Primrose School of Lincoln at Wilderness Hills

Our Staff

  • Mrs. Shelby Schelbitzki, School Director

    Mrs. Shelby Schelbitzki

    School Director

    Mrs. Schelbitzki's passion for education began at an early age. She credits her teachers as making a positive and lasting impact on her life huge inspiring her to do the same for the next generation of young learners.

    Mrs. Schelbitzki graduated from Elwood High School (about two hours west of Lincoln, population 500). She then moved to Lincoln to earn her Associates degree in Early Childhood Education.

    Mrs. Schelbitzki brings more than twenty years of childcare experience to Primrose working with ages six weeks thru school age, along with trainings in classroom management and child developmental behavior. During those twenty years, she has worked for SCC Child Development Center, was a Site Supervisor for Cavett Elementary, and served various families in as a nanny.

    In her free time, she likes to spend time with her family and friends. Mrs. Schelbitzki is married to Ryan and they have two daughters, Remi and Ruby who attends Primrose School of Lincoln at Wilderness Hills. Her hobbies include being outside, crafting, and exercising. She is actively involved in NECP Board of Directors in the Lincoln community and Nebraska AEYC (Nebraska Association for Education of Young Children).

    She believes Primrose has a phenomenal way of being able to educate children, while having a balance of nurturing guidance and purposeful play within the classroom. With these tools, Primrose is able to provide the best early childhood education opportunity for your child and family. Everyday is a new opportunity for children to learn something new and she is excited to be apart of your child's experience.

    She feels very fortunate for the opportunity and is looking forward to working your family and our talented teaching staff to provide a positive environment and excellent education for your child.

  • Mrs. Jennifer Tran, Assistant Director

    Mrs. Jennifer Tran

    Assistant Director

    Since a very young age, education has been a cornerstone in Mrs. Tran’s life. Mrs. Tran was raised by a Lincoln Public Schools teacher, who saw the value in quality education and that belief was passed on to her.

    As a lifelong Lincolnite, Mrs. Tran graduated from Southeast High school and then later graduated with her Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Nebraska.

    Mrs. Tran comes to Primrose with a diverse background in the child welfare system, having worked the past ten years at CEDARS Youth Services. Mrs. Tran has served as a direct care staff in a group home for pregnant and parenting teenage girls, a support worker for foster youth and as an agency trainer. Mrs. Tran has been heavily trained in de-escalation and crisis management, as a former MANDT Instructor. Mrs. Tran is a certified instructor for Safe Kids Nebraska (childcare car seat safety), The American Red Cross, and the Nebraska Department of Education’s Safe With You. During Mrs. Tran’s time as a trainer, she was also certified to train Love and Logic® parenting classes and TIPS-MAPP foster parenting classes.

    In Mrs. Tran’s free time, she enjoys spending time outdoors with her husband and two children. While not a gardener, Mrs. Tran does enjoy caring for indoor and outdoor plants and flowers. Mrs. Tran is not afraid to try cooking new recipes and can be found most weekends smoking meats. Mrs. Tran and her husband enjoy playing pitch, board games, Husker football and Formula 1 Racing. Mrs. Tran and her family are huge fans of the 4th of July holiday. Living in a small town, the Trans enjoy the sense of community that the special holiday brings out in everyone.

    With the belief that education is the most important gift we can give to our children, Mrs. Tran jumped at the opportunity to be a part of PSWH. Standing behind Primrose’s Balanced Learning curriculum, Mrs. Tran believes that education can be the start of any child’s passion for learning and the key for their future success.

  • Mrs. Hopwood

    Education Coach
  • Dr. Betsy Tonniges, Franchise Owner

    Dr. Betsy Tonniges

    Franchise Owner

    Welcome to the Primrose School of Lincoln at Wilderness Hills!

    Meet Dr. Betsy Tonniges, proud Franchise Owner and operator of Primrose School of Lincoln at Wilderness Hills. Betsy has a passion for childhood development and is excited to bring the Primrose Experience of the premier early childhood education and care to families in Lincoln.

    Betsy shares the Primrose belief that who children become is just as important as what they know. Immediately upon stepping into a Primrose school, Betsy was drawn to the research based Balanced Learning™ approach incorporating purposeful play and nurturing guidance from teachers to encourage curiosity, creativity, collaboration, confidence and compassion. When asked about the Primrose Experience Betsy explains, “The Primrose Balanced Learning™ approach focuses on developmentally appropriate academics that are inquisitive and hands-on in nature, there is also optimal time throughout the day for children to make choices about their learning.”

    Betsy and her husband, Jesse, are the proud parents of two school age children. A former public school educator, elementary principal and administrator, she was looking for an opportunity that allowed her to give back to the Lincoln community, but stay involved with children, families and learning. The goal she has established is to build lasting and trusted relationships with families to ensure that the choice you make in a childcare provider is one you can speak highly about and be proud of!

    Betsy truly is a lifelong learner, graduating from Doane College with a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary and Middle School Education with an emphasis in language arts and social sciences. She continued to earn her Masters degrees in Curriculum Instruction and Educational Leadership, along with endorsements in Early Childhood, ELL and Reading Specialist. Betsy earned National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) credentials in the area of Literacy and completed her Doctorate of Education at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. In her spare time, Betsy volunteers and serves on the board with several organizations that directly benefit children and families within our community.

    We look forward to meeting you and learning more about your hopes and dreams for your child’s early childhood experience! To speak to one of our Leadership Team members to learn more about the Primrose School of Lincoln at Wilderness Hills or to schedule a time to meet and tour, please call (402) 803-8525.

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