Letter From Abbi
Dear Friends of The Playing Field,
Barack Obama said, āInvest in our teachers, and our children will succeed.ā For nearly ten years, The Playing Field has been trying to put these words into practice.
Often, conversations about investing in educators focus on salaries and benefits. Compensation is definitely part of the equation. Teachers should be paid like the professionals they are. However, this is only the beginning.
Investing in teachers also means ensuring they are set up to succeed. Keeping class sizes small allows teachers to meet the needs of individual children. Providing teachers with supplies and materials means they arenāt expected to utilize their personal resources to fund the classroom. Scheduling regular planning time allows teachers to complete their work during the day rather than taking it home on evenings and weekends. While none of these thoughts sound extraordinary, every educator will tell you these basic needs are often unmet.
Another investment we can make in teachers is high quality professional development. None of us would see a doctor who hasnāt learned anything new since medical school. We want our health care providers to keep up with the latest advances and teachers should too.
Each year, The Playing Field provides our teachers with two to three times the number of required hours of professional development. We have an extensive onboarding process that includes new staff participating in a reflective practice group. We provide a few days each year of on site training and offer teachers opportunities to attend national events as well.
We also offer trainings to other educators. Last March, we hosted over 200 educators for a two day training event. This year, we are hosting two Conscious DisciplineĀ® eventsā a two day event in April and a weeklong event in June. We are excited that some of our staff will be assisting at these events and strengthen their own skills by sharing their knowledge with others!
We will be going public in early March with our efforts to build our Early Learning
Lab. This new space will not only allow us to care for 100 children, but also to provide fellow early educators with opportunities for both training and observation of our trauma-sensitive model. You can help us as we build our vision by sharing our social media posts, inviting us to speak for your organization, or donating funds.
As always, thank you for your continued interest and support of our work!
Abbi Kruse,
Executive Director
Teacher Feature
At The Playing Field, we believe in the power of community. Our educators are integral members of each familyās community of care. We call this our āSchool Family,ā where we work together to nurture and support every childās growth and development.
School Family Spotlight: Meet Savanna
Savanna Dean is one of the talented educators in our School Family who brings her passion, expertise, and heart to The Playing Field every day as a preschool teacher at our east side location.
Helping others overcome challenges and achieve success has always inspired Savanna. As a high school junior, she worked as an Assistant Teacher at a daycare, where she developed a deep appreciation for the foundational impact of early education. This experience sparked her decision to pursue a career in the field. After high school, Savanna earned her degree in Elementary Education and ESL from UW-Madison.
Savanna chose to work at The Playing Field because she believes that play is essential for learningāit sparks curiosity and fosters collaboration. Her teaching approach aligns with our Conscious DisciplineĀ® curriculum, which guides children in understanding and managing their emotions while building empathy and resilience. To further deepen her understanding of child development, she is currently pursuing a Masterās in Educational Psychology.
Savanna is committed to ensuring every child experiences high-quality, play-based education. Her values and dedication align with The Playing Fieldās mission to give all children the start they deserve.
Fun Facts About Savanna
šµ Marched in the UW-Madison Marching Band
š ļø Loves building LEGO sets
š¹ Has two guinea pigs named Hamlet & Horatio
šāāļø Enjoys running on Madisonās scenic paths
Savannaās dedication makes a lasting impact in the classroom every day, and weāre lucky to have her on our team!
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Caring for our Caregivers
Savanna is one of the highly skilled and dedicated early education professionals on our team, shaping the minds of children who will go on to innovate, lead, and create the communities of tomorrow. We know young children thrive when they form strong, secure bonds with trusted caregivers like Savanna.
These connections arenāt possible without committed, long-term educators. Yet, despite the critical role early educators play in our society, the work they do isn’t recognized or compensated to match its importance. A recent report put out by Wisconsin Department of Children and Families[1] stated that the average wage for lead teachers is only $13.55 per hour, well below the living wage of $22.38 per hour in Dane County[2]. These wages are not sustainable, making it so that dedicated educators are forced to leave the field because they cannot afford to stay.
Thatās why we do things differently.
At The Playing Field, we know that we must care for the people who care for our children. That means offering our educators professional wages that reflect the skill, dedication, and impact they bring to their work every day. When early educators are supported, children and families thrive. Investing in the people who shape a childās earliest years is one of the most powerful ways we can strengthen our communityātoday and for generations to come.
Our model of care is built on the belief that it takes a villageāor in our case, a School Familyāto ensure all children and families have access to the start they deserve. We sustain this belief through a funding model that combines family tuition, grant funding, and community support. As a member of our community of support, you are an essential leg of this three-legged stool, providing the stability needed to uphold our mission.
Your generosity helps us offer competitive wages that attract and retain the dedicated educators who nurture and inspire our children every day. We are deeply grateful for the role you play in making this work possible. Thank you for supporting our School Family. We couldnāt do it without you!
Every contributionābig or smallāhelps us build a stronger foundation for children, families, and educators. If youād like to support our School Family, you can do so here:
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Parent Testimonial
Michelle Kern-Hall serves as the secretary on our board. Her two daughters attended The Playing Field and have since moved onto elementary school.
When her girls attended our program, Michelle participated in Conscious DisciplineĀ® for Parents. She had noticed new language and phrases being used in the classroom and wanted to learn more.
She said, “The first time I attended a Conscious Discipline training with the staff, I learned so much about how her brain worked and better ways to communicate and connect to build a stronger relationship. Each time I attended a training it reinforced and helped me build on these essential skills that you just rarely have a chance to develop as a parent.ā Michelle credits Conscious Discipline training with changing her approach to parenting and says it is the best perk for families enrolled at The Playing Field.
Both our Executive Director, Abbi Kruse and Program Director, Michelle Henner are Conscious Discipline Certified Instructors. This month, they will begin a new six-part series for parents. In these sessions, parents will examine traditional models of discipline as they learn new strategies for building skills in themselves and their children. Parents will reflect on their own models for discipline and explore their own strategies for regulating emotions. The group will also learn to see all behavior as communication and to interpret the child’s needs that drive behavior.
We are so happy to offer Conscious DisciplineĀ® training to our parents! It is amazing to see what happens when parents and teachers use similar language and hold common expectations for children!
Turning Lemons to Lemonade
One of our east side locations was suddenly without heat when the HVAC system needed to be replaced. Our amazing team sprung into action and worked with child care licensing to assure no disruption in services for families. While the work was being completed, our staff and children took a field trip to the former Menardās on East Springs Drive. As you probably know, we are building our Early Learning Lab in this building.
Plumberās Union Local 75 allowed us to set up in their auditorium and everyone had a great time! The most popular feature was the projector and room camera which allowed children to see themselves on the big screen! Parents also enjoyed touring the construction site and getting a sneak peek at what will become our space. We are back in our regular space but, look forward to moving permanently when our part of the building is complete.
We are grateful for everyone who collaborated with us to make this possible! Our licensor helped us assure continued care to children while maintaining compliance with regulations. The plumbers union generously opened their building so we had a safe location. Our staff quickly moved furniture and equipment and came up with creative uses for the space. Our children and parents adapted their routines and turned something unexpected into an adventure!
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[1]Wisconsin Department of Children and Families. (n.d.). Child care workforce efforts. Retrieved January 23, 2025, from https://dcf.wisconsin.gov/childcare/efforts/workforce
[2]The living wage is calculated by the Economic Policy Institute’s Living Wage Calculator, based on a single-person household with no children. The figure represents the hourly wage needed to meet basic living expenses in Dane County. (Source: Economic Policy Institute’s Living Wage Calculator)
