Meet Our Staff

Donna

Owner

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 Meg

Quality Coach

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 Emily

Lead Teacher - Purple Parrots

Miss Emily has been at Kid Country since 2019. She has experience in child development all the way through senior living! Miss Emily earned her CDA credential in 2022 and has been a teacher in the Purple Parrot room for many years. This is Miss Emily’s first year leading the Purple Parrot team.

You will often find Miss Emily spending quality time with her family. Camping is a favorite pastime as well as shopping and going for walks with her daughter. Along with teaching, her passions include music, trying new foods, cleaning and organization.

Miss Kathy

Lead Teacher - Red Robins

Miss Kathy leads our Red Robins 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 Kathy has wanted to be a teacher as long as she can remember. In her free time she enjoys it baking with her mom, finding new adventures to go on with her friends, and spending a nice long day shopping!

Miss Vanessa

Lead Teacher - Green Frogs

Miss Vanessa leads our Green Frogs classroom. She has associate’s degree in early childhood education from Rasmussen University.

Miss Vanessa takes pleasure in being at home surrounded by her children, watching a movie while enjoying a delicious ice cream sundae with all the toppings! A typical weekend is filled with any and all children’s activities you can think of from bowling to laser tag. In her free time, she surrounds herself in art by painting ceramics and pottery, really letting her artistic side show!

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 Victoria has dedicated herself to bettering children’s growth through many outlets. In her free time, with her pup by her side, Miss Victoria enjoys spending as much time outside as possible, finding new hobbies to enjoy with her friends and diving into a good book!

Miss Rhonda

Lead Teacher - Blue Gills

Miss Rhonda leads our Blue Gills program and has been employed at Kid Country since 2005. She holds an associate’s degree in early childhood education, along with holding a Level 1 Illinois Director Credential and a Level 4 Early Childhood Credential from the Gateways to Opportunity Illinois Professional Development System.
Our half day preschool is run by Miss Rhonda. Miss Rhonda enjoys spending her time vacationing to warm places, taking her grandchildren on new adventures, and seeking out new restaurants!

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.

Miss Donna K. comes to us in the afternoons after her day at the New Lenox school district for our Blue Dolphins after school program. Miss Donna enjoys getting pampered through manicures and pedicures and spending a relaxing weekend with her family.