Our story
Why Premier Educators exists.
Early childhood programs depend on people. But finding qualified educators quickly is often one of the hardest parts of running a school. Premier Educators was created to build a better system.
01 / The problem
A specialized sector. Unspecialized systems.
Staffing in early childhood is fragmented and operationally difficult. Schools often rely on systems that were not designed for the sector. Qualifications, availability, geography, and classroom needs must all align—often with very little notice.
02 / The idea
Build around both sides of the marketplace.
Build a marketplace specifically around early childhood education. Make it easier for schools to access qualified talent and easier for educators to access opportunities. Not just more connections—the right connections, supported by people who understand the work.
03 / Building the marketplace
The work behind a better network.
Building Premier meant solving both sides of the marketplace, together.
Founder, Premier Educators
Chris McDermott
Chris founded Premier Educators after working across business, education, and operations and seeing firsthand how difficult staffing could be for early learning organizations.
Premier became an opportunity to build the kind of system he believed the sector needed: specialized, responsive, technology-enabled, and built around the needs of both schools and educators.
04 / Continuing the mission
The next chapter
In 2025, Premier Educators was acquired by Zen Educate. Founder Chris McDermott joined Zen to continue building in early childhood education, bringing Premier’s marketplace experience and early childhood expertise onto a larger platform.
Premier’s original mission continues through that work today.
Chris McDermott
Founder, Premier Educators
Head of Early Childhood Education, Zen Educate · U.S.
Premier Educators joined Zen Educate in 2025.
© 2026 Premier Educators