LEAP Receives National Diaper Need Awareness Week Proclamation: A Journey of Growth
September 2024 | Lori Goodman As I walked up Farren Road early one morning, I began to reflect on the journey that led us to this momentous day. It all started with a phone call, a seemingly simple idea, and the courage to try something new. Back in 2020, my friend Wendi Ostroff called with […]
LEAP Receives International Children’s Day Recognition
JUNE 2024 | Lori Goodman I was honored to accept a resolution from the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors honoring LEAP Central Coast for International Children’s Day. I was given the opportunity to address the Supervisors. Here is what I said: I wish each one of you could have been at one of our […]
Embracing Change and Fostering Creativity: A Leadership Retreat Tale
January 2023 | Lori Goodman I’m one of those crazy people who likes change. I’m energized by the prospect of what could be. But, I know this quirk is not the norm. Most people approach change tentatively, and with skepticism. I’m also someone who believes work should be fun. I believe in building teams where […]
Let’s Dance! LEAP’s Partnership with the Santa Barbara Dance Institute
Movement, dance and play isn’t just fun, research shows that is helps improve memory, language, attention, emotional regulation and decision making. That’s why LEAP has formed a partnership with the Santa Barbara Dance Institute (SBDI) since 2021, aimed at fostering movement and dance activities at our Children’s Center. “Overall the pandemic had a big impact […]
Reflecting on a Five Year Anniversary
This week marks my five year anniversary leading IVYP. Those five years passed in the blink of an eye. The children who were students in our Children’s Center five years ago have all graduated. In January 2018, our community was recovering from the devastating debris flow. Five years later, we are grappling with recovery from […]
Reflections on the first week of 2022
If you follow the news, you’ve heard about the child care crisis and the “great resignation.” I fully expected things to be challenging with the omicron surge and no at home rapid tests available. We didn’t receive any updates from Public Health on how childcare or preschool should approach quarantines or isolation. On Monday, I learned […]
Vaccinations available to Child care staff
What a week this has been. Over the weekend, vaccine appointments for child care workers began to open up. Because our children’s center has been open and because I am connected to the Childcare Planning Council and to the ECE Director’s Roundtable, I was able to ensure that IVYP’s staff were included in the list. It was quite a ride.
COVID Pandemic – One Year Later
I want to take a moment to reflect on the past year. It was exactly one year ago that the world changed. On March 11, 2020, the NBA shut down and UCSB announced it was going to remote classes. On March 13, 2020, the public school announced they were closing for three weeks. We followed suit. Who could have imagined the year we would experience?
IVYP Statement Against Racial Injustice #anti-racism, #solidarity
IVYP is a diverse community. We honor our differences. This week anger and frustration sparked by the murder of George Floyd has ignited cities across America. We cannot be silent.
Corona virus is exposing our strengths and our weaknesses
I had the privilege of speaking to a UCSB class on Tuesday, just moments after an email was sent informing students that classes would be remote until the end of April. The focus of the class shifted from my leadership journey to how leadership strengths and weaknesses are revealed in a crisis.