Seeds of Grace

Christian Preschool and Child Development Center in Northbrook, Illinois

Teacher guiding her students while playing - lutheran church in Northbrook, IL
Welcome to Seeds of Grace. We are a ministry of Grace Lutheran Church and our prayer is that every child that enters our doors will get to know their personal Savior Jesus Christ. In the book of Mark 10:14, Jesus said, "Let the little children come unto Me." We also follow His word and hope you find Seeds of Grace a warm and inviting place for you and your child.

At Seeds of Grace, each child is guided to develop to his/her potential in every aspect of life within the sheltering and nurturing relationships of Christian love. We operate our center by recognizing that each child is an individual and must be allowed to grow and learn at his/her own rate in order to develop a healthy self-image. It is the goal of Seeds of Grace to help each child to grow spiritually, emotionally, physically, socially, and intellectually in their own unique way.
If you would like further information about Seeds of Grace and the programs that we offer, please email us at [email protected] and/or [email protected].
Seeds of Grace, a Christian Child Development Center and Preschool in Northbrook, IL is a not-for-profit ministry of Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church which is dedicated to providing an early childcare program of the highest quality designed to meet the needs of today's parents.
The school is built on a rich tradition of Christian Education for the past 50 years, and most recently, the success of our 32 year tradition of our beloved Mustard Seed Preschool programs.

Seeds of Grace

Lori Schneider - School Director

A Commissioned Minister of Religion with a Master's degree in Educational Leadership and Development. Her undergraduate studies were in Child Psychology and Motor Development/Motor Learning. She has been working with children in various educational settings for the past almost 30 years. Her experiences range from working with Emotionally Disturbed Children, Reading Readiness facilitator, Swim, Tennis, Softball and Basketball Coach, Youth Leader and Special Events Demonstrator at a Children's Health Museum. She has spent the last 23 years teaching, training, administrating and consulting as an Early Childhood Educator and Mentor. Ms. Lori has been working with early childhood ministries across the nation since 1993 and is excited to be sharing the love of Jesus with your children. Lori has recently been awarded the 2018-2019 Northern Illinois District Early Childhood Educator of the Year Award.

Congratulations to our School Director for her nomination for the national Lutheran Education Association Distinguished Early Childhood Administrator of the Year for 2020. God's blessings on your nomination as you share your gifts and talents in our Grace ministries.
If you would like further information about our ministries here at Seeds of Grace, please feel free to email me at [email protected]

Dawn Grossmann - Preschool Specialist

A graduate of Roosevelt University in Schaumburg, IL, has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary Education and is Teacher Certified through the State of Illinois for Grades K-9. She has been in early childhood and teaching settings for the past 20 years, the last 10 of which have been in a Head Start classroom. Ms. Dawn loves working together with children and families to provide the best possible learning environment for each and every child.

Paige Brudniak - Infant/Toddler Specialist

A recent graduate from Concordia University Chicago with a Bachelor of Science degree in Early Childhood Education, with a minor in Theology. She has a Professional Educator's License (PEL) for the State of Illinois and an ESL endorsement. Paige trained at Concordia Early Childhood Center, who is celebrating their 40th Anniversary in 2016. Ms. Paige is excited to be a part of Seeds of Grace and Grace Church. She is looking forward to welcoming your children with open arms.

Melissa Imrisek - Preschool 3 Teacher

A recent graduate from Concordia University Chicago with a Bachelor of Science degree in Educational Studies, with a minor in Sociology. She has early childhood required credits for the State of Illinois and trained at Concordia Early Childhood Center which has a 40 year tradition of being a high quality laboratory training school. Ms. Melissa is excited to be a part of the growing Seeds of Grace family and is here to welcome your child with open arms.

Karla Alvarez - Toddler Teacher

Ms. Karla has her Level 1 Early Childhood Credential, a CAN Nursing Certification and 8 years of experience working in early childhood schools. Currently she is working in our Toddler classroom, but also lends a helping hand in our Young infant and Preschool 2 classrooms each day.

Diane Cocallas - Preschool 4 Teacher

Ms. C is an alumni Mustard Seed teacher with a background and degree in Marketing. She loves working with young children and now has 17 years of experience in a Preschool classroom.

Sandy Jagiello - S.T.R.E.A.M. Enrichment Teacher

Ms. Sandy has a B.A. in Business Administration and 19 hours in Early Childhood education. She is also an alumni Staff from our Mustard Seed Preschool and has 18 years of experience working with young children.

Laura Morgan - Art Enrichment Teacher

Ms. Laura is an alumni Mustard Seed parent who teaches art on Thursday mornings with our Preschool and School - Age children. She has a Certification in Clinical Sciences, but loves art and photography. She is also a Professional Photographer and our Seeds of Grace School Photographer.

Alanna Ferber - Preschool 2 Teacher

Ms. Alanna has her B.A. and Master's Degree in Social Work and took her undergraduate classes at Concordia University Chicago. She has 4 years of experience working as a nanny and has been with Seeds of Grace almost 2 years now.

Nancy O'Connell - Infant Teacher

Ms. Nancy has a B.S. in Elementary Education and Early Childhood studies. She has over 14 years of experience working with children and has been with Seeds of Grace almost 2 years as our Young Infant teacher.

Rachel Schneider - School - Age Summer Camp Teacher and Preschool 3 Teacher

Ms. Rachel has a B.A. in Teaching for the Arts and has grown-up in the field of early childhood education. She has over 8 years of experience working in early childhood schools.

Nicole Sibenaller- Infant Teacher

Ms. Nicole has an International Montessori Teaching Diploma specializing in Infant/Toddler care. She is currently pursuing further course work in Early Childhood Education and is basic sign language certified which we incorporate into our Infant and Toddler programs at Seeds of Grace. Nicole has over 8 years of experience in early childhood education.

Kelly Bradshaw - Infant Teacher

Ms. Kelly has an A.A. degree from Harper College and 8 years of working in early childhood settings. She is currently pursuing her C.D.A. Credential for Early Childhood education and has completed her 120 clock hours of training.

Maria Ruiz - Infant/Toddler/Preschool Floater Teacher

Ms. Maria has her Child Development Associate Credential and has been working with young children for over 10 years. She is bilingual and you can often find her reading books in spanish to our preschool children in the afternoons.
We Are Certified With NationalCPRFoundation

Questions and Answers

What are our staff credentials?

                         The Seeds of Grace Director has a Master's degree in Education, a Bachelor's degree in Child Development and over 25 years of experience as an Early Childhood Director and Administrator. Every Lead Teacher has at least a Bachelor's Degree in Early Childhood Education and/or a related Educational field. The Teacher's Assistants have either an Associate's degree in Early Childhood Education and/or a CDA Credential and/or some experience working in an early childhood educational setting or have taken classes in early childhood education. Our staff is very loving, warm and nurturing. We try to emphasize small class sizes and have a low staff turnover rate.                  


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When are we open?

Seeds of Grace is open from 6:30am to 6:30pm Monday through Friday. We are a year round school and offer additional Summer Camp Programs for rising 1st Grade through 5th Grade.

When are we closed?

We are closed on New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, 1-2 Teacher Training Days in August, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and the Friday following Thanksgiving, Christmas Day and one other day in conjunction with Christmas. We close at 4:30 pm on Good Friday (Friday before Easter Sunday) and on New Year's Eve Day in observance of the upcoming holiday. (Normal weekly payment is due even during a holiday week.)

Are we licensed?

Seeds of Grace is licensed through the State of Illinois Department of Children and Family Services. We must comply with their rules and regulations at all times. Because we offer an infant/toddler program, we also have a registered nurse that visits our facility one time per month to observe and give the staff instructions, tools and feedback in providing care to our infants/toddlers, as well as, all of the children at Seeds of Grace.

Do we offer full-time and/or part-time care?

Seeds of Grace offers both full-time and part-time care for Infants ages 6 weeks through age 6, and School-Age Summer Camp and year round drop in care for children ages 6-12 years of age

How do we secure our facility?

The entire facility at Seeds of Grace remains locked at all times. When you enroll your child, you will receive a key fob to be used on the key pad located by the front door. That card will allow you access to our building during Seeds of Grace operating hours. All of our doors remain locked during school hours, and visitors must ring a doorbell and then be buzzed in by someone in our front office.

How are meals provided at Seeds of Grace?

Seeds of Grace uses a catering service for meals and snacks. When your child is eating table food and is approximately age 12 months, your child may begin using our catering service and meal plans. (Food is included in the price of tuition once a child is old enough to go on the school meal plan.) We serve whole milk to children at least 12 months of age up to two years of age and skim milk only for children 2 years of age or older. Water is also available at all times and at each meal and snack. Before 12 months of age parents are required to bring formula or breast milk, cereal, baby food and snacks for their infant.

Can tours be scheduled?

To schedule a tour of Seeds of Grace Christian Child Development Center please call us at (847) 498-3060 to set up a tour time and/or send an email to: [email protected]. Times are flexible and may be arranged between the family and the school director.

What are our health and safety initiatives?

We take the health and safety of the children very seriously. Our facility is cleaned and sterilized by a certified cleaning company on a daily basis. The staff also take special care in sanitizing their classroom toys and equipment daily and/or as often as needed throughout the day. They also teach proper hand washing techniques to all children. All of our doors remain locked during school hours, and visitors must ring a doorbell and then be buzzed in by someone in our front office. Seeds of Grace conducts monthly fire drills and semi-annual severe weather drills. Staff members also receive ongoing training in health and safety topics and all staff are CPR/First Aid certified.

Facilities

Our childcare is located at Grace Lutheran Church, which had a former elementary school and 32 year part-day Preschool program in previous years. This is a wonderful blessing for our families and children because it means we have large bright classrooms, a library, and a music room to enjoy. There is also an indoor activity room that is available to all our children for indoor gross motor activities and special events. When the weather is too cold or wet, our children can still enjoy play time and run off their energy in our indoor play space. On most days, our children go outside at least twice a day, weather permitting. We have a shady playground area next to our building that has plenty of grass for playing, a sandbox for digging and a mulched area for climbing safely around on our outdoor play structures.
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