Is CAST only for early childhood leaders?

Our focus is early childhood leaders, and that’s who the community is built around. Other educational administrators or leaders of nonprofits and small organizations are welcome too, especially if you care about human-centered leadership and want to learn alongside others.

How much time will this take?

Take what you need and give what feels good. Some members pop in for a few minutes during the week, and others join the conversations, gatherings, and experiments more often. There’s no wrong way to show up.

Do I need to have all the answers or be an expert?

No. CAST is a place to practice leadership, not perform it. You can start by watching, sharing a single sentence, or diving right in. Every contribution counts, and “I don’t know, let’s think about it together” is welcome here.

What does membership cost, and can I cancel anytime?

CAST membership is $180 per quarter or $660 per year, and it includes a 7-day free trial so you can step in and see if it feels like home. If you need an invoice or more information for your employer, just ask, and we’ll provide it.

CAST, ILC

CAST is an intentional learning community for early childhood leaders who shape the systems, policies, and cultures that support children, families, and educators. Directors, coaches, technical assistance providers, system leaders, and policy advocates all lead here, from the roots to the canopy.

Leading can be lonely. Few spaces exist for supervisory and administrative leaders to be both leaders and learners, and the isolation and overwhelm many of us feel are structural, not personal. CAST is the human infrastructure that has been missing: a place where you don’t have to have all the answers or carry the complexity alone.

Our approach is Be, Connect, Advance. We start with grounded, curious presence, build real relationships instead of transactional networking, and move forward together through collective action. CAST is both a greenhouse for growth and a gathering table where leaders are nourished and challenged, and where joy is an act of resistance.

Whether you’re in year one or year ten of leading, there’s a seat for you. We center and amplify the voices of historically marginalized leaders, because an equitable early childhood system needs equitable leadership development.

Outcomes

Move from isolation and overwhelm to connection and clarity

Lead with humanity first, without having all the answers

Build real relationships, not just transactional connections

Practice leadership through a steady rhythm of reflection

Run small leadership experiments and learn out loud

Celebrate wins, big and small, and name the heavy weeks

Find thought partners who understand the complexity of ECE

Join a collective movement for equitable, joyful ECE systems

What's included?

A steady rhythm of practice

Weekly check-ins and a monthly cycle of reflection, connection, and small leadership experiments. Practice, not one-off professional development.

Member-built resource library

Leadership resources shared by members, plus space to talk through early childhood policy without judgment.

A gathering table

Thought partners who understand your work, real-time chat for unwinding, and a place to celebrate wins big and small.

Room to grow your work

Share job openings, promote your services, and request access to a space for members building their own business or practice.

Monthly Office Hours

Finding Your Flow at the CAST Gathering Table: a monthly event to bring your real questions and learn alongside other leaders.

Who is this for?

Program leaders and directors: Guiding and championing early childhood programs and craving a space to grow as leaders, too.

Coaches and technical assistance providers: Supporting other leaders across the ecosystem while still needing thought partners of your own.

System leaders and state administrators: Driving change across communities and states, and looking for human connection alongside the strategy.

Policy leaders, researchers, and advocates: Shaping the policies that affect children, families, and educators, and wanting to talk policy without judgment.

Leaders at every stage: From your first year to your tenth, whether you’re building a strong foundation or thinking about your legacy.

FAQs