More Than We Imagined: Using Appreciative Inquiry to Thrive Through Everyday Challenges by Ellen M. Drolette

Early childhood professionals regularly navigate unpredictable situations: big feelings, complex behaviors, competing demands, and the constant balancing of children’s needs, family expectations, and program requirements. Whether you’re an administrator, a family child care provider, or a center-based educator, these everyday challenges can stretch your capacity and shape the climate of your work.

This webinar explores how Appreciative Inquiry offers practical tools for responding to challenging moments with clarity, presence, and intention. Drawing from the book More Than We Imagined by Ellen M. Drolette, we’ll examine how what we notice, amplify, and choose to focus on can shift the trajectory of an interaction and open up new possibilities. Participants will learn strengths-based strategies that support well-being, build trust, and promote resilience across early childhood settings.

You’ll walk away with actionable approaches rooted in play, connection, and reflection—approaches that help reduce stress, strengthen professional relationships, and create conditions where both adults and children can thrive.

Learning Objectives

1. Explain how Appreciative Inquiry principles support well-being and resilience: Describe how the questions we ask—and the meaning we assign to situations—influence our responses during challenging moments.

2. Identify how small shifts in adult response impact emotional safety and learning: Recognize how tone, presence, and interpretation shape outcomes in family child care settings, centers, and administrative roles.

3. Apply strengths-based strategies that turn difficult interactions into opportunities for growth: Use curiosity, reframing, and a focus on what’s working to guide decision-making and problem-solving.