade, and without fail—March always feels like the hardest month. Every. Single. Year. Between the time change, lingering cold weather, and a full moon (seriously, all in one week?!), it felt like some cosmic chaos portal opened over every classroom. If you made it through—same. Barely. But we’re still standing!
Here’s what we’re focusing on this week as we kick off a new month with (hopefully) slightly more sanity.
1 Monthly Focus
Start Planning Teacher Appreciation Week (TAW)
Teacher Appreciation Week might not be until next month (May 5-9), but planning ahead means you won’t be scrambling come May. Over the next few weeks, we’ll chip away at the prep together so you’re ready to go when it’s time to celebrate your incredible team. Start here:
📝 Use this Teacher Appreciation Week Planner to sketch out your plans. Don’t worry—it doesn’t have to be expensive to be meaningful! I’ll be dropping ideas for every budget later this week.
💖 Print and pass out My Favorite Things sheets for your team to fill out. You’ll use these later to share with families—perfect for personalized treats and surprises!
📧 Reach out to 3–5 local businesses (think restaurants, bakeries, sports teams, or shops) to ask if they’d be willing to donate goodies for your teachers. A lot of larger businesses have monthly donation budgets, and May fills up fast! I’ve even shared a pre-written email template to make it easy.
2 Thoughts to Consider
I. “Always be a first-rate version of yourself instead of a second-rate version of somebody else.” – Judy Garland
Are you doing something in your role just because “that’s the way it’s always been done”? Pause and reflect. What would it look like if you leaned into your strengths instead of old routines? It might feel risky—but being authentic and vulnerable is how we make real change. And feel more grounded in our roles!
II. “A leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don’t necessarily want to go, but ought to be.” – Rosalynn Carter
Well. This one hit home for me last month. I had to have some hard conversations with my team—not fun, but necessary. As directors, our job isn’t to be everyone’s best friend; it’s to help our teams grow. Sometimes that means pushing them (gently but firmly) toward their potential. What tough conversation have you been avoiding? Time to face it head-on.
3 Action Items
I. Complete your March fire drill
If you haven’t done it yet—today is the day! Get those bells and whistles ready to complete everyone’s favorite monthly task.
💡 Pro Tip: Use my Monthly Fire Drill Tracker to keep everything organized.
II. Send your April Newsletter
If you haven’t already written your newsletter, grab my April Resource Toolkit to speed things up! It includes pre-written content, staff spotlights, and fun resources to engage both families and staff. Less stress and more time back.
III. Plan a little fun for April Fool’s Day
April 1st is tomorrow! Whether you’re passing out a fake “Diaper Wipe Accountability Log” for your team to sign, or putting “Please Use Other Door” signs on both doors, it’s a chance to lighten the mood. Those two fun printables are in the April Toolkit—grab them while you can!
💡 Pro Tip: If you haven’t checked it out yet, be sure to grab all of these great resources in April’s Monthly Resource Toolkit!
As always, I am SO thankful when my followers share these free resources with other Directors. The more we grow our community, the more we can uplift and support each other in this challenging (and rewarding) role. Thank you for being here!
And that’s it for this week! Easy as A, B, C, 1, 2, 3.
