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From Infant through preschool, we make early education and daycare joyful, engaging and fun so children are happy to learn, play and grow.

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Curriculum that develops the whole child

Our L.E.A.P.® (Learning Experience Academic Program) Curriculum uses fun, hands-on activities throughout early education to help children develop intellectually, socially and cognitively. Or as we say, to learn, play and grow.

Learn More About Our Curriculum

Characters that bring learning to life

Children love learning from characters—and studies show that it’s highly effective especially in preschool and early education. TLE® has a cast of unique, beloved characters, each one teaching children a new value or activity.

Bubbles and Friends Theme Song

261K subscribers and 60,480,577 views

Grace & Charity

Our dynamic doggy duo introduces the importance of being generous and giving.

Bubbles

Our lovable friend who takes you on a daily adventure that makes kids happy to learn, play and grow.

Lionstein®

Our wise and creative scientist who makes science fun and exciting.

Phoebe

Our literature loving llama makes reading fun.

Two Plus Toucan

Our creative mathematician helps explore the joys of math.

Penny

Our well-mannered etiquette coach demonstrates the importance of being helpful, honest, and kind.

Sonar

Our adventurous submarine reveals the many wonders of the underwater world.

Pablo

Our creative and artsy pig helps children discover the beauty of self-expression.

Gibby

Our kind-hearted, hard-of-hearing gibbon loves to share his passion for sign language and promoting inclusivity.

Success measured in happy stories

See what parents are saying about TLE Childcare Centers.

Cortland

S.
2 months ago
This place is awesome, my boys love it. Their teachers (Ms.Courtney, Ms. Natalie, Ms.Monique, Ms. Kimmy, Ms. Zhara) are very caring and inclusive to my boy's interest. My youngest just moved out of the toddler class and loved his teachers in there also. (Ms.Eniko, Ms. Angelita, Ms. Jessica)

Cortland

S.
2 months ago
This place is awesome, my boys love it. Their teachers (Ms.Courtney, Ms. Natalie, Ms.Monique, Ms. Kimmy, Ms. Zhara) are very caring and inclusive to my boy's interest. My youngest just moved out of the toddler class and loved his teachers in there also. (Ms.Eniko, Ms. Angelita, Ms. Jessica)

Meet our TLE® Center team

Ms. Casie

Center Director

Favorite TLE® Character: Grace Charity

Ms. Casie

Center Director

Favorite TLE® Character: Grace Charity

Ms. Casie attended North Park university and received her bachelor’s degree in secondary education. She is married to her high school sweetheart and they have a wonderfully energetic daughter. She started her journey in childcare in 2016 when she met Ms. Sierra. At first Ms. Casie was timid since her degree was with older children, but working with the preschoolers has proven to be the right career choice. Ms. Casie absolutely loves children and their incredible minds. She loves seeing them learn and seeing the excitement on their faces when they have achieved a new skill. Ms. Casie believes joining TLE has been such a blessing in her life and she cannot wait to continue to grow in her learning and her relationships with everyone here!

Kristin Gillespie

Assistant Director

Favorite TLE® Character: Bubbles

Kristin Gillespie

Assistant Director

Favorite TLE® Character: Bubbles

Miss Kristin started at TLE in the Infant Room. She loves working with the infants but has decided to take on the role as Assistant Director to help grow the school as a whole. In her free time, she loves reading and watching Netflix with her husband. She has lived in Illinois her whole life and has a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology from Carthage College.

Sierra Zaban

Regional Manager

Favorite TLE® Character: Sonar

Sierra Zaban

Regional Manager

Favorite TLE® Character: Sonar

I am so excited to be part of the team at The Learning Experience Gurnee and to have the honor of caring for and educating your children! I have been in the Early Childhood Education field for 10+ years and have a variety of experience in different roles! I spent several years teaching all different ages before I moved up to various leadership roles. I am passionate about education for everyone, especially the children in our communities that will one day possibly be my Doctor, President, Accountant or whatever else they choose to be! I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Education and a Master’s Degree in Adult Education and Training. I am also passionate about family! I have a very supportive husband, Alex, we have two kiddos, Quinn and Lincoln and two rescue pups, Wrigley and Bella! We love to travel and spend lots of time outdoors!

Mollie Blixt

President of Operations/Owner

Favorite TLE® Character: Bubbles

Mollie Blixt

President of Operations/Owner

Favorite TLE® Character: Bubbles

My exciting journey with TLE began in December 2006. I have dedicated each and every day since then to making our three Michigan schools and our Gurnee, IL school the very best for all of our children, the families and our community. I graduated from CMU with a Bachelor's in Child Development and had been a Director for over 13 years. Prior to that, I was a preschool teacher for 5 years in Ann Arbor. I have a passion for working with children and enjoy mentoring the staff to ensure that we are providing the safest and most nurturing environment for all children in our care. I am a very busy mom to 3 boys! We travel all over the country for gymnastics and baseball and I love every minute of it. I'm excited to be a part of this TLE Family and look forward too many more years of watching the children in our care learn, play and grow!

Ms. Ja'Naae

Infant B Teacher

Favorite TLE® Character: Grace Charity

Ms. Ja'Naae

Infant B Teacher

Favorite TLE® Character: Grace Charity

Ms. Ja'Naae has been working with children from ages 6 weeks to 18 years since 2012. From mentoring to teaching, she loves not only teaching children, but learning from them also! Ms. Ja'Naae is a firm believer in “coming as strangers and leaving as friends”. She loves having fun while learning and being with the children who are willing to learn each day.

Ms.Lucy

Infant Teacher

Favorite TLE® Character: Grace Charity

Ms.Lucy

Infant Teacher

Favorite TLE® Character: Grace Charity

My name is Ms. Lucy, I studied Early Childhood in St. Augustine in Chicago. I am a bilingual teacher who was born in Mexico, but have lived most of my life in Chicago, IL. I have been working with children of all ages for about 5 years. I love working with children because I like seeing them grow, smile, play, and care for each other. In addition it helps me learn and challenge myself with new things every single day. In my free time, I enjoy cooking for my husband and 3 children. I also love watching movies and playing board games.

Ms. Ann

Infant Teacher

Favorite TLE® Character: Bubbles

Ms. Ann

Infant Teacher

Favorite TLE® Character: Bubbles

Ms. Ann retired from working at a Montessori school but missed working with children so she came to work with us! Her goal in the classroom is to make things run as smoothly as possible. Ms. Ann was born in Jamaica and moved to Illinois when she was 19. In her free time, she likes reading, shopping, and decorating her house.

Ms. Jessica

Toddler Teacher

Favorite TLE® Character: Bubbles

Ms. Jessica

Toddler Teacher

Favorite TLE® Character: Bubbles

Ms. Jessica has two little girls and loves to spend time with them. She works hard to provide a home-like environment for the children and work with them on making their own choices.

Ms. Cynthia

Twaddler Teacher

Favorite TLE® Character: Miss Chievous

Ms. Cynthia

Twaddler Teacher

Favorite TLE® Character: Miss Chievous

Ms. Cynthia was born in Guatemala. She has her Bachelor's Degree with an emphasis in special education. She has been working in the early childhood field since 2004 both in the US and Guatemala. She loves spending quality time with her family and traveling around the world.

Ms. Courtney

Preschool 3A

Favorite TLE® Character: Penny Polite

Ms. Courtney

Preschool 3A

Favorite TLE® Character: Penny Polite

Ms. Courtney joined our TLE Gurnee team in August of 2021! She previously worked at a different TLE before moving out of state. Once she returned and had her little boy she decided to come back to TLE and join our team here at Gurnee! She is a coffee connoisseur and outside of work she enjoys spending time with her husband, Brad and son Beau.

Ms. Tiana

Preschool 2 Teacher

Favorite TLE® Character: Lionstein

Ms. Tiana

Preschool 2 Teacher

Favorite TLE® Character: Lionstein

Ms Tiana has worked as a middle school teacher but has decided to switch to younger kiddos! She has a Bachelor's Degree in English with a Master's Degree in Education. She is very passionate about helping the kiddos develop into the best versions of themselves! When not at TLE, Ms. Tiana likes reading, swimming, playing board games, and playing video games.

Ms. Dania

Preschool 3 Teacher

Favorite TLE® Character: Flexi Flamingo

Ms. Dania

Preschool 3 Teacher

Favorite TLE® Character: Flexi Flamingo

Ms. Dania has been in early childhood since 2015. She is currently going to Northeastern Illinois University for her Bachelor's Degree in Social Work. Ms. Dania strives to create a healthy and happy environment so her students can learn and grow. When not at work, Ms. Dania likes working out and hanging with friends and family.

Cyndi Umphrey

Owner

Favorite TLE® Character:

Cyndi Umphrey

Owner

Favorite TLE® Character:

Cyndi has a law degree from the University of Michigan and has practiced as a business and estate lawyer in Oakland County for over 20 years. She entered the early childhood education arena in 2006 when she, Mollie and Richard opened the South Lyon TLE. She still works as a lawyer, but makes frequent appearances at the school as characters like an alien game show host, a mermaid, “Sailor Sue”, Thing One, etc. She even dug the South Lyon School’s garden! Cyndi has had a lifelong commitment to the importance of childhood education, enjoying mentoring opportunities with local grade schools. Still practicing as a lawyer, Cyndi’s primary role at TLE is to support Mollie and the teachers and to facilitate their growth and education so the care they provide to your children is the very best.

Many ways to stay connected

We offer an easy-to-use smartphone app and an array of ways to help you stay connected.

Monthly newsletters and invitations to our community events

Monthly calendars

Everyday photos of your little learner

Blog to help you stay with the current trends

Notifications of your child’s learning activities

Social media

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