01Strategy
Why Child Care Is Still a Local Business
Families don't enroll because of a logo. They enroll because they trust the people — and quality is the only marketing that compounds.
5 min readRead →
The Journal · Field Notes
Two decades of building
schools, the hard way.
Hard-won lessons on leadership, operations, enrollment and growth in early childhood — written for the owners who run the building, not just admire it. No theory. Just what actually works.
Editor's pick · Leadership
We Have a Leadership Problem in the Childcare Industry
Not a staffing problem. Not a curriculum problem. The challenge we rarely name out loud — and why it changes everything.
7 min read
[ feature image — drop a photo of Marnie / a classroom ]
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Latest articles
Marnie Forestieri02Franchising
Childcare Franchising: The Brand Matters, But the Operator Matters More
A franchise can open the door and shorten the learning curve. The local operator decides whether families stay.
6 min readRead →
03Scaling
The Truth About Running Multi-Site Child Care Operations
A second school doesn't double your business. It often triples your complexity — here's what distance really costs.
7 min readRead →
04Leadership
One Director Can Make or Break Your School
Hiring the right director is the highest-leverage decision an owner makes — and the trait that matters most can't be trained.
6 min readRead →
05Hiring
The Biggest Leadership Mistake I Kept Making: Promoting Great Teachers Into Director Roles
The most expensive promotion in childcare: turning your best teacher into a director who never wanted the job.
6 min readRead →
06Turnarounds
Fix the Operations Before You Enroll More Families
You can't market your way out of an operational problem. Fix the building before you fill it.
8 min readRead →
08Hiring
The Teacher-Turned-Director Who Had It All Wrong
Ambition isn't readiness. The teacher who wants the title most isn't always the one who should have it.
7 min readRead →
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Work with Marnie
Stuck on the same problem in your center?
Whether you're hiring a director, fixing operations, or deciding when to grow — Marnie advises owners and operators on the decisions that actually move a school. Tell her where you're stuck.
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hello@marnieforestieri.commarnieforestieri.comOrlando, FL · Working with owners nationwide