About Kimberlee Hendricks (Edit profile)

Kimberlee Hendricks is the managing director of the McCormick Center for Early Childhood Leadership. With over 21 years of experience as a former owner and operator of a child care center in Chicago’s South Loop community, Hendricks brings a wealth of passion and real world experience to her role. Previously, she served as a faculty member and early childhood department chair at National Louis University, where she developed and led courses for future educators.

She has served in the corporate education and publishing space and has presented early childhood business and professional workshops both locally and nationally. She holds a Master of Arts in Early Childhood Education, Curriculum, and Instruction from Howard University and is pursuing a Doctorate in Curriculum, Advocacy, and Policy at National Louis University.

Her work has been featured in Crain’s Chicago Business, Black Enterprise Magazine, The Chicago Tribune, and Ebony Magazine. Kimberlee has also appeared on NBC and WCIU as an early childhood thought leader. As a member of the City of Chicago’s Minimum Wage Increase Task Force, she has advocated for wage equity across sectors, but most notably on behalf of the early childhood profession.

A graduate of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Program, Hendricks has collaborated with child care business and development organizations nationwide. She is a member of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and serves on the Commission on Professional Excellence in Early Childhood Education.