🧩 Enrollment Tetris - Tips for Back to School

Today’s Issue: Summer Time Blues; Guest Post! Back to School Fun; ECE in the News = 1 cup of coffee.

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⛱️ Summer Is Coming to an End: Ah, August. The dog days of summer. The back-to-school panic. The final hurrah before pumpkin spice takes over the planet. But why is this month called August? Why not Suntember? Well, the eighth month was named after Augustus, Rome’s first emperor. 🏛️ He doubled the Empire in his tenure and business was so good, he even personally owned Egypt at one point. ECE leaders, take a deep breath, relax with the remaining time your summer has to offer. You got this!

🚀 Don’t forget to read our guest blog post on juggling enrollment with back to school below! 👇👇

Quick Reader Poll

Tetris Leadership: Turning Enrollment Whiplash Into Wins

We are excited to welcome back one of our favorite industry experts, Jaime Rechkemmer with Aim4Impact Consulting to share her thoughts on how to help better manage the back to school craze. Be sure to READ her entire article in the blog post below!! 👇 👇 👇

The Enrollment Juggle: It’s Just a Puzzle to Solve

Your class lists — the ones you just printed — are already outdated. Two new children are starting tomorrow. One family just let you know they’re leaving. A teacher texted at 6:15 a.m. to say they won’t be in.

Welcome to the season where rosters are less like neat spreadsheets and more like a live game of Tetris — and you’re playing blindfolded. (BTW: I play Tetris every night, hold my lifetime highest score like it’s an Olympic medal, and yes — I’m completely, unapologetically obsessed in the best possible way.)

If you’re a director or teacher right now, you’re not imagining it. These are some of the most chaotic months of the year. Schedules are in flux. New hires are still learning the ropes. Enrollment changes daily. And yet… parents and children are counting on us to project calm, stability, and consistency.

Which means you’re probably doing what every good leader does in times like this: you’re faking it ’til you make it.

Keep reading Jaime’s words of wisdom HERE! Just click the button below for the complete article!

‼️👇Click Here ‼️👇

☀️ 🕶️ Back-to-School Time Capsule: A Sweet Start to the School Year!

Looking for a fun, low-stress way to kick off the school year? Try this Back-to-School Time Capsule activity! It’s a unique twist that gets kids giggling, thinking, and learning—all while giving you something adorable to pull out in June.

Here’s how it works:

Each child gets a paper “time capsule” (a decorated envelope or a small box works great). Inside, they place:

• A self-portrait

• A tracing of their hand

• Their favorite color, food, and song

• A photo or Polaroid (optional but cute!)

• A “When I grow up I want to be…” answer

For extra fun, ask them to predict something silly—like how many teeth they’ll lose this year or how tall they’ll be in the spring.

Seal everything up, label it with their name and the date, and stash them away until the last week of school. You’ll be amazed at the laughs and awws when you open them up months later!

This activity doesn’t take much time or prep, but it builds connection, sparks conversation, and gives kids a sense of how much they’ll grow and change. Plus, it makes for a fantastic keepsake for families.

Want to add a level?! Have the teachers make their own, too. The kids love seeing what their grown-ups dreamed of when the year began!

ECE In The News

😖 Not Enough Time for ECE Teachers: The University of Georgia just released a new study showing that ONLY 10% of ECE teachers have enough time to complete their work. While all other teachers (think K-12) have built in time for lesson and other prep, ECE teachers on average get 37 minutes LESS per week than their peers. Talk about adding more stress to the job…Ouch! 🤕 (Read more HERE)

👼🏼 China to Offer New Childcare Subsidy: Sometimes it’s interesting to learn what’s happening around the world in the ECE space! We’ve all heard that birth rates are in decline around the globe and leaders are trying to help get more babies! Well, it looks like in China, they are now giving out more subsidies to support higher birthrates and working families. 🐣 (Read more HERE)

The Internet is a Playground:

🗓️ On this Day in History: In 1861, Abraham Lincoln imposed the FIRST federal income tax in the history of the US to help fund the Civil War efforts. Guess we didn’t roll that one back. 💸

🥱 That’s Useful: Have a bad night of sleep? Here are some thoughts on how to get through the day.

🐠 Draw & Rank: Do you feel that you have what it takes to draw the perfect fish? Test it out HERE!

🦆 Aww: Keep that duck on a leash!!

YOUR VOICE COUNTS

Is there a topic you want more info on or want to share a funny story? Then let us know! Shoot us a quick email at [email protected]. This newsletter is for you, and well, you should have a say, don't’ you think?

📚 Sources

1. University of Georgia Study

2. China Subsidy

3. Aim4Impact