Director Kirsten Duin

My name is Kirsten Duin. At Peace, we do our very best to assist parents in caring for their child by meeting your child's spiritual, emotional, cognitive, and physical needs. We strive to meet these needs by planning hands on active learning activities.

I graduated with my Bachelors of Education in Early Childhood from Martin Luther College in 2012. Prior to Peace, from 2012 to 2018 I served as the Preschool Director and Lead Preschool Teacher at Cross of Christ in Coon Rapids, MN.

Please consider entrusting Grow in Peace as a place for your most precious blessings. There is no greater gift you can give your children than sending them somewhere where you know they are loved and will learn of God's love for them!

Assistant Director and Lead Infant Teacher Elizabeth Poduch

Hi, my name is Elizabeth Poduch. I am excited to be working in the infant room at Grow in Peace. My husband Gary and I are recent transplants from Illinois. I have my Associates in Early Childhood Education and many years of working in child care settings.

We have three grown daughters Charlotte, Kelly and Erica, two son-in-laws, Scott and Jeffrey, and a beautiful granddaughter Joanna. I feel blessed to nurture your children and watching them grow and experience all the little things in life.

One Year Old Lead Teacher Anne Ganter

My name is Anne Ganter. I am the co-lead teacher in the one-year-old room. I enjoy watching the little ones "Grow in Peace", where every day they learn new things. The most important thing that they will learn is that they are Jesus' little lambs, and He will always lead them through life. I believe the best way for these little lambs to learn is through active learning and playing. Prior to working at Grow in Peace, I was the aftercare teacher at Peace for the 3 and 4-year-olds. In addition to working to Peace and being a mom to my three very active boys, I have many years of experience in caring for other children, including those with special needs, in both in-home and school settings, as well as working with families of diverse backgrounds. My favorite part of teaching this age is their enthusiasm to learn and discover the world around them. I look forward to watching the little children grow physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

Lead Buds Preschool Teacher Cathy Gresens

My name is Mrs. Cathy Gresens and I am excited to be teaching the Buds Classroom. I have taught the Mommies, Music and More classes at Peace Lutheran for the last 7 years and have fallen in love with my 0-4 year old students. Although I graduated from UW Madison in Spanish, I have been taking Early Childhood Education classes for the last few years. I can't wait to share my love of music and art with the toddlers and believe that children learn best through play. I am especially excited to be part of a ministry that gives me the opportunity to share God's love everyday! My husband Michael and I have been blessed with 5 children.

Infant Assistant Teacher Shelly Schoenherr

Hello, I'm Shelly Schoenherr and I am excited to tell you that I will be working in the infant room at GPLC.

I attended Martin Luther College. After graduation, I worked in various daycares until I became the preschool teacher at Holy Cross in Madison. As that school grew, I then taught afternoon Kindergarten. My time there totaled 24 years.

Most recently, I worked at a child care learning center here in Sun Prairie. I worked with infants and one year olds.

We have two daughters, Mariah and Kailey, and most recently became empty nesters. I look forward to getting to know many of you and serving your family here at Growing in Peace.

Lead Blooms Teacher Mandy Edwards

Mandy grew up in Mishicot, WI. She graduated from Martin Luther College (MLC) in 2006 and was assigned to direct and teach at Calvary Lutheran Preschool and Kindergarten in Bellevue, WA. During the 15 years that she served the Lord in Bellevue she met and married her husband, Judd and they have a son named Ike. Mandy likes to organize, exercise, hike, and read. The Edwards family is grateful for the kindness they have received from Peace members, and praise God for his unending care during their transition to the Midwest. They are eager to join with the members of Peace to spread the Good News! To God be the glory!

Blooms Teacher Michelle Chesterman

Float Assistant Teacher Alissa Coan

My name is Alissa Coan, and I am very excited to be working as an assistant teacher at Grow In Peace. My husband Jerry and I moved here in October 2019 from Michigan. We have two dogs and are expecting our first child arrived at the end of June! I studied Early Childhood education my Junior and Senior years of high school at our local tech school.

Lead Stems Teacher Sarah Tesch

Hello, my name is Sarah Tesch! I'm the lead teacher in the two year old classroom. Here's a little about myself. My husband and I recently got married (October 2019) and we currently live in Fall River with our cat Rueben! I graduated from Madison College in 2016 with my associates degree in early childhood education. While finishing school, I worked as a three and four year old teacher. After graduation, I was a lead infant teacher for several years. After that I took a temporary job working for Child Protective Services for Dodge County. I realized my heart was still with teaching young children. So after that, I had the amazing opportunity to nanny full time for a year for my niece (age 3) and nephew (age 1).

I love being part of helping a child learn and grow physically and spiritually. Children are such a blessing and I look forward to getting to know your child!

Assistant Stems Teacher Rhonda Smith

My name is Rhonda Smith and I am the assistant teacher in the Stems classroom. I live in Sun Prairie with my husband Brian and 3 children Kayla 13, Carson 12, Katelyn 7 and our new boxer puppy Benny who is 3 months old! I have previously worked in 2 centers in the Madison area for a total of 15 years and for the past 13 years have been home and running my own in-home childcare. I am very excited to be here, and look forward to getting to know and work with all the children and parents, and this amazing staff here at Grow in Peace Learning Center!

Kitchen Lead Cook Jamie Arndt