ABOUT US
Built in the Classroom.
Proven at Scale.
Our story, our mission, our approach, and the values behind every placement, training and support — ECE Talent Partners exists because early childhood education deserves a talent partner who has actually lived it.
Lori Ashmore
Founder & CEO
Lori Ashmore didn't start her career behind a desk. She started in a classroom.
Lori started her career owning an in-home daycare. She then joined Primrose Schools as a toddler teacher — one of the nation's most respected early childhood education brands. What began in the classroom quickly grew into something much larger. Her passion for children, her natural leadership, and her deep commitment to quality education propelled her from toddler teacher to School Director, then Regional Director, to Franchise Business Coach, and ultimately senior roles in development — all within ECE's most demanding and respected organizations. She brings experience from nationally recognized ECE organizations such as Primrose Schools, Children’s Lighthouse, and Children’s Learning Adventure, where she supported high‑quality hiring, operational excellence, and center growth.
Along the way, Lori didn't just observe what makes early childhood education work. She lived it. She hired staff, lost staff, and fought hard to keep the best ones. She built teams from scratch, navigated turnover, managed licensing compliance, and understood firsthand that the single greatest challenge facing every childcare center in America isn't curriculum or facilities — it's people.
With 20+ years of progressive ECE leadership — including senior roles at Primrose Schools and Children's Lighthouse — Lori rose through the ranks leading franchise development, multi-site operations, broker channel strategy, and acquisition programs that drove national unit growth. She earned the Certified Franchise Executive (CFE) designation from the International Franchise Association, placing her among an elite group of early childhood education professionals nationwide.
But through every leadership role and every milestone achieved, Lori never forgot where she started — in a classroom, with toddlers, doing the most important work in the world.
That's why she founded ECE Talent Partners. The early childhood education industry deserves a partner who truly understands it — not from the outside, but from every level within it. From toddler teacher to CEO, Lori has lived every role, led every team, and faced every hiring challenge that ECE leaders face today. That experience is the foundation of everything ECE Talent Partners does:
ECE Talent Partners exists because great early childhood education starts with great people — and finding, placing, training, and supporting great people is what Lori Ashmore was born to do.
Connecting
great people
with greater purpose
Our Mission
To strengthen early childhood education from the inside out — connecting exceptional people with programs where they'll thrive, developing them once they're there, and guiding the owners who build the places where children grow.
Our Vision
A future where every child's classroom is led by a prepared, supported, and valued educator — and where no great program's growth is ever limited by its ability to find great people.
Our Approach
How We Work
At ECE Talent Partners, we specialize in four key services and one proven method designed to elevate early childhood education programs across the nation.
Recruiting & Staffing
Connecting centers with passionate, qualified educators and leaders who are the right fit from day one — backed by our 90-day guarantee.
Job Search & Placement
Helping ECE professionals find meaningful roles where they can grow and thrive — always free to candidates, with a signing bonus for starting strong.
Training & Resources
Practical, real-world professional development through ECE Talent Academy that strengthens teams, reduces turnover, and elevates care.
Consulting & Support
Expert guidance for owners hiring, expanding, buying, or building — stronger operations, better culture, confident growth.
1
Discover
We assess the real situation first — your program, your people, your goals. We never propose solutions before fully understanding the problem.
2
Design
No cookie-cutter answers. Every search profile, training plan, and growth strategy is built for your organization, your team, and your goals.
Deliver
3
We execute, measure, and stay — check-ins through Day 90, guarantees we honor, and partners who are stronger and more independent when we're done.
WHAT GUIDES US
Our Values
Everything we do is guided by one belief: the workforce IS the program. These are the values behind every placement, every training, and every partnership.
👶
Children First, Always
Every decision we make traces back to a classroom. We place educators, train teams, and advise owners — but the real beneficiaries are the children whose days are shaped by the people we help put in front of them. If it's not good for children, it's not good business.
🚀
We've Lived It
We're not recruiters who discovered childcare — we're childcare operators who became recruiters. We've taught in the classrooms, run the schools, and led growth for national brands. We vet talent and advise owners with judgment that only comes from doing the work.
🎓
Teachers Are Professionals
Early educators deserve to be treated like the professionals they are. Our services are always free to candidates, every teacher we place receives professional development through ECE Talent Academy, and we put a signing bonus in their pocket for starting strong.
🤝
We Stand Behind Our Work
Every placement carries our 90-day guarantee — three times the industry standard — because confidence in your work shouldn't need an asterisk. Our pricing is transparent, our terms are in plain language, and we only make promises we can keep.
🗣️
Honesty Over Hype
We'll tell you the truth — about a candidate, a school you're thinking of buying, or whether we're the right fit. Sometimes that means recommending you walk away from a deal, or telling you exactly what a certification does and doesn't cover. Trust is built in those moments.
🏢
Partnership Over Transactions
We're not here for one placement — we're here for your program's whole journey, from your first hire to your fifth location. We measure success in long relationships, thriving schools, and educators who found more than a job. Great people, greater purpose.