Throughout my career in early childhood education, I have had the privilege of working alongside hundreds of educators, administrators, coaches, mentors, trainers, and Professional Development Specialists. I have served as a child care program owner, director, coach, trainer, instructional leader, and professional development administrator. In these roles, I have been responsible for supporting the growth and development of adults who, in turn, support children, families, and early learning programs.

The work has been rewarding, but over time I began to notice a significant gap in our profession.

The more I worked with coaches, mentors, trainers, and Professional Development Specialists, the more I observed a common pattern.

Many of these individuals including myself were selected for support roles because we were exceptional educators.

We understood child development.

We knew effective teaching practices.

We had years of classroom experience.

We were respected by our colleagues.

We were and are still passionate about helping others grow.

Yet despite our expertise, many of us had never received formal preparation for the new responsibilities we were being asked to perform.

The profession simply expects us to train adults.

The profession expected them to facilitate workshops and professional learning communities.

The profession expects us to coach teachers through challenges and improvement efforts.

The profession expects us to provide constructive feedback.

The profession expects us to lead quality improvement initiatives.

The profession expects us to support organizational change.

The profession expects us to influence adult behavior and practice.

However, very few of us received specialized training in adult learning theory, facilitation techniques, coaching strategies, mentoring practices, leadership development, instructional design, or professional learning systems.

Many of us were simply handed a new title and expected to figure it out on our own.

I have witnessed talented educators struggle with training because they had never learned how adults learn differently than children.

I have watched coaches attempt to support teachers without having a structured coaching framework.

I have observed mentors who deeply cared about helping others but lacked tools for guiding reflective conversations.

These professionals were committed.

They were hardworking.

They were passionate.

Most importantly, they were doing the very best they could with the knowledge and resources available to them.

But they deserved more.

As a leader overseeing training systems, I often found myself wishing there were more opportunities specifically designed for those who support adults in the early childhood profession. I saw educators receive training on child development, curriculum, classroom management, assessment, and family engagement. These are all important topics.

However, there was far less attention given to developing the people responsible for supporting the adults who implement these practices every day.

Who was supporting us the trainers?

Who was developing the coaches?

Who was preparing the mentors?

Who was investing in the Professional Development Specialists?

Who was helping these professionals build expertise in facilitation, adult learning, leadership, communication, and systems improvement?

Too often, the answer was no one.

This gap became increasingly apparent as I supervised coaches, coordinated professional development initiatives, managed training departments, and worked directly with educators across multiple settings. Again and again, I encountered talented professionals seeking guidance on how to become more effective trainers, coaches, and mentors.

They wanted to learn.

They wanted to grow.

They wanted to serve others at a higher level.

But there were limited pathways available to help them develop these specialized competencies.

Many professional development systems focus heavily on classroom instruction, yet there are fewer structured opportunities for those responsible for supporting adult learners.

As a result, many trainers, coaches, and specialists are left to learn through trial and error.

While experience is a valuable teacher, it should not be the only teacher.

Professional growth should be intentional.

It should be supported.

It should be grounded in research and best practices.

It should provide a clear pathway for developing the skills necessary to influence adult learning and organizational improvement.

Over time, this realization became impossible for me to ignore.

I recognized that if we wanted stronger educators, we needed stronger support systems.

If we wanted higher-quality teaching, we needed higher-quality professional development.

If we wanted lasting program improvement, we needed to invest in the individuals responsible for guiding that improvement.

Most importantly, if we wanted children to benefit from excellent teaching and learning experiences, we needed to ensure that the adults supporting educators were equipped with the knowledge, skills, and confidence necessary to lead effectively.

That belief became one of the driving forces behind the creation of Meliora Leadership Institute.

Meliora Leadership Institute was founded on the belief that coaches, mentors, trainers, leaders, and Professional Development Specialists deserve professional development, too.

They deserve opportunities to strengthen their skills.

They deserve access to research-based learning experiences.

They deserve support in developing their own professional identity and expertise.

And they deserve pathways that help them become more effective in supporting the educators who shape the lives of children every day.

The gap was clear.

The need was real.

And it was a gap I could no longer ignore.