Primrose School would love to meet your family.
Contact UsMrs. Ellen Kulbeda leads our school's day to day operations as our School Director. Mrs. Kulbeda is a veteran of our industry, with over 25 years experience in both teaching and directing in an early childhood setting. In addition to her strong experience, Ellen holds a Bachelor's Degree in Education from Northern Illinois University.
Mrs. Sarah Friebus joins us as Lead Infant Teacher in November, 2011. Mrs. Friebus has her B.S. in Child Development from Northern Illinois University where she specialized in Parent/Infant relationships. Her career includes over six years teaching infant and preschool classes prior to joining our school.
In June 2018, Mrs. Friebus became our Education Coach, overseeing curriculum implementation in our classrooms and faculty support to ensure our Primrose Balanced Learning program is implemented with fidelity.
Mrs. Theresa McDuffie is our Office Manager She joined our school in November, 2021. She has an extensive background in early education. Prior to joining our school, she worked at another child care program for 18 years, serving in teaching and leadership roles. Mrs. McDuffie holds her B.A. in Education from Northern Illinois University.
Mrs. Karen Faircloth joins our faculty in August, 2013. Mrs. Faircloth holds her A.A in Child Development and has over 19 years experience working with young students in a child care/early learning setting.
Ms. Rachel Dossey joined our faculty in April 2016 to teach in our Older Infant classroom. Ms. Dossey completed her Associate Degree in Early Childhood Education and prior to joining our school, she completed six years of service at another child care center teaching and caring for young children.
Ms. Garcia joined our school in December of 2022 as an Assistant Teacher in our Young Infant classroom. Ms. Garcia will be attending Elgin Community College to obtain her degree in Early Childhood Education.
Mrs. Desi Rinaldi joined our school in September 2021. Mrs. Rinaldi studied early childhood education at Elgin Community College. She has previous experience with children as a Toddler teacher at another childcare center.
Ms. Diana Shorter joins our faculty in March, 2014 to teach in our infant classroom. She has over 13 years experience in another child care program and attended school at Elgin Community College.
Mrs. Jackie Smith is our Toddler Teacher, joining our school in April, 2012. Mrs. Smith completed her Associates Degree from Elgin Community College, studying child development. Prior to joining our school, she had over 12 years experience working in another child care program.
Mrs. Amanda Seibert joins our school in December of 2021 as an Assistant Teacher in the Early Preschool classroom. Prior to joining our school, she has experience as a Nanny and also is a Certified Nursing Assistant.
Ms. Maldonaldo joined our school in April of 2022 as an Assistant Teacher. She is currently attending classes at Elgin Community College working towards her Associates Degree.
Mrs. Krystal Webb joined our team as an Infant Teacher in May 2018. Mrs. Webb has her B.S. in Child Development from Northern Illinois University. Her career includes over four years teaching infant and preschool classes prior to joining our school.
Ms. Resendez joined our school in March of 2023 as an Assistant Teacher. She is currently attending classes at Aurora University to obtain her degree in Early Childhood Education.
Ms. Itzel Pena joined our school in January 2023. Ms. Pena is currently studying at Elgin Community College where she is working on her degree in Buisness. She has previous experience taking care of a Kindergartener through e-learning and a six month old.
Mrs. Jamie Gajewski joined our school in the Fall of 2012 to team teach in our early preschool classroom. Mrs. Gajewski has studied Early Childhood Education at Elgin Community College and then at Trinity International University. She has been teaching in a preschool setting for three years prior to joining our school, teaching students from infants through pre-kindergarten age.
Ms. Muise joined our school in May of 2023 to assist in our Preschool Pathways classroom. Her previous expierence has been teaching in a preschool class and an infant classroom for three years. Ms. Muise was also a nanny for two children for a year.
Ms. Lisa Arcos joins our faculty in February, 2016, originally at our Algonquin School, then transferring to our South Elgin School. She has over 15 years experience in the early childhood education field and completed her undergraduate degree in Communicative Disorders and Information Technology.
Mrs. Christine Klopcic is a Teacher at our school who joined our faculty in April, 2015. She has her B.A in Education and has taught preschool for over 10 years.
Ms.Wendy Westlund is our Preschool Teacher. Ms. Westlund has her B.A.degree in Education from Judson College and over 18 years experience prior to joining our school. Ms. Westlund joined our school when we opened in July, 2011.
Ms. Westlund is also the winner of the 2016 Master Teacher Award, for her outstanding contributions to our student's success at Primrose School of South Elgin.
Mrs. Christina Foreman joins our school in February 2012 as our Toddler Teacher. Mrs. Foreman has her Infant/Toddler Certification from Waubonsee College and received her Associates Degree in Early Childhood in December 2016. She began her career in the Early Childhood field in 2003. Beginning in the Fall of 2016, Mrs. Foreman began teaching in our Preschool II classroom.
Ms. Leanne Zshornack joined our school in October 2021 to assist in our Preschool II Classroom. In December of 2022 she recieved her Assoicates in Psychology and Early Childhood Education.
Joyce Aquino joins our faculty in November 2018 as a Private Pre-Kindergarten I Teacher. Mrs. Aquino completed her Bachelor Degree in Elementary Education and also has her Masters Degree in Education. Prior to joining our school, Mrs. Aquino worked in another child care organization and as a Sunday School teacher.
Mrs. Pam Randazzo joined our school in the summer of 2019 as a PreKindergarten teacher. She has two years prior experience teaching preschool students in another early childhood program.
Ms. Isabella Maes joined our school in December of 2022. Ms. Maes is studying Education at Elgin Community College.
Mrs. Mazurek has her Bachelor's in Elementary Education from University of Wisconsin Eau Clair and her Masters in Reading from Carthage College. She has over 20 years of expierence teaching preschool, kindergarten and third grade. She joined our school in April of 2023.
Mrs.Kathryn Vickrey joined our school in the summer of 2012 as our Pre-Kindergarten Teacher. She completed her Associates Degree in Early Childhood Education and has six years prior experience teaching preschool students in another early childhood program.
Mrs. Michelle Salazar joined our team in May 2018 as a Toddler teacher after working at the Algonquin school for 2 years in their Early Preschool classroom. Mrs. Salazar has achieved her Child Development Associate Credential and comes to us with over 15 years of experience working with children in another child care setting and as a nanny.
Mrs. Lori Thermos leads our Explorer Class each afternoon and teaches the Pre-Kindergarten morning class during the school day. She has her B.A. in Early Childhood Education and over 14 years experience in our field prior to joining our school. Mrs. Thermos joined our school when we opened in July, 2011. Mrs. Thermos was also our Master Teacher award winner for 2014, due to her outstanding teaching accomplishments. For the 2021- 2022 school year, Mrs. Thermos was promoted to our Private Kindergarten teacher.
Ms. Nadia Perez joined our school in August 2022 to assist in our Explorer's program.
Mrs. Angie Stonecipher joins our school in January 2022 as a Support Teacher. She has been a long-time teacher in the early education field, since beginning her career in 1993. Mrs. Stonecipher has her education classes from Elgin Community College.
Mrs. Sanchez joined our school in August of 2023. Mrs. Sanchez has many years of experience volunteering and assisting in elementary schools, girl scouts and in her church's nursery.
Mrs. Teri O'Connor joined our team in December 2016 as a Toddler teacher. Mrs. O'Connor has an Associates Degree in Child Development and comes to us with over 25 years of experience working with children in another child care setting and through her church.
Ms. Hailey Hall joined our school in August 2021. Ms. Hall is currently studying at Elgin Community College where she is working on her degree to become an Ultrasound Tech. She has previous experience with children at a daycare center and through softball clinics.
Mrs. Julita Guzman joined our team in March 2019 as a Kitchen Helper. Mrs. Guzman is a great asset in the kitchen as she prepares our snacks and meals and keeps our kitchen clean and tidy.
Ms. Eliana Arcos joined our team in June of 2023 as a Kitchen Helper. Ms. Acros has been in the food industry since 2018.
Welcome to Primrose Schools!
My name is Soha Gowani. My husband Ali Gowani and I are the proud owners and operators of Primrose School of South Elgin. We have two beautiful school age children, Lia and Noah. As parents, we understand how difficult it can be to find both a safe and educational environment that provides the exceptional level of care we expect for our most precious gifts. We are beyond excited to be a part of the Primrose family and to share this amazing school with the South Elgin communities.
I am a board-certified Family Nurse Practitioner through the American Nurses Credentialing Center with 20 years of experience in the industry. I received my Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Elmhurst College and my Master of Science in Nursing from Northern Illinois University with specialization in family practice. As a nurse practitioner, I have significant experience working in primary care and interventional pain medicine. I have also taught as an adjunct faculty member for both Rasmussen and DePaul University. Over the last few years, I have volunteered my time and served on the health board with a focus on non-communicable disease management for the Ismaili Health Professionals Association.
My husband, Ali, is an executive and leadership expert, with over 15 plus years of experience leading diverse departments including support groups, field operations and engineering groups. Ali earned his Bachelor of Science in Information Technology from DePaul University and his Master of Science in Communications from Northwestern University. In addition, he holds Microsoft certified technology specialist, Microsoft certified IT professional, lean six-sigma green belt, and project management professional certifications. He currently serves as the president of MitoTec, LLC, where he is responsible for revenue and expenses and leading the ongoing planning and implementation of information technologies that support the company’s core missions.
Ali and I believe it takes a village to raise a child. Primrose is that village for parents with our Balanced Learning® approach, which balances purposeful play with nurturing guidance from teachers to encourage curiosity, creativity, confidence and compassion. We deliver more than a curriculum; it’s a life-changing early learning experience for children and their families.