Adriana Batista-Guerra didn’t always see herself as a leader. The self-described introvert began her early education career as a family childcare provider and assumed leadership meant “picking up a banner” and advocating at the State House—activities well outside her comfort zone.

“I thought I would have to go and speak in front of a legislator,” she recalls. “There’s a place and time for that, and there’s a special person for that. And I am not this person.”

But through her participation in Leading for Change (LFC), Early Education Leaders’ entrepreneurial leadership program, Adriana’s definition of “leader” and “leadership” transformed. She came to see more clearly that her way of working with early educators—empowering them through mentorship and modeling—creates powerful ripple effects throughout the early education ecosystem.

Adriana’s journey in early education began 35 years ago shortly after her son, now 37, was born. Drawing on her teaching background from her native Brazil, she opened what she called a “little school” in her home where she cared for her son alongside other children.

“I am extremely thankful for what I did,” she says of her 23-year career as a family child care educator in Milton and Quincy.

Adriana eventually broadened her experience by closing her business and taking on other roles in the field. She earned her master’s degree from Wheelock College (now part of Boston University), worked as a mentor for a family child care accreditation project, and served as Director of Operations for a family child care system.

As I started going through the training, I realized there is a place for people like me who are shy, who don’t want to show off, but can still make a difference,” she explains.

Today, Adriana works with the Metro Boston Professional Development Center, coaching family child care providers. She also teaches courses at Urban College of Boston in both Spanish and Portuguese and serves as a Leading for Change facilitator, offering classes in Spanish and Portuguese.

Initially hesitant about participating in Leading for Change herself, she says she was transformed by the experience.

“As I started going through the training, I realized there is a place for people like me who are shy, who don’t want to show off, but can still make a difference,” she explains.

A quote from Stacey Abrams particularly resonated with her: “Even through your failures, even if you fail, you can learn and make a difference.” This insight shifted Adriana’s entire understanding of leadership. “I can lead from where I am and what I am doing at this time,” she realized. “It doesn’t matter if it’s big or small, I can make a difference in somebody’s life. You are a leader where you are.”

In her daily work, Adriana coaches family child care providers, many of whom face similar challenges to those she experienced. Using protocols like “peeling the onion” and “the five whys,” she helps educators identify and address the root causes of their challenges.

What makes Adriana’s approach unique is her emphasis on empowerment, transparency, and leading by example.

“My leadership style is empowering people,” she says. “Helping them open their minds, understand that they are worthy, and they make a difference every day in the work they do.”

Adriana recalls working with a young educator who had recently opened a family child care business after high school. When they met, the educator was looking for all the help she could get.

Through their coaching relationship, Adriana helped the young business owner strengthen her program, arranged a field trip to a Montessori school since the provider was interested in that approach, and encouraged her to enroll at Urban College to advance her education.

 “She’s on her third course at Urban College now,” Adriana says, noting that she is happy for the educator and all of the hard work she is completing.

For Adriana, leadership isn’t about grand gestures—it’s about the ripple effect of positive influence. She notes that every family child care provider works with at least six families, multiplying the impact of good leadership exponentially.

As Adriana continues to facilitate Leading for Change sessions and coach early educators, she remains committed to helping others recognize their own leadership potential.

“I enjoy Leading for Change because I see it making a difference in people’s lives,” she says. “It’s a wonderful opportunity for everyone. It’s a chance that I wish everyone had at one point in their careers.”

Leading for Change in Early Care and Education is our research-based, 40-hour leadership development program for frontline early educators, family child care providers, program administrators, and other early care and education professionals. It is currently offered in five languages to early educators in Massachusetts at UMass Boston and in partnership with the MA Department of Early Education and Care through the Professional Development Academy It is also available to educators in Maryland through our partnership with the Maryland Early Childhood Leadership Program, in New York through the Early Childhood Alliance Onondaga in Syracuse, and in Pennsylvania through the Pennsylvania Key and the Pennsylvania’s Office of Child Development & Early Learning. We are currently launching a Leading for Change partnership in Hawai’i, and we’ve piloted it with early educators in California.