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

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!

Latest Episodes:

228. The Parent Engagement Gear Mar 31, 2025

Show notes

Imagine if parents didn't just receive updates — they became your biggest champions.

Let me tell you a story. For years, schools have been playing an exhausting game of "communicate and hope." Newsletters flying into inboxes. Random app notifications. Sporadic event invites. Parents scrolling, sighing, deleting.

But what if there was a different way? A way where parents lean IN instead of tune OUT?

The fifth in the 5 Gears series, this episode explores the Parent Engagement Gear.

What you’ll learn:

Engagement requires two-way communication, not just one-way updates.
Your communication strategy should be a comprehensive system that ensures that every family feels connected to your school.
Parent engagement is a skill that can be taught and learned.

This isn't about more communication. It's about meaningful connection.

This is for bold leaders ready to transform parent engagement.

The best part? This doesn't require superhuman effort. Just a shift in approach.

Download your 5 Gears Diagnostic here! It only takes 10 minutes and will show you exactly which gear you need to focus on to create momentum across your entire school. https://schoolsofexcellence.com/gearsquiz

227. The Staff Culture Gear Mar 24, 2025

Show notes

The fourth in the 5 Gears series, this episode dives deep into the Staff Culture Gear.

Here’s a surprising truth about staff culture: It's not just about having great benefits or competitive pay. A comprehensive retention ecosystem goes beyond the basics. Using Schools of Excellence’s Retention Intelligence Framework, we examine how school leaders can build an environment where staff can thrive and grow.

What you’ll learn:

Why creating a retention ecosystem is crucial for long-term staff success.
How fostering a positive school culture and strong peer relationships can significantly improve teacher retention.
Actionable strategies school leaders can implement to enhance retention and create a thriving educational environment.

Don’t miss these powerful insights that will help you build a school culture where teachers want to stay and grow.

Download your 5 Gears Diagnostic here! It only takes 10 minutes and will show you exactly which gear you need to focus on to create momentum across your entire school. https://schoolsofexcellence.com/gearsquiz

226. Be This, Not Just Buy This: Identity Marketing for Schools with Veronica Romney Mar 19, 2025

Show notes

Why do some schools effortlessly attract families while others struggle — despite offering the same features, pricing, and programs?

The secret isn’t more Facebook ads or another website refresh. It’s identity.

In this game-changing episode of the Schools of Excellence podcast, I sit down with marketing expert Veronica Romney, author of Identity Marketing, to break down why schools that market with identity — not just benefits — win the enrollment game.

🔥 What You'll Learn in This Episode:

✅ The "Be This" vs. "Buy This" Marketing Shift – Why features and tuition rates don’t drive decisions (and what does)

✅ The Emotional Sale That Every School Must Master – What parents are really thinking when they say, "We love it, but we can’t afford it."

✅ The Two Identities at Play in Every Enrollment Decision – And how to speak to both (without sounding generic)

✅ Why Competing on Price Will Sink Your School – And how to make parents feel like choosing you is the best parenting decision they’ve ever made

✅ The One Marketing Exercise Every School Owner Should Do Right Now – To shift from fighting for enrollments to filling waitlists

This conversation will completely transform how you think about marketing and messaging for your school. If you're tired of competing on price and want parents to see your school as the only choice, this episode is a must-listen.

🎧 Listen now and start marketing with identity, not just features.

📖 Want to go deeper? Grab Veronica’s book, Identity Marketing, and unlock the full framework for marketing that creates deep, lasting connections with families.

🔁 Loved this episode? Share it with a fellow school owner and leave a review — it helps more leaders transform their schools with powerful marketing strategies!

225. The Financial Health Gear Mar 17, 2025

Show notes

Warren Buffett famously said: “Only when the tide goes out do you discover who has been swimming naked.”

Right now, the financial tide is going out. And many school leaders are about to be exposed.

MYTH: As long as your school is mostly full, you're financially healthy.

Many school leaders believe that high enrollment equals financial success. When your classrooms are full and parents seem happy, you might think you're doing great. This myth persists because enrollment numbers are tangible, visible, and feel like an immediate measure of success.

But here's the brutal truth: Enrollment doesn't equal profitability.

Why This Myth Will Destroy Your School

Meet Jen, a school owner who thought she was doing just fine. From the outside, her school looked perfect. Full classrooms. Happy parents. But beneath the surface, a financial disaster was brewing.

When we first met Jen, she was running 11 school locations and thought she was doing everything right. Her revenue looked solid on paper. She was expanding. But beneath the surface, she was bleeding money in ways she couldn't see.

Her day started at 4:37 AM, fueled by desperation and coffee. Despite managing multiple locations, she was working harder, not smarter. Her operational costs were eating through potential profits. She was spending $30,000 monthly on management that could have been streamlined to $15,000. Her inefficient leadership structure meant she was personally handling tasks that could be delegated, costing her time and money.

Her financial strategy wasn't just about numbers. It was about reclaiming her life.

Here's something I want you to really hear: Profit isn't a dirty word. It's your mission's oxygen.

Profit means:

Paying your incredible teachers what they're TRULY worth
Creating mind-blowing learning experiences for kids
Building something that goes way beyond “just getting by”

Your vision isn't just a dream. It's a calling that needs financial fuel.

That’s why I encourage you to take our 6 Money Leaks Diagnostic now!

Visit: https://schoolsofexcellence.com/moneyleaks/

In just 10 minutes, you'll uncover:

The hidden money leaks bleeding your potential
Opportunities you didn't even know existed

The heartbreaking truth is 27% of private schools close within five years. Not because they're bad schools. Because no one showed them how to play the financial rules.

You're different. You're listening to this because you know there's more.

224. The Enrollment Gear Mar 10, 2025

Show notes

When was the last time you looked at your enrollment numbers and thought, “This is fine?” Many school leaders mistake “not terrible” for “optimal” — and it's costing them more than they realize.

One of our clients, Missy, thought her multi-location program was doing “fine” too. Her center wasn't full, but that was just the nature of that location ... or so she thought.

After implementing three specific systems, that same center enrolled 80 new families for the upcoming school year and five new immediate enrollments — all within 30 days.

The most surprising part? None of these changes required working longer hours.

What Missy discovered is something most school leaders don't realize: There's a profound difference between enrollment activity and enrollment results.

Most centers focus on what I call “red activities” — things that feel productive but don't actually drive enrollment. Meanwhile, the “green activities” — those closest to generating revenue — get pushed aside.

Is your school truly optimized for enrollment, or are you settling for “good enough?”

The truth is, most school leaders don't even realize how much potential revenue they're missing. That's why I created a 2-minute assessment that reveals exactly where your hidden enrollment opportunities lie.

Take the Five Gears Diagnostic Now! Visit: https://schoolsofexcellence.com/gearsquiz

In just 120 seconds, you'll discover:

If you're focusing on the right enrollment activities (most schools aren't)
Which of your current practices are actually costing you enrollments
Your exact score compared to schools that consistently maintain 95+% capacity

The difference between 75% and 95% enrollment isn't just a few extra children; it's tens of thousands in additional revenue and the freedom to focus on excellence rather than survival.

223. The 5 Gears: Your School's Operating System Mar 03, 2025

Show notes

We know the feeling of trying to juggle everything at once and feeling overwhelmed when we aren’t able to.

That’s why this episode introduces a Schools of Excellence proven framework that will revolutionize your school’s operating system. It’s called the 5 Gears, and it explores the idea that it’s impossible to work on everything at once.

Today we’re kicking off a 6-part series during which Chanie will break down each of the gears: enrollment, staff retention, parent engagement, financial health, and strategic growth.

In this first episode, you’ll learn

Focused improvement leads to better outcomes than juggling multiple objectives.
Strategic maintenance is crucial while working on active improvement.
Every gear requires multiple people working at different levels.
Identifying the priority gear is essential for effective leadership.

Remember: long-lasting change happens when you focus on just 2 gears at a time while the rest are in strategic maintenance mode.

Download your 5 Gears Diagnostic here! It only takes 10 minutes and will show you exactly which gear you need to focus on to create momentum across your entire school. https://schoolsofexcellence.com/gearsquiz

222. Your Enrollment Advantage Feb 24, 2025

Show notes

This episode looks a little different. Chanie was recently joined by school leaders wanting to fill their programs without spending a dollar on marketing.

During this exclusive roundtable replay, three education leaders will share:

How one school enrolled 27 new students using only their enrollment system
The calendar structure that helped another secure 15 new enrollments
The exact process that led to 7 premium enrollments through strategic time blocking

The secret to their success isn’t about fancy marketing tactics or complex sales funnels. It’s about having the right system that does the heavy lifting for you.

Ready to implement the system behind these 49 enrollments? Check out our NEW Enrollment Engine now! https://schoolsofexcellence.com/enrollment-engine/

221. The 4 Silent Saboteurs of Enrollment: First Impressions, Trust, Confidence, and Follow-Through Feb 17, 2025

Show notes

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220. Your Road Map to 25% Growth Feb 13, 2025

Show notes

Every school leader we talk to is feeling the same crushing pressure:

Enrollment numbers are dropping
Marketing costs are skyrocketing
Parents are becoming more selective than ever

Schools of Excellence has studied hundreds of schools who broke through the enrollment ceiling. They are not spending more money on marketing, a fancy website, or desperate discounts and panic pivots. They have done a complete system overhaul of intentional growth.

This episode, Chanie walks you through the strategic shifts that you can make today to revamp your enrollment ecosystem.

It all starts with three principles for success:

Mindset before mechanics.
Systems before tactics
Calendar before marketing

These changes can be made without spending a dollar on marketing and without putting in extra hours.

Tune in now!

If you're looking for how to actually manage your leads, do parent follow-up, create a parent referral system, and turn all of your staff into enrollment champions, check out our Enrollment Engine here!

YOUR PATH TO 25% GROWTH STARTS TODAYhttps://schoolsofexcellence.com/enrollment-engine

219. Hedge Fund Parents: Why They're Rejecting Your Traditional School Model Feb 11, 2025

Show notes

Millennial and Gen Z parents are engaged in what feels like an academic arms race — treating their children's education like a life or death strategic operation — and for good reason.

On average, these parents will spend a quarter of a million dollars on their child’s education, not to mention the emotional energy and strategic planning they dedicate.

The enrollment pressure compounds as families look for the perfect school and center owners and directors seek to convince them theirs is the right choice.

Let’s simplify this picture a bit. What if we said all Millennial and Gen Z parents fall into one of three categories?

Today’s episode explores Millennial and Gen Z parent archetypes:

Value Seekers
Community Seekers
Mission-aligned Families

Think about your parent roster, we can guarantee all your families fit into one of these archetypes.

Inside our new Enrollment Engine Program, we teach you how to identify your dominant parent avatars; craft messaging that feels like connection, not a sales pitch; and build trust through radical authenticity and accountability.

Ready to transform your enrollment? RESERVE YOUR SPOT NOW! https://schoolsofexcellence.com/enrollment-advantage/

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