In this episode, Adrianne Agulla, CEO of Hamilton Heights Child Development Centers in Nebraska and the true definition of an education entrepreneur, joins Kris. Adrianne shares how she went from working in the corporate world to owning six successful daycares and a catering business called Milton’s Amazing Kitchen. Together, she and Kris talk about growing from three to six locations, empowering a leadership team, using VAs to streamline operations, creating a strong scorecard, and what it really takes to scale with excellence. Adrianne goes through the very real ups and downs of growing with intention and building a company that inspires.

Key Takeaways:

[6:19] Adrianne owns and operates Hamilton Heights Child Development Centers, with six centers across Nebraska. She originally purchased three as a package in 2017 and has grown from there. She also owns Milton’s Amazing Kitchen, a catering company focused on child nutrition.
[8:27] Hamilton Heights believes that it’s their professional responsibility to protect childhood from all of the external threats in today’s world, and they have a focus on play.
[9:31] Adrianne’s earlier career included leadership roles at Coca-Cola and ConAgra, before pivoting into child care.

[11:30] She juggles the business while raising three busy teenagers.

[13:46] Adrianne shares reflections plus a funny story about upgrading her wardrobe from a trip to Vietnam.
[15:19] What benefits Adrianne has found being part of the highest-level membership of the Child Care Success Academy: the Empire level.
[22:15] She explains her leadership structure, including a director of ops, finance lead, and a high-tenure team.

[24:15] The leadership team meets weekly to review scorecards and KPIs. Accountability plus support equals success.

[28:55] Adrianne shares how she works with three virtual assistants (VAs), including one for marketing, one for data and reports, and one for administrative support.

[31:05] She talks about the industry-wide challenge of attracting and retaining staff and how her company stays focused on its leadership vision.

[38:37] Her 2025 goals: simplify, streamline, and build an even stronger team.

[40:55] Why she acquired a catering business and how it’s improved their food program and opened new business channels.

Quotes:

• “We say that we’re very serious about play. And we believe that it’s our professional responsibility to protect childhood from all of the external threats in today’s world.” — Adrianne [8:27]

• “That combination of loyalty and commitment and tenure and then new energy and new ideas and fresh faces, has created a really, I think, a unique and just a sustainable culture.” — Adrianne [9:12]

• “We are working to create an Early Learning Company that inspires because of the opportunity it creates for staff, families, and children, and so we are just trying to be single-mindedly focused on what it means to create abundant opportunities for our staff from a professional development standpoint, from a wage standpoint, and from a benefit standpoint.” — Adrianne [34:40]

Sponsored By:

ChildCare Education Institute (CCEI)

Use code CCSC5 to claim a free course!

Mentioned in This Episode:

Kris Murray

@iamkrismurray

The Child Care Success Company

The Child Care Success Academy

The Child Care Success Summit

Grow Your Center

Childcare Education Institute: use code CDARenewal22 to get $100 off your renewal

Hamilton Heights Child Development Center

Milton’s Amazing Kitchen

Zac Alcampo, Creative Director at Grow Your Center, brings a fresh perspective to leadership, culture, and creativity in early education. With two decades of experience in the gaming industry, Zac is a dynamic entrepreneur and inventive strategist who has helped build immersive digital experiences that merge gamification, artificial intelligence, and user engagement. Now, he’s applying those same ideas to the world of child care — reimagining everything from team collaboration to marketing to parenting itself.

In this episode, Zac joins Kris to talk about gamification in parenting, business, and leadership. They cover how AI can boost productivity and creativity, how to use jam-style collaboration in your team culture, and how behavioral design can be a powerful tool in both the classroom and the breakroom.

Key Takeaways:

[6:15] Kris shares her summer travel adventures and spiritual coaching work.
[7:48] Zac joins from Minsk, Belarus, where he splits his days between parenting and leading creative tech projects.

[9:12] Zac explains how his video game industry background led him to gamify tools at Grow Your Center.
[13:24] From Microsoft to Bangkok startups, Zac’s global career shaped how he solves problems creatively and at scale.
[18:23] He shares how he co-parents a bilingual preschooler and how every moment becomes a playful game.
[25:51] Fun fact: Zac is a seasoned street dancer and battle organizer who once crowdfunded a street culture festival in Thailand!
[33:07] Kris and Zac talk about the tools that the GYC team uses to build next-level content.

[37:48] Zac explains how “art directing” AI is the key to using it effectively. It’s not about replacing creativity but amplifying it.
[45:31] Zac outlines the structure of a “session” — collaborative cycles that build energy, creativity, and connection.

[48:26] Gamification isn’t just games; it’s strategic behavior design. Done well, it increases engagement without being overwhelming.

[53:45] Ideas for using gamification in parent events, leadership retreats, classroom behavior, and team training.
[55:08] Tip: Split leaderboards into categories so everyone has a lane where they can win and feel valued.
[56:28] S3 clients will soon see new gamified systems for onboarding, tracking progress, and celebrating wins.

[58:59] Zac spills some beans on what’s coming to S3, including visual progress tools, Slack AI, and more rewards.

[1:01:35] Zac shares what he’s most excited about: launching the M3 platform (Marketing Made Easy) for 2026.

Quotes:

• “I always tell people, GYC is childcare center marketing on the outside, but inside it’s this crazy, cool tech, innovative kind of machine going on inside.” — Zac [9:40]

• “I have to say, I have a huge sense of purpose with everything that I’ve learned in my career beforehand and applying it to child care centers.” — Zac [12:10]

• “Everything turns into a game, and it’s quickly become like having a little best friend.” — Zac [18:50]

• “That’s the biggest thing, the mentality shift in the team, instead of like a doer, or just like, you know, a run-of-the-mill worker, really put into their heads to just act like the art director of what you’re doing, and use the AI as a pencil, a really, really fast pencil. And you still have to know what looks good. You still have to have your design principles and your theory in there, but you can just produce so much more content with that.” — Zac [40:11]

Sponsored By:

ChildCare Education Institute (CCEI)

Use code CCSC5 to claim a free course!

Mentioned in This Episode:

Kris Murray

@iamkrismurray

The Child Care Success Company

The Child Care Success Academy

The Child Care Success Summit

Grow Your Center

Childcare Education Institute: use code CDARenewal22 to get $100 off your renewal

Zac Alcampo LinkedIn

He’s back! The great Vernon Mason returns as one of the podcast’s most popular guests to help celebrate this milestone 200th episode. He and Kris reflect on leadership, legacy, and what it really means to be present.

In this episode, Vernon shares his beautiful wisdom and journey from growing up in an in-home child care program to building and selling a five-site child care business, and now helping grow The Nest into a 52-location powerhouse. Together, he and Kris chat about the realities of leadership today including accountability, toxic positivity, turnover trends, universal pre-K challenges, and financial uncertainty. They also remind us that every day is a gift, and leadership is all about showing up authentically, building real relationships, and staying grounded in gratitude.

Key Takeaways:

[6:15] Kris, the bucket list queen, talks about her adventure to the Middle Fork of the Salmon River.

[8:09] Vernon is the only person to be on the podcast three times!

[9:19] Vernon talks about being the “trifecta” in child care. He shares how he grew his child care company from one to five centers before selling, and how that transition shaped his leadership.

[16:18] Is labor starting to stabilize?

[22:04] The mindset to get out of fear-based leadership, crisis mode, and the scarcity mindset.

[24:26] The difference between toxic positivity and effective leadership and management.

[27:33] Strategies for accountability and preparing for the unknown in the future.

[30:15] The importance of both staying optimistic and taking action in the right direction.

[34:15] Building a parent referral reward program.

[38:29] Vernon talks about The Nest and maintaining relationships with leaders.

[42:47] Incentivizing teachers to stay present and view the classroom as a safe space.

Quotes:

• “We don’t have a dress rehearsal for this. This is the real show here, right? There are no do-overs, right? This is the life we’ve been given, and I want to make an impact. I want to be the best person that I can be.” — Vernon [15:17]

• “Accountability without a relationship is viewed as harassment.” — Vernon quoting Stephen [19:22]

• “Your people will never be more enthusiastic than leadership.” — Vernon [22:04]

• “Whatever you focus on most, you get more of.” — Vernon [25:57]

• “To me, presence is everything. That’s it. We only have this moment, so we’ve got to just juice it up and just be here for it.” — Kris [42:16]

• “The kids, they have that sixth sense, that intuition, they’re going to feel that whether the teacher is coming to the day with the energy of openness and presence or worry and stress and fear and arms crossed.” — Kris [44:41]

• “I really feel as if this industry is in my DNA.” — Vernon [46:52]

Sponsored By:

ChildCare Education Institute (CCEI)

Use code CCSC5 to claim a free course!

Mentioned in This Episode:

Kris Murray

@iamkrismurray

The Child Care Success Company

The Child Care Success Academy

The Child Care Success Summit

Grow Your Center

Childcare Education Institute: use code CDARenewal22 to get $100 off your renewal

Don’t Waste a Crisis, by Vernon Mason

The Nest

Kris welcomes The Sisters, Sister M. Mercedes Diaz and Sister Maria Consuela Garzón of St. Francis Daycare Center in Alton, Illinois, who also just happen to be the winners of the 2024 Child Care Rockstar Contest! In this episode, the sisters share their journey of leading a 45‑year‑old institution, discussing their leap into early childhood education without prior daycare experience, transforming systems post‑COVID, and embracing a “whatever it takes” mindset. Their story reveals the heart, courage, and excellence that define a true ECE rockstar.

Key Takeaways:

[4:31] M. Mercedes and Maria are the winners of our 2024 Child Care Rockstar contest!

[7:28] Their decision to join the Child Care Success Academy marked the start of crucial changes, moving from makeshift sticky-note systems to structured processes.

[8:08] More about St. Francis, located in Alton, Illinois.

[10:21] Fun Fact: One sister reveals her Dominican Republic roots and bilingual background, while the other shares her love for writing letters and a wild adventure running down an active volcano in Nicaragua.

[12:18] How their program has grown and changed since they came in.

[14:06] Having families pick their schedules.

[16:33] Implementing Kangarootime software.

[18:42] Enrollment and getting the word out about St. Francis.

[19:47] Learning what ECE meant — The Sisters have grown a lot!

[21:26] Sharing more about their 38 Mission partners.

[24:37] The Sisters discuss overcoming a “cray cray” work culture by embracing the right mindset, focusing on gradual improvement, professional development, and maintaining a clear goal.

[27:04] Advice to those who may be in a daunting work situation and out of their comfort zone.

[29:25] Taking baby steps toward your core values and getting employees bought in.

[30:38] What made The Sisters want to enter the Child Care Rockstar contest?

[34:40] Kris shares about the first ECE Conference she attended at NAEYC, the National Association for the Education of Young Children.

[37:00] The Sisters define a Child Care Rockstar, and the balance between heart and will.

Quotes:

• “All we had to go was up. So we were given that opportunity and the Academy gave us the tools that we needed.” — Sister Mercedes [14:00]

• “There’s such a great desire to share freely and it’s a really beautiful experience.” — Sister Mercedes on The Academy [16:08]

• “Even though you're scared, know what the goal is. In your mind, see it and keep your eye on it, and don’t be discouraged.” — Sister Mercedes [27:19]

• “The core value piece is one of the biggest shifts that you're going to make in their mindset as professional educators, and how you want them to show up too.” -— Kris [30:00]

• “I think a Child Care Rockstar is someone who has a huge heart and a courageous heart.” — Sister Maria [37:40]

• “A rock star is someone who can see the star, who can see where your goal is, and then take those steps courageously, fall and get up, have arguments and make up and be stronger because of it.” — Sister Mercedes [39:01]

Sponsored By:

ChildCare Education Institute (CCEI)

Use code CCSC5 to claim a free course!

Mentioned in This Episode:

Kris Murray

@iamkrismurray

The Child Care Success Company

The Child Care Success Academy

The Child Care Success Summit

Grow Your Center

Childcare Education Institute: use code CDARenewal22 to get $100 off your renewal

St. Francis Day Care Center