Field Days Fall 2025
Dear Friends of The Playing Field,
On September 8th, our Midtown location celebrated ten years of serving children in Madison. Our new East location opened its doors on the very same date. It was great to see so many of our supporters at our recent tenth anniversary party and our ribbon cutting ceremony. Thank you for your time, interest and generosity to our mission of providing high quality early care and education to all children in our community!
One comment that came through consistently was on the intentional design of our new space. Since we opened our first site in 2015, we have sought to be intentional in all we do.
- We are intentional in enrolling children from diverse socio-economic backgrounds ā believing that access to the same high quality education programs is key to equity in early education. This was part of our founding mission as we had witnessed first hand the disparity of early educational opportunities for Madison area children. Only 17% of children are learning in diverse settings while all children are growing up in a world where the ability to work with others, see different perspectives, and offer empathy are much needed attributes.
- We are intentional in the training of staff. Our intensive professional development pathway has helped us to maintain a dedicated, and highly skilled teaching staff. This investment in teachers has been key to our ability to work with children impacted by early adversity.
- We are intentional in our use of space. Our environments are designed to communicate to children and families- you are safe and loved. We carefully observe children and listen to families as we plan environments to meet their needs.
- We are intentional with our resources. Keeping our overhead low has allowed us to invest our funds at the classroom level. This means we maintain small group sizes and low child to teacher ratios so that the individual needs of children can be addressed.
- We are intentional with our growth. We are growing our ability to care for more children. This means not only having the space, but having qualified staff and scholarship support to assure finances do not create a barrier to access to our high-quality program. We are committed to maintaining our mixed-delivery model and to sharing that model with fellow early educators.
The early years are critical for children. In these years, their brains are rapidly developing. They are learning minute by minute about how they view themselves, relate to others, and manage emotions. In this time, there is really no place for anything other than care that is intentional.
Please accept my personal thanks for your support which allows us to offer the highest level of care to children. I canāt say it better than Mister Rogers didā
āWe live in a world in which we need to share responsibility. It’s easy to say, āIt’s not my child, not my community, not my world, not my problem.ā Then there are those who see the need and respond. I consider those people my heroes.ā
With gratitude,
Abbi
The Playing Field Turns 10!
On September 8, 2015, we opened the doors of our Midtown site with one mission: to ensure all childrenāregardless of incomeāhave access to high-quality early care and education. Ten years later, we celebrated a decade of growth, learning, and community-building, with so many wonderful families, educators, and supporters by our side.
Thank you to everyone who joined us at our anniversary celebration! Your presenceāand your storiesāreminded us of how far weāve come, and how much more is possible.
East Side Site Grand Opening
Exactly 10 years after opening Midtown, we launched our new East Side siteāinside the Plumbers Union Local 75 building! This site is part of The World We Imagine, a unique collaboration between The Playing Field, Plumbers Union Local 75, and The Road Home, bringing together early childhood education, workforce development, and family stability under one roof.
This space represents a bold step forward in our mission, expanding access to high-quality care while also supporting parents and caregivers through a two-generation approach.
The East Side site will serve as both a nurturing environment for children and a demonstration site, where educators from across the country can observe our trauma-informed model in action.
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Training Educators, Expanding Impact
This summer, we hosted a week-long Conscious DisciplineĀ® (CD1) training, welcoming educators from across the country. Our team shared how our trauma-sensitive, relationship-based approach fosters safety, connection, and emotional well-being in the classroom.
This training not only allowed us to strengthen the skills of early childhood educators, but also created an opportunity for participants to engage directly with our approach. Staff from The Playing Field facilitated the sessions, modeling how the principles come to life in real classroom settings.
Recognizing the importance of seeing this work in action, we also hosted site visits for educators to observe our model firsthand. This summer, teams from programs across Wisconsin visited our Midtown site, where they observed classrooms, exchanged ideas, and reflected on how trauma-informed, relationship-based practices come to life each day.
We are excited that our East Side location now features dedicated observation spaces, where educators can observe our model in action without disrupting classroom routines. These spaces provide a unique opportunity for teachers to see trauma-sensitive practices up close and to deepen their learning by observing real-time interactions with children.
Next September, weāll host another week-long Conscious DisciplineĀ® training (CD1), continuing our commitment to supporting educators and strengthening early childhood education across our community.
Help Us to Close the Gap
As we celebrate 10 years of impact and grow into our new East Side location, we are still working to close the funding gap needed to fully furnish classrooms at our new site and build a reserve to sustain our mission in times of funding changes and uncertainty.
Your support today helps us create safe, nurturing environments where children, families, and educators can thrive. Every gift brings us closer to ensuring that all children have access to the high-quality, trauma-sensitive care and education they deserve.
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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:
