Meet Our Staff
Miss Melissa
Director of Enrollment
Miss Melissa has been working at Kid Country since 2004 and holds an associate’s degree in early childhood education, a Level 1 Directors, Level 4 Early Childhood Education, and Level 4 Infant/Toddler credentials from the Illinois Gateways to Opportunity Professional Development System.
Miss Melissa is likely the first person you will hear from and speak to when you contact Kid Country! She also assists with the day-to-day operations of our center by handling all purchasing and anything else that needs to get done!
Miss Melissa’s role includes reaching out to our new leads, conducting tours, onboarding new families and handling anything that is parent, family or child oriented! That’s a big job that encompasses a lot of Kid Country’s day-to-day operations.
Miss Melissa is our Director of Enrollment. When not assisting the families here at Kid Country, Miss Melissa enjoys spending her time camping with family and friends, a good game night, and spending time in the warmth of the sun!
Miss Emily
Director of Personnel
Miss Emily has been working in childcare since 2010. She holds a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education leadership from Rasmussen College and a master’s degree in human resources management, plus Level 5 Early Childhood Education and Level 5 Infant/Toddler credentials from the Illinois Gateways to Opportunity Professional Development system.
Miss Emily’s role includes hiring, staff onboarding, professional development and supporting our teaching team. Creative Curriculum is practiced in all of our classrooms and Miss Emily ensures all staff are properly trained, prepared, and provided the resources needed to put the curriculum into action. With the proper classroom setup, materials, and interactions, the curriculum sets the foundation for the desire to learn. Our curriculum is individually based to provide the skill set needed for every child at their own pace and individualized to their unique style of learning. There is no “one size fits all” when it comes to creative curriculum. Miss Emily stays current with the curriculum through various training throughout the year as well as meeting with other directors and staff implementing the curriculum.
Miss Emily is our Director of personnel. When not furthering our staff’s education and trainings here at Kid Country, Miss Emily enjoys family trips to the zoo, diving deep into her favorite mystery shows, and spending time outside with her daughters.
Miss Michelle
Director of Operations
Michelle Brouillet holds a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education from Illinois State University. She has a Level 5 Early Childhood Education, Level 2 Infant/Toddler and Level 1 Directors credentials from the Illinois Gateways to Opportunity Professional Development system.
The Director of Operations works remotely but is an integral part of our administration team! All of our marketing is handled by this position, including our newsletters, Facebook posts, Instagram and more! She also handles all of our payment processing and ensures our children’s files are up-to-date. On the employee side, she manages our job postings, screening of applicants and sets up our interviews. Michelle may be “behind the scenes” but she keeps Kid Country running smoothly!
Miss Michelle was born and raised in Kankakee and recently planted new roots in Richmond, Texas. In Miss Michelle’s free time, you will find her watching her favorite sports team, relaxing at the beach or biking the trails.
Miss Bailey
Special Events Coordinator
Bailey Schubbe holds an associate’s degree from Joliet Junior College, focusing on early childhood education and Level 4 Early Childhood Education and Level 1 Directors credentials from the Illinois Gateways to Opportunity Professional Development system.
Special activities and events are another part of what makes Kid Country unique and a great choice for your child! Part of Miss Bailey’s role is to plan and coordinate an extensive summer field trip and special activity list, along with fun activities all year long. Some examples of our special events include our family fun night, fall fest, holiday show, graduation, classroom parties, Week of the Young Child celebration, grandparent teas, Thanksgiving feast, scholastic book fair, and story time with Miss Donna! Miss Bailey spends her mornings as a teacher in our Orange Owls classroom and then spends her afternoons planning our special events.
Miss Bailey is a born and raised Manhattan resident. In her free time she enjoys spending it with those who bring her joy, Seeing any type of live music, and being surrounding by nature, both near and far from home.
Miss Amy
Lead Teacher - Yellow Ducks
Miss Amy is our Yellow Ducks lead teacher and our closing director. She has been employed at Kid Country since 2021.
She holds a bachelor’s degree in early childhood leadership from Rasmussen College. She also holds a ECE Level 4 credential and Infant Toddler Level 4 credential from the Illinois Gateways to Opportunity Professional Development system.
Miss Amy has over a decade of experience with infants and toddlers. In her free time, Miss Amy enjoys spending time with her family watching Sports Entertainment, traveling to different water parks, and taking in the fresh air on long, leisurely bike rides.
Miss Kathy
Lead Teacher - Purple Parrots
Miss Kathy leads our Purple Parrots classroom and has been employed at Kid Country since 2017. She holds a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education from Governor’s State University, a level 5 Early Childhood Education and Level 4 Infant Toddler credentials from the Illinois Gateways to Opportunity Professional Development System.
Miss Karen
Lead Teacher - Red Robins
Miss Fran
Lead Teacher - Green Frogs
Miss Fran has an associate’s degree from Joliet Junior College, with a focus on early childhood education. She also holds a Level 3 Early Childhood Education Credential from the Gateways to Opportunity Illinois Professional Development System. She has been employed at Kid Country since 2011.
Miss Victoria
Lead Teacher - Orange Owls
Miss Victoria is our Orange Owls leader and has worked at Kid Country since 2019.
She has a Bachelor’s degree in Children’s Ministry from Olivet Nazarene College and has recently completed an additional 12 hours in early childhood classes from Kankakee Community College.
Miss Rhonda
Lead Teacher - Blue Gills
Miss Donna K
Lead Teacher - Blue Dolphins
Miss Donna leads our Blue Dolphins program and has been employed at Kid Country since 2012. She has a paraprofessional certificate from the State of Illinois along with a Level 3 Early Childhood Education Credential from the Gateways to Opportunity Illinois Professional Developmental System.
