Directors are the caretakers of everyone.
Who is taking care of you?
Rooted is a first-of-its-kind support system for early childhood directors — we offer expert coaching, tools, and trainings designed to work together and transform your entire program.
Please Note: Rooted is currently available only to early childhood programs located in the state of Maine. We look forward to expanding to additional states in the future!
Pause for a moment.
Why did you become a teacher?
What brings you joy in your work?
What drains you?
We ask these questions because they matter — not just to reflect, but to reclaim.
We help directors implement intentional practices to reduce what drains them and bring purpose and joy back into their work.
It starts with your vision.
We’ve built the kind of program directors dream of.
Most directors can’t imagine a program where…
– Staff love showing up and stay for years
– Teachers support each other and grow together
– Parents line up years in advance to enroll
– Directors have energy left at the end of the day
But that’s exactly what we built — not once, but over and over again.
Over 40+ years in early childhood education, we developed a system of leadership, support, and operations that transformed a one-room program into a multi-site school serving hundreds of families, all through organic growth and word of mouth.
Here’s what that looked like in practice:
🌱 Staff retention 8x the industry average — teachers felt valued, supported, and invested in
🌱 Zero marketing spend — every new family came through reputation and referral for the first 20 years
🌱 2-year waitlists — families held spots before their children were even born
🌱 Thriving team culture — teachers loved their 1-on-1 director check-ins and leaned on each other
🌱 Self-funded expansion — 4 state-of-the-art campuses built entirely from program revenue
🌱 Transformational impact — children who struggled elsewhere often flourished here
🌱 Strong family relationships — parents turned to directors and teachers for guidance and support
This wasn’t luck — it was the result of a repeatable system developed through decades of hands-on leadership. And it’s the foundation of everything we teach through Rooted.
You don’t have to reinvent the wheel.
Many of the challenges directors face today have been solved before — we know what works, and we’re here to share it.
What We Hear From Directors Every Day
“How do I get my teachers to do what I want them to do?”
“How do I get my teachers to understand development?”
“I’m new to this role and I need to help getting organized.”
“I’m having trouble hiring, what do I need to do?”
“I don’t know anything about marketing…how do I market my program?”
“I’ve never managed finances before…is there a process I should follow?”
“My days are crazy, how am I supposed to have time for planning?”
“I know something’s off — but I don’t know how to fix it.”
You're not alone. These are the kinds of questions directors ask us every day.
And here’s the good news:
We’ve built a system to answer them — not with generic advice, but with real tools, expert coaching, and proven practices developed in some of the most successful early childhood programs in the country.
Whether it’s staff development, enrollment, supervision, or operations — Rooted helps you solve the problems that feel unsolvable.
What Directors Say They Really Get From Rooted
Many directors come to us looking for tools or advice.
But here’s what they often walk away with:
🌱 The Confidence to Lead Your Program
“In the past, I’ve felt like I’m on an island. I don’t have anywhere to check myself. Now I feel confident leading my program."
🌱 Re-alignment With Your Purpose
“I want to do the right thing for kids, teachers, and parents. I find that Rooted mirrors that intention. It’s given me the confidence that this work IS a good thing to do and it gives you a system to do that. It’s connected me back to WHY I started doing this work in the first place.”
🌱 Time Back and Peace of Mind
“These systems and tools mean I’m not spinning my wheels anymore. I’ve stopped reinventing the wheel every week. Everything Rooted provides works together.”
Rooted is your partner in sustainable, effective and inspired early childhood leadership.
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🌱 Responsive coaching
Get answers and compassionate guidance from expert directors who’ve been in your shoes.
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🌱 On-Demand Trainings
Learn systems for running smoother operations, supporting your team, and creating wellness.
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🌱 Tools that Save Time
Budgeting models, well planned teacher trainings, supervision guides, and more.
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🌱 A Director-Only Community
Ask questions, swap advice, and get support.
What You Get
Your Rooted membership includes a full year of integrated support designed to elevate every part of your program
🌱 Personalized Director Coaching
1:1 support from expert directors who know the realities of the role.
🌱 Director Training System
A comprehensive leadership curriculum grounded in systems thinking, strategy, and self-care. Designed to transform your operations and mindset — and fulfill PD hours.
🌱 Staff Training System
A full year curriculum of teacher trainings aligned to best practices and licensing requirements and intentionally sequenced to scaffold learners. We position you as the facilitator of your team’s growth but fully supported with all materials — saving you time and raising the bar.
🌱 Financial Tools & Models
Proven budgeting tools, tuition calculators, compensation frameworks, and enrollment planning guides that improve financial sustainability and long-term growth.
🌱 Time-Saving Operational Resources
Supervision templates, staff meeting agendas, onboarding checklists, and more — everything designed to work together, not as one-offs.
🌱 Supportive Peer Community
A private space to connect with other directors, share strategies, and feel less alone.
🌱 RootedAI
Unlimited messaging with our proprietary intelligent chatbot — available anytime you need guidance.
Limited Spots
Please note we’re only working with a limited number of programs at a time to ensure we can provide deep, hands-on, transformative support.
SEEDS
Our work is grounded in our proprietary SEEDS Framework
We help you plant the foundations for sustained excellence in your Early Childhood program
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In understanding how everything is interconnected, we help you build integrated systems, create wellness, improve program quality, and save time.
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Your teachers are your most valuable asset. Through our ‘teacher first’ strategy, we help you support, develop, appreciate and retain them.
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Self-care is critical. We teach you how to create schedules, policies and expectations to preserve everyone's energy and motivation.
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Lead with clarity. We help you use a clear mission and vision to simplify decision making, align your team, and attract families who are the right match for your program.
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Financial wellness is critical to program success. From budgeting to daily planning, we show you how to create efficiency, effectiveness, predictability and intentionality for you and your program.
Training Spotlight
Director Training System
A Complete Leadership System — Built by People Who’ve Been There
At Rooted, our director trainings are more than isolated workshops — they provide a full operating system for your program.
Each training fits into a carefully designed framework developed over decades by leaders who’ve actually built and run top-tier programs. You’re not getting generic PD. You’re getting proven systems — for hiring, supervision, financial planning, classroom observation, and more — all designed to work in concert with one another to transform your program.
A few of our most-loved director trainings:
How to Create a Mission Statement that Guides and Grounds Your Program
Reconnect with what brought you to this work, learn how to craft an effective mission statement and use it as a powerful strategic decision making tool within your program.Teacher Supervision - How to Get Teachers to Do What You Want
Replace awkward check-ins with a clear system for supporting teachers, building rapport, and positioning yourself as a facilitator of your teachers’ growth to hold them to high standards and help them get there.Developing Collaborative Parent Relationships & Establishing Effective Communication Vehicles
Learn about the foundations of collaborative parent relationships and parent communication systems and involvement practices that foster strong parent partnerships.How to Take Control of Your Time as a Director
Learn about what drives director burnout and how to regain control of your schedule using simple frameworks, effective boundaries, and habits that actually work.
Every training includes:
🌱 Step-by-step systems & frameworks you can apply immediately
🌱 Real-world examples from high-functioning programs
🌱 Tools, templates, and reflection prompts
🌱 Led by experienced early childhood leaders
But we know trainings alone aren’t enough.
So we combine them with:
RootedAI, your on-demand assistant for instant answers and implementation help
1-on-1 coaching, for personalized support from experts who understand your world
A peer community, so you can connect with other solving the same problems
Teacher Training System
Rooted Provides 12 Month’s of Ready-to-Use Teacher Trainings That Save You Time and Strengthen Your Team
We know how hard it is to carve out time for meaningful professional development. That’s why Rooted offers a full year of pre-developed teacher trainings—each one designed to fit seamlessly into a 45–90 minute staff meeting.
Each training includes everything you need: a short video, ready-to-use slides, and practical activities that spark reflection and discussion. Topics are grounded in real classroom challenges and focused on what matters most—supporting children’s development, partnering with families, and growing as a team.
We position you—the director—as the facilitator of your staff’s learning and growth. We provide the structure, tools, and content - you and your team fill in the space.
These aren’t check-the-box trainings. Teachers love them and directors tell us they see stronger collaboration, deeper reflection, and more thoughtful classroom practice—often before the training even begins. Plus, each session can count toward staff professional development hours.
A few of our most-loved teacher trainings:
Social & Emotional Development: Meeting Children Where They Are Functioning
Understand typical and atypical development and behavior as a form of communication to facilitate skill-building.Managing Challenging Behaviors Through Skill-Building
Shift from reacting to teaching, and help children build the skills they need to succeed.Designing Intentional Curriculum & Classroom Environments
Build curriculum and set up spaces that improve learning outcomes for your programs goals.Establishing Meaningful Parent Partnerships & Navigating Difficult Conversations
Learn what forms the foundations of effective parent partnerships and how to approach tough topics.Reflecting on How Personal Emotional States Impact Classroom Culture
Help teachers build self-awareness and model emotional regulation for children.
Every training includes:
🌱 Teacher pre-training reflection guide to get teachers thinking before the training
🌱 Short director guidance video to give you a preview of training topics & tips
🌱 Powerpoint slides, reflective prompts, and educational videos to facilitate the training
🌱 Teacher handouts & cheat sheets that teachers can take back to their classrooms
Hear from our founders
David Shapiro
Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
Robin Shapiro
Co-Founder & Chief Learning Officer (CLO)
If your cup feels empty, you’re not alone.
Most directors are endlessly meeting the needs of children, parents, and teachers. It’s easy to feel like the job is just too much.
But here’s the truth
Your role doesn’t have to be this hard.
We’re here to fill your cup.
What directors are saying
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"The Rooted team is absolutely incredible. The impact they’ve had on my program is life changing. I cannot recommend them enough.”
Kelsey, Preschool Director
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“Before working with Rooted, I was on the verge of shutting down. I was burned out and desperate for guidance. Rooted changed everything — they gave me support I couldn’t find anywhere else and inspired me in new ways.”
Amanda, Preschool Director