What happens when you give your team agency, permission for joy, and the time to think deeply together? In this episode, Kris Ramos shares how her preschool team transformed through Powerful Play Foundations. Teachers ran into her office to share what they’d tried that day, Monday morning grumpiness faded, and a team with very different backgrounds began to see themselves as professionals.
I first met Kris as a preschool director in the beta group for Powerful Play Foundations where I watched her enthusastically transform her team’s culture. Now a speaker and trainer at The Inspired Llama, she helps faith-based early childhood programs improve practice, professionalism, and joy.
If you lead a team (or you’re a teacher who wants more joy in your work), you’ll hear:
- How “Why We Play” statements helped each teacher build confidence and explain play to parents
- Why a clear program purpose changes every decision you make
- How to build a culture where there’s “no failure,” just reflection and learning
- Why celebrating daily wins and starting the day with intention and gratitude protects against burnout
- What Kris looks for when hiring (hint: it’s more than loving kids)
- Where to stop spending your limited time and energy, from Pinterest-worthy walls to cutting out 13 bears
- How to help parents understand the “why” behind loose parts, open-ended art, and play-based learning
If you want to bring back joy AND professionalism for your team, this episode is for you.
You can also find Not Just Cute: The Podcast on Spotify and Amazon Music!
Notes from the Show:
(*May contain affiliate links.)
Explore Kris’ Website, The Inspired Llama and check out her trainings.
Try Powerful Play Foundations with your own team! It’s a director-led, ongoing professional development program designed for busy teams to help you build cohesive, confident, playful practice.
Related Resources:
Episode 78: We Could All Use the Science of JOY
Not Just Cute: How Powerful Play Drives Development in Early Childhood
Ready to explore play? My book, Not Just Cute: How Powerful Play Drives Development in Early Childhood, explores the spectrum of playful learning. It was written to be accessible, practical, and worth sharing with your whole team.
Find the book, a free study guide, and more here.
Show Highlights:
0:00 Intro: Amanda introduces Kris and what she saw from her team in the Powerful Play Foundations beta group
3:20 Kris’s path: from elementary assistant principal to a play-based preschool, where she stayed 10 years as a teacher and 9 as a director
5:50 How Powerful Play Foundations changed her team’s culture, giving teachers agency and permission for joy
8:45 Less rigidity, more “why not?”: letting go of rules that no longer made sense (like the slide)
10:25 Why We Play statements: each teacher wrote their own and shared it with families
13:20 The “who’s the expert?” exercise: calculating your years and hours of training
15:25 “The teacher is the most important student in the room” and why teachers need growth mindset tools too
18:45 Creating a safe place for teachers (and kids) to take risks
20:00 Reflective practice: there’s no failure, only something to learn from, plus celebrating daily wins
21:40 A hidden cause of burnout: education’s lack of a clear purpose
23:20 Kris’s program values, and how she explained “we are not a daycare” to parents
26:40 Teaching as a calling, and why you can’t pay teachers what they’re worth but you can treat them as professionals
29:10 Why deep, extended PD beats a one-hour webinar
30:25 Advice when your situation isn’t ideal: protect your energy and advocate for play
33:45 What Kris looked for when hiring: joy, open-mindedness, and a desire to keep growing
35:25 Starting each day with intention and gratitude
37:55 Budgeting your time: skip the Pinterest classroom and invest in connection
40:00 Walls as a scrapbook of learning, including the child-made alphabet
41:15 Process art and simple “creative boxes” instead of hours of prep
41:40 Sticky-note assessment that’s natural and meaningful
42:55 Shifting from “I build everything” to “we build this together”
44:10 Educating parents about loose parts and open-ended art, which builds teacher confidence too
46:15 Where to find Kris, her keynote The Most Important Student in the Room, and the story behind The Inspired Llama
