Meet our Educators
~Ms. Amanda~
Coming Soon!
~Ms. Ashley~
Ms. Ashley joined the Mill Creek ECP team in November of 2024. She went to middle and high school right here in Batavia and has a strong passion for working with kids. After attending Batavia Highschool, she briefly attended Waubonsee community college and then went on to acquire her CDA, making her teacher qualified. She also has over 5 years of experience working with children in a private setting and working another early childhood program! In her free time, she enjoys playing with her dog Beans and swimming!
~Ms. Carol~
Ms. Carol has been teaching children since 1987! She has her degree in Early Childhood Education and has found that her favorite age group to work with is infants and it shows! She enjoys reading, singing and playing with them as they explore. When she is not at work Carol loves to read and watch/listen to live music. She has two daughters and moved to Batavia 2 years ago from St. Charles. She has lived in the Fox Valley her whole life and has enjoyed getting to know the Batavia Community through her time at Mill Creek ECP!
~Ms. Carly~
Ms. Carly joined us at the start of 2024 with a background working with elementary aged children through helping at her daughter's school and volunteering in her daughter's afterschool activities. She realized how much she enjoyed working with children. Since starting with us has grown tremendously at an educator and obtained her CDA, making her teacher qualified.
~Ms. Cassidy~
Ms. Cassidy started helping us this summer after completing a year of early childhood classes through the Fox Valley Career Center during high school. We love having her with us for the summer as she helps out in all of the classrooms. We hope to inspire her on the path of early childhood education, returning every summer until she graduates college! Ms. Cassidy is a cheer coach and is also in a band and plays the guitar. Maybe we can talk them into coming and performing for the school!
~Ms. Claire~
Coming soon!
~Ms. Cleary~
Coming soon!
~Ms. Courtney~
Ms. Courtney joined Mill Creek ECP in March of 2023. She has been working in Early Childhood Education for three years. She recently received her CDA Certificate (Child Development Associate), making her teacher qualified. She loves the small class sizes and family feel of Mill Creek ECP. In her spare time, she enjoys being outdoors and game nights with her family and friends. She loves dogs and is getting married this fall! Fun Fact: Ms. Courtney has been a licensed cosmetologist for over a decade and still does this as well! She is also soon to be a new mom of a little boy... we are excited!
~Mr. Dan~
Mr. Dan is Mrs. Ilana's husband. He has a Bachelors in Communication, has over 15+ years as a Regional Director in Human Resources and is Director Qualified after choosing to take the required early childhood classes to achieve this. Although he is not a teacher in any specific room the children love when he stops by to say hi (often fixing, collecting logs for the playground or hanging something for the teachers). In his spare time... he manages a law firm, practices real estate in several states and oversees all of the human resources, maintenance and I.T. at Mill Creek ECP! He is an amazing father to his two daughters and helps Mrs. Ilana with many of the behind-the-scenes projects around the school.
~Ms. Dori~
Ms. Dori just moved to Geneva from Northern Michigan where she has lived most of her life. She has a son who recently graduated in 2022, is in the Air Force and now stationed in Southern Illinois. She has always been tuned in with children and as she grew, discovered that learning could happen just by talking and exploring with the children. She has a bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education from Lake Superior State University and has been working with children for 8 1/2 years. Prior to working with children, she volunteered in her local school district. She has coached soccer for 6 years and was an active band parent. In her free time, she enjoys digging in the dirt, watching things grow, walking in the woods and listening to the songs of nature. She also loves to travel, spend time with her family and trying new recipes.
~Ms. Emily~
Coming Soon!
~Ms. Emma B.~
Coming Soon!
~Ms. Emma K.~
Ms. Emma just graduated Iowa State University with her Bachelors in Early Childhood Education with a minor is special ed and technology in the classroom. She started with us the summer of 2019, coming every summer when she was back from school. We are very excited to share that she is also now one of our three to five-year-old teachers and also Director Qualified.
~Ms. Elizabeth S.~
Ms. Elizabeth joined our team in August of 2021. She helps at both our locations and loves that she gets to know all of the children. She is loved by all of the children and is a great help to all of our teachers throughout the day. We are happy to share that she recently completed the CCP Certificate Program, making her teacher qualified. During her free time, she enjoys hanging out with her friends and family.
~Ms. Erica~
Mrs. Erica has worked in the early childhood field for many years. After time she found that her love of food continued to pull her into the kitchen, so she followed it! She enjoys cooking and feels honored that she can help create nutritional meals for the children while also still having the ability to step into the classroom as needed. She has her Food Manager Certification and will be finishing up her CDA shortly, which will make her teacher qualified as well. She has little girl and loves spending time with her when she is not working. She also enjoys finding new, delicious meals to prepare for the children.
~Mrs. Ilana~
Mrs. Ilana lives in Geneva with her husband and two daughters. She has been working with children since she was 14 years old in a professional setting and never once thought of doing anything else. She started Mill Creek ECP on June 9th, 2015. Mrs. Ilana is a Kane County Certified Naturalist, has a Bachelors in Early Childhood Education, an Illinois Director Credential Level 2 and has several classes towards her Masters in Curriculum and Instruction. She will never turn down a sweet treat (anything chocolate) and is known to jump into an activity or event full speed ahead, rain or shine. She strives to be sure Mill Creek ECP is a place everyone feels welcomed, safe, and free to explore and discover while reflecting on their experiences to better themselves and the children enrolled at Mill Creek ECP.
~Ms. Jenny~
Ms. Jenny joined us in May of 2023 and is currently a student at College of DuPage where she is completing her Early Childhood Education degree with an anticipated graduation date at the end of the 2024 school year! She has enjoyed working with kids ever since she took her first class at school and then she fell in love with it. Right now, Ms. Jenny is without infants however you will also see her in one of our two-year-old classrooms on Tuesdays as she completes her observational hours for school. During her free time, she enjoys reading and hanging out with friends. She is always willing to do something new.
~Ms. Jessica~
Ms. Jessica is the Director at our 130 S. Batavia Avenue location. She began working in early childhood education in 2006 as a teacher's assistant while pursuing her degree in Early Childhood Education. She was a lead teacher of a two-year-old classroom for several years and was fortunate to stay with them through their time at the school. She then had the opportunity to step into a management role within the preschool for a few years. During covid she stepped away to homeschool her older children and is grateful for that time together. Outside of Mill Creek ECP Ms. Jessica has been, and is, the director of a youth cheer program for the past 7 years. She is very involved in her small-town community and enjoys working with her neighbors to make our community stronger. Her family loves to go camping and spends a lot of their free time outdoors with their golden retriever, Duke.
~Ms. Kara~
Ms. Kara works with our toddlers. She joined us in January of 2023 and has her Associates in Early Childhood Education. She has been teaching for 14 years, with various ages (infants to 14 years of age). Ms. Kara lives in Batavia with her 3.5-year-old son, Wyatt. Her favorite activities outside of working with children include creating home decor and gifts such as candles, dream catchers, jewelry, etc using natural materials. She also enjoys staying mentally and physically well by taking barre workout classes in Geneva.
~Ms. Karen~
Coming Soon!
~Ms. Kyla~
Ms. Kyla started our team in October of 2022. She came from a more corporate program and Mill Creek ECP caught her eye because of the low ratios. She started with our 2-year-old class and recently transitioned to our 510 locations with her class who are all now three years old! Ms. Kyla appreciates that the kids are able to receive more individualized attention and care within our program. She loves working with young children because she likes watching how they learn and how they grow. Ms. Kyla loves self-teaching herself various things like cooking, crafting, and art. She also loves mastering crafts and then learning new ones.
~Ms. Karina~
Ms. Karina worked for Mill Creek ECP when she was in High School and Mill Creek ECP was still in Mill Creek, not too far from her house! She went to college out of state and recently returned as her heart and passion seemed to call her back to working with children. She is currently taking more Early Childhood Classes and is excited to be working with our 3- to 5-year-olds. Ms. Karina loves arts and crafts and true or false.... is often a head model for her mom who is a beautician!
~Ms. Kayla~
Ms. Kayla has been working with kids for over 10 years and she has an Associates in Arts from Waubonsee Community College in Psychology. While at Kaneland High School, she took several classes through the Fox Valley Career Center on early childhood college and worked at the daycare center before and after school. She loves photography, yoga, music, arts and crafts, and being with her friends and family. She also has 4 dogs!
~Ms. Kurin~
Ms. Kurin is a graduated from Geneva High School in 2024 and is attending college this fall. She has taken several classes through the through the Fox Valley Career Center in early childhood in order to work at a school, and we are lucky to have her with us! She has been an amazing help all summer and will be continuing with us in the afternoons in the fall. Her goal is to pursue a degree in Early Childhood Education with a minor in counseling or social work. During her free time, she enjoys reading and being outside. She has 4 brothers, and she is the only girl! Her favorite food is pizza!
~Ms. Mandy~
Ms. Mandy started with us in March of 2020 and is Director qualified, although she enjoys her time with the children much more then paperwork! She worked with three-year-olds in her previous job for 12 years! She enjoys working with preschoolers because of all of the fun discussions she can have with them. She loves being outside and insects! Yup, don't be surprised to see Mrs. Mandy holding an insect and talking to the children about them. During her free time, she enjoys crocheting, gardening, and reading. Fun fact: Mrs. Mandy collects Alice in Wonderland books from all of the world and has over 200 different copies!
~Mrs. Mimi~
If it were not for Mrs. Mimi (a.k.a. Bubbie) Mill Creek ECP may not be what it is today as Ilana grew up watching Mimi (her mom) teach and run an early childhood program. She currently lives in Buffalo Grove with her husband but spends a great deal of time in the city or Geneva with her grandchildren. She has a degree in education, originally teaching inner city high school students until having children. She then discovered her passion for teaching younger children when helping in her daughter’s classroom and decided to go back to school to receive her early childhood certification. She is currently helping out remotely to make sure Ilana is not falling to behind in paperwork!
~Ms. Sarah~
Ms. Sarah attended the University of Wisconsin Platteville and has a degree in Elementary Education and a minor in Early Childhood Education as well as a minor in Special Education. She has always loved her time with children and knew she wanted to be a teacher. After teaching fourth grade she decided that working with younger children was where she wanted to be! A few fun facts about Ms. Sarah: she loves playing with her puppy, enjoying a Starbucks drink and reading a good book.
~Mrs. Valerie~
Mrs. Valerie joined us during the summer of 2020 and has her Bachelors in Elementary Education and a minor in Art. She has had the role of educator and administrator over the course of her educational career. She is an avid runner (you might see her running between the two buildings in the blink of an eye) and animal lover; giving a lot of her free time to volunteer at local shelters. Mrs. Valerie is our schools Pedagogista, working to support our educators as they build their curriculum around the children. Her favorite treats include sour candy and Graham's coffee.
Coming Soon!
~Ms. Ashley~
Ms. Ashley joined the Mill Creek ECP team in November of 2024. She went to middle and high school right here in Batavia and has a strong passion for working with kids. After attending Batavia Highschool, she briefly attended Waubonsee community college and then went on to acquire her CDA, making her teacher qualified. She also has over 5 years of experience working with children in a private setting and working another early childhood program! In her free time, she enjoys playing with her dog Beans and swimming!
~Ms. Carol~
Ms. Carol has been teaching children since 1987! She has her degree in Early Childhood Education and has found that her favorite age group to work with is infants and it shows! She enjoys reading, singing and playing with them as they explore. When she is not at work Carol loves to read and watch/listen to live music. She has two daughters and moved to Batavia 2 years ago from St. Charles. She has lived in the Fox Valley her whole life and has enjoyed getting to know the Batavia Community through her time at Mill Creek ECP!
~Ms. Carly~
Ms. Carly joined us at the start of 2024 with a background working with elementary aged children through helping at her daughter's school and volunteering in her daughter's afterschool activities. She realized how much she enjoyed working with children. Since starting with us has grown tremendously at an educator and obtained her CDA, making her teacher qualified.
~Ms. Cassidy~
Ms. Cassidy started helping us this summer after completing a year of early childhood classes through the Fox Valley Career Center during high school. We love having her with us for the summer as she helps out in all of the classrooms. We hope to inspire her on the path of early childhood education, returning every summer until she graduates college! Ms. Cassidy is a cheer coach and is also in a band and plays the guitar. Maybe we can talk them into coming and performing for the school!
~Ms. Claire~
Coming soon!
~Ms. Cleary~
Coming soon!
~Ms. Courtney~
Ms. Courtney joined Mill Creek ECP in March of 2023. She has been working in Early Childhood Education for three years. She recently received her CDA Certificate (Child Development Associate), making her teacher qualified. She loves the small class sizes and family feel of Mill Creek ECP. In her spare time, she enjoys being outdoors and game nights with her family and friends. She loves dogs and is getting married this fall! Fun Fact: Ms. Courtney has been a licensed cosmetologist for over a decade and still does this as well! She is also soon to be a new mom of a little boy... we are excited!
~Mr. Dan~
Mr. Dan is Mrs. Ilana's husband. He has a Bachelors in Communication, has over 15+ years as a Regional Director in Human Resources and is Director Qualified after choosing to take the required early childhood classes to achieve this. Although he is not a teacher in any specific room the children love when he stops by to say hi (often fixing, collecting logs for the playground or hanging something for the teachers). In his spare time... he manages a law firm, practices real estate in several states and oversees all of the human resources, maintenance and I.T. at Mill Creek ECP! He is an amazing father to his two daughters and helps Mrs. Ilana with many of the behind-the-scenes projects around the school.
~Ms. Dori~
Ms. Dori just moved to Geneva from Northern Michigan where she has lived most of her life. She has a son who recently graduated in 2022, is in the Air Force and now stationed in Southern Illinois. She has always been tuned in with children and as she grew, discovered that learning could happen just by talking and exploring with the children. She has a bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education from Lake Superior State University and has been working with children for 8 1/2 years. Prior to working with children, she volunteered in her local school district. She has coached soccer for 6 years and was an active band parent. In her free time, she enjoys digging in the dirt, watching things grow, walking in the woods and listening to the songs of nature. She also loves to travel, spend time with her family and trying new recipes.
~Ms. Emily~
Coming Soon!
~Ms. Emma B.~
Coming Soon!
~Ms. Emma K.~
Ms. Emma just graduated Iowa State University with her Bachelors in Early Childhood Education with a minor is special ed and technology in the classroom. She started with us the summer of 2019, coming every summer when she was back from school. We are very excited to share that she is also now one of our three to five-year-old teachers and also Director Qualified.
~Ms. Elizabeth S.~
Ms. Elizabeth joined our team in August of 2021. She helps at both our locations and loves that she gets to know all of the children. She is loved by all of the children and is a great help to all of our teachers throughout the day. We are happy to share that she recently completed the CCP Certificate Program, making her teacher qualified. During her free time, she enjoys hanging out with her friends and family.
~Ms. Erica~
Mrs. Erica has worked in the early childhood field for many years. After time she found that her love of food continued to pull her into the kitchen, so she followed it! She enjoys cooking and feels honored that she can help create nutritional meals for the children while also still having the ability to step into the classroom as needed. She has her Food Manager Certification and will be finishing up her CDA shortly, which will make her teacher qualified as well. She has little girl and loves spending time with her when she is not working. She also enjoys finding new, delicious meals to prepare for the children.
~Mrs. Ilana~
Mrs. Ilana lives in Geneva with her husband and two daughters. She has been working with children since she was 14 years old in a professional setting and never once thought of doing anything else. She started Mill Creek ECP on June 9th, 2015. Mrs. Ilana is a Kane County Certified Naturalist, has a Bachelors in Early Childhood Education, an Illinois Director Credential Level 2 and has several classes towards her Masters in Curriculum and Instruction. She will never turn down a sweet treat (anything chocolate) and is known to jump into an activity or event full speed ahead, rain or shine. She strives to be sure Mill Creek ECP is a place everyone feels welcomed, safe, and free to explore and discover while reflecting on their experiences to better themselves and the children enrolled at Mill Creek ECP.
~Ms. Jenny~
Ms. Jenny joined us in May of 2023 and is currently a student at College of DuPage where she is completing her Early Childhood Education degree with an anticipated graduation date at the end of the 2024 school year! She has enjoyed working with kids ever since she took her first class at school and then she fell in love with it. Right now, Ms. Jenny is without infants however you will also see her in one of our two-year-old classrooms on Tuesdays as she completes her observational hours for school. During her free time, she enjoys reading and hanging out with friends. She is always willing to do something new.
~Ms. Jessica~
Ms. Jessica is the Director at our 130 S. Batavia Avenue location. She began working in early childhood education in 2006 as a teacher's assistant while pursuing her degree in Early Childhood Education. She was a lead teacher of a two-year-old classroom for several years and was fortunate to stay with them through their time at the school. She then had the opportunity to step into a management role within the preschool for a few years. During covid she stepped away to homeschool her older children and is grateful for that time together. Outside of Mill Creek ECP Ms. Jessica has been, and is, the director of a youth cheer program for the past 7 years. She is very involved in her small-town community and enjoys working with her neighbors to make our community stronger. Her family loves to go camping and spends a lot of their free time outdoors with their golden retriever, Duke.
~Ms. Kara~
Ms. Kara works with our toddlers. She joined us in January of 2023 and has her Associates in Early Childhood Education. She has been teaching for 14 years, with various ages (infants to 14 years of age). Ms. Kara lives in Batavia with her 3.5-year-old son, Wyatt. Her favorite activities outside of working with children include creating home decor and gifts such as candles, dream catchers, jewelry, etc using natural materials. She also enjoys staying mentally and physically well by taking barre workout classes in Geneva.
~Ms. Karen~
Coming Soon!
~Ms. Kyla~
Ms. Kyla started our team in October of 2022. She came from a more corporate program and Mill Creek ECP caught her eye because of the low ratios. She started with our 2-year-old class and recently transitioned to our 510 locations with her class who are all now three years old! Ms. Kyla appreciates that the kids are able to receive more individualized attention and care within our program. She loves working with young children because she likes watching how they learn and how they grow. Ms. Kyla loves self-teaching herself various things like cooking, crafting, and art. She also loves mastering crafts and then learning new ones.
~Ms. Karina~
Ms. Karina worked for Mill Creek ECP when she was in High School and Mill Creek ECP was still in Mill Creek, not too far from her house! She went to college out of state and recently returned as her heart and passion seemed to call her back to working with children. She is currently taking more Early Childhood Classes and is excited to be working with our 3- to 5-year-olds. Ms. Karina loves arts and crafts and true or false.... is often a head model for her mom who is a beautician!
~Ms. Kayla~
Ms. Kayla has been working with kids for over 10 years and she has an Associates in Arts from Waubonsee Community College in Psychology. While at Kaneland High School, she took several classes through the Fox Valley Career Center on early childhood college and worked at the daycare center before and after school. She loves photography, yoga, music, arts and crafts, and being with her friends and family. She also has 4 dogs!
~Ms. Kurin~
Ms. Kurin is a graduated from Geneva High School in 2024 and is attending college this fall. She has taken several classes through the through the Fox Valley Career Center in early childhood in order to work at a school, and we are lucky to have her with us! She has been an amazing help all summer and will be continuing with us in the afternoons in the fall. Her goal is to pursue a degree in Early Childhood Education with a minor in counseling or social work. During her free time, she enjoys reading and being outside. She has 4 brothers, and she is the only girl! Her favorite food is pizza!
~Ms. Mandy~
Ms. Mandy started with us in March of 2020 and is Director qualified, although she enjoys her time with the children much more then paperwork! She worked with three-year-olds in her previous job for 12 years! She enjoys working with preschoolers because of all of the fun discussions she can have with them. She loves being outside and insects! Yup, don't be surprised to see Mrs. Mandy holding an insect and talking to the children about them. During her free time, she enjoys crocheting, gardening, and reading. Fun fact: Mrs. Mandy collects Alice in Wonderland books from all of the world and has over 200 different copies!
~Mrs. Mimi~
If it were not for Mrs. Mimi (a.k.a. Bubbie) Mill Creek ECP may not be what it is today as Ilana grew up watching Mimi (her mom) teach and run an early childhood program. She currently lives in Buffalo Grove with her husband but spends a great deal of time in the city or Geneva with her grandchildren. She has a degree in education, originally teaching inner city high school students until having children. She then discovered her passion for teaching younger children when helping in her daughter’s classroom and decided to go back to school to receive her early childhood certification. She is currently helping out remotely to make sure Ilana is not falling to behind in paperwork!
~Ms. Sarah~
Ms. Sarah attended the University of Wisconsin Platteville and has a degree in Elementary Education and a minor in Early Childhood Education as well as a minor in Special Education. She has always loved her time with children and knew she wanted to be a teacher. After teaching fourth grade she decided that working with younger children was where she wanted to be! A few fun facts about Ms. Sarah: she loves playing with her puppy, enjoying a Starbucks drink and reading a good book.
~Mrs. Valerie~
Mrs. Valerie joined us during the summer of 2020 and has her Bachelors in Elementary Education and a minor in Art. She has had the role of educator and administrator over the course of her educational career. She is an avid runner (you might see her running between the two buildings in the blink of an eye) and animal lover; giving a lot of her free time to volunteer at local shelters. Mrs. Valerie is our schools Pedagogista, working to support our educators as they build their curriculum around the children. Her favorite treats include sour candy and Graham's coffee.