“Play is the work of childhood”
Jean Piaget
Madelyn Maldonado, Director
Education and Experience in Early Childhood Care and Education
Along with Madelyn’s 20 years of experience in ECE, she attended Truman College and Rasmussen College and has earned over 64 credit hours in the early childhood education field. As an accomplished teacher and leader in ECE since 1999, she has served centers in a variety of management positions. This includes:
- Serving as Director Designee
- Serving as Assistant Director
- Educating teachers on the best ways to promote an educational, healthy, and nurturing classroom environment where all children can thrive.
- Training teachers on Reggio Emilia curriculum philosophy and education.
In addition to having over two decades of hands-on experience, she continues to pursue additional education and training in the field of early childhood development and learning.
Educational Philosophy
Madelyn has dedicated her life to childhood education because she understands the developmental importance of the early years when it comes to learning. She loves children and is motivated to demonstrate values of kindness, respect, and encouragement. Strongly inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach to education, Madelyn strongly believes that well-supported, self-paced learning should be the basis of each child’s education. Madelyn equally understands that parents and caregivers are their children’s first, and most important, teachers. She actively works to nurture relationships with every family to provide the best experience for every child at CSP.
The Importance of Play in the Learning Process
Madelyn approaches play as an important element in the learning process. It helps children to discover how things work; not just in one way, but in many ways. It encourages them to use their imagination and expand the ideas they create.
Outside of CSP
Madelyn is a mom of three boys, and a Chicago native. Her multicultural background gave her the opportunity to travel to the Caribbean, giving her a more global perspective of society and education. When not at CSP, Madelyn enjoys exploring Chicago with her family and friends.
“Play is our brain’s favorite way of learning.”
Diane Ackerman
Della Allen, School Owner
Education and Experience in Early Childhood Care and Education
My husband, Mark, and I opened an indoor play space in 2004. Fantasy Kingdom was the first facility in Chicago to offer families drop in play. In 2009 we opened Creative Scholars to extend our reach of play and learning for young children.
I Enjoy Working in Early Childhood Because…
I enjoy early childhood education as it is the start to a child’s future success. Helping these young minds build their confidence and knowledge is extremely rewarding to me. Watching them over the years grow during their stages of early childhood is the biggest accomplishment for me and them. I can mainly be found in the Tots classroom. I enjoy singing with our children, reading stories, playing with play doh and of course, messy art activities! What I love most about this age group is they still love tons of hugs and cuddles.
Play’s Role in the Learning Process
The importance of play in learning is the key foundation to every young child’s success in education. There are no set rules that a child needs to follow when it comes to play. They are using their imagination and learning from communicating and listening to others. From this they build their vocabulary which are the stepping stones to the early stages of reading.
My Favorite Way to Play as a Child…
When I was a child, I loved riding my bike and playing outside with my sister and all of our neighborhood friends. I also loved playing mommy with my baby dolls. My mom had her own hair salon in our basement and I remember sitting on all of her customer’s laps and having them read stories to me over and over again.
What do I do When I’m not at CSP?
When I’m not at Creative Scholars I enjoy spending time with my husband, Mark, our 18 year old twins, Jami and Brendan; and our two dogs, Marcello & Leo. We love to stay active! If we’re not cheering on our daughter or son in a school activity, we love hanging out with family and friends and exploring our city.