Ms. Katie is the Owner, Director, and Lead Teacher at Purple Bloom School. Before Purple Bloom School emerged, Ms. Katie owned and operated her in-home child care including Purple Bloom Preschool for 14 years. She spent that time studying the philosophies of Play Counts®, Heather Shumaker, Dr. Shinichi Suzuki, Handwriting Without Tears®, Get Set for School®, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Reggio Emelia, Magda Gerber, Janet Lansbury, Rudolf Steiner Waldorf Method, and Dr. Maria Montessori   At 17 years old, Katie received the KCRG TV9 “A+ for Education” for creating an immersion program for the special education students in her high school.   Ms. Katie is a trained and certified Suzuki violin and viola instructor. She owned and operated Stringworks School of Music for 10 years and taught violin at the University of Northern Iowa Suzuki Music School.   She earned her associates degree from Kirkwood Community College and has since continued her education at the University of Northern Iowa and University of Iowa.  

Ms. Katie and her husband, Irakli, have four children, three whom all attend Purple Bloom School and one who is employed at Purple Bloom School.

Ms. Kelley is the Assistant Director and Lead Teacher of room 6 AT Purple Bloom.  She initiated and oversees the upbringing of monarch butterflies with our students. She owned and operated her in-home childcare for four years. Ms. Kelley has experience working in the Iowa City School District as a one on one paraprofessional and a behavioral interventionist. She earned her AA degree and is certified in all early childhood education required training. She and her husband, Malik, have two daughters, two beagles, a guinea pig, and a chinchilla!   Both of their daughters attend Purple Bloom.  Ms. Kelley continues her education by attending various workshops and conferences related to early childhood education. Her favorite part of the school day is watching the kids use their imagination to create something amazing from a pile of “stuff”. 

Lisa grew up in Marion, Iowa with her older sister and Purple Bloom School Director, Katie Tsilosani.    She graduated from the University of Iowa with a B.A. in Liberal Arts.  Before joining Purple Bloom, she worked at Kirkwood Community College with marketing and high school outreach.    Lisa and her husband Noel have one son, Morgan.    She really enjoys working at Purple Bloom because of the supportive community Purple Bloom has become! 

Ms. Breanna Davis has her associate degree in Early Childhood Education and is in the process of earning her bachelor’s degree.  She has previous experience working in early childhood education before joining the team at Purple Bloom School including working at another center and nannying. She grew up in Wellman, IA. Ms. Breanna has Tourette’s syndrome and is dedicated to educating others on what it means to have Tourette’s syndrome. She truly enjoys working at Purple Bloom School because of family feel and that children are most important above all else, and staff are treated great.

Ms. Jen Wright has her degree in Elementary Education from Western Illinois University, with endorsements in Language Arts, Math, Science and Gifted Education.   Before joining Purple Bloom School, Ms. Jen was an elementary teacher at Prairie Green, 3/4^th grade teacher at Lone Tree Schools, and served as the Extended Learning Program Coordinator for Lone Tree and Prairie City-Monroe Schools.  She enjoys working at Purple Bloom School because of the multi-age environment and approach in nurturing the whole child.   When Ms. Jen is not teaching, she can be found camping, playing sand volleyball, reading, or playing guitar.

Mr. Kai Plews is the lead teacher of Pre-K Room #1 at Purple Bloom. He graduated from the University of South Dakota with a BFA in Photography. He then attended the University of Iowa and graduated with an MA and an MFA in Photography. Mr. Kai is currently certified in all early childhood education required training. He has training in social emotional teaching strategies, child-led play strategies, curriculum development, and pedagogical practices. Before working at Purple Bloom School, Mr. Kai worked with Ms. Rachel in her in-home tot school, In the Hive Playschool. Mr. Kai has a passion for teaching and working with all age groups. One of his favorite aspects of working with preschool aged children is reading books. He is excited to bring a creative and art focused approach to Purple Bloom!

Mr. Kai and his wife, Ms. Rachel, live in Iowa City with their five children: Dex age 10, Veda age 9, Gus age 6, twin 3-year-olds Leo and Asa, and their cat Spyder. Mr. Kai and Ms. Rachel's children attend Purple Bloom School.

Ms. Alyssa is currently attending the University of Iowa to study Elementary Education. She has previous experience of working with children after nannying for 3 years and working at the Regina Early Childhood Center for 2 years. Ms. Alyssa loves working at Purple Bloom because of the welcoming, respectful, and positive atmosphere

Ms. Iris earned her degree from the Associated Board of the Royal School of Music at Deakin University in Australia. Before working at Purple Bloom School, Ms. Iris worked at her family’s music center, Tone New Music Center, for 15 years teaching private piano lessons for ages 3-4 years. She also taught private vocal lessons. Ms. Iris was born into an artistic family, her dad owns his own painting studio, her mom the music studio, her brother is an art and guitar teacher, and her sister sings!  Ms. Iris lives in Iowa City with her husband and enjoys spending time at home and is a “gamer girl”.   Her favorite thing about working at Purple Bloom is the peaceful atmosphere.

Ms. Saba is a lead teacher in a 2-year-old classroom at Purple Bloom.  She studied ESL and is almost finished with her Associates Degree in Early Childhood Education.  Before joining Purple Bloom, Ms. Saba owned and operated “Daycare by Saba”, an in-home day care, for 2 years for children aged new born to five years of age.  She and her husband, Abbas, have two children, Tabarak (8) and Hussain (6) who both attend Purple Bloom School Summer Day Camp.    Working at Purple Bloom has inspired Saba to continue her education in early childhood and she continues to attend seminars and conferences.   Her favorite part of the school day is watching the children grow and learn how to speak from a few simple words into full sentences.

Ms. Rachel Plews graduated from the University of South Dakota with a B.S. in Sociology. She is currently certified in all early childhood education required training. She has additional training in social emotional teaching strategies and child led play strategies. Before joining Purple Bloom, Rachel owned and operated her own in-home "tot school". She developed and taught curriculum focused on play-with-a-purpose for children aged 2 and 3 years. She especially loves working with this age group because everything is a new adventure for them! 

Rachel and her husband, Kai, live in Iowa City with their five children: Dex age 9, Veda age 8, Gus age 5, and twin 2 year olds Leo and Asa, and their cat, Spyder.   Ms. Rachel’s children attend Purple Bloom School.

Ms. Roberta has her MBA + Diploma in Pedagogy. She is a Professor of Management and speaks Italian as a second language. Her favorite part of working at Purple Bloom is working with all the children. Ms. Roberta is married and has two kids, Dorotea (16) and Guido Antonio (13). She loves animals, cats in particular, and very much enjoys educating young children!

Ms. Amie graduated with a BA in psychology and a minor in sociology.   Before working at Purple Bloom, they worked in early childhood education, residential care specializing in women with disabilities and traumatic brain injuries.   Mx. Amie really enjoys working with children and came back to early childhood education. They really enjoying working at Purple Bloom because of the family feel, friendly teachers, and parents that are so kind and sweet. Ms. Amie lives with their wife Jen, 4 kids and my sweet Zola Grace puppy. My kids are Jerod “JJ” who is 10, Kiara who is 8, Gerron “GG” who is 4 and by June Bug who is 10 months. They are gender non-conforming, which means they do not identify as male or female but rather somewhere in the middle and use “them” “their” and “they” pronouns. Mx. Amie enjoys educating people on gender and is a self-described “total goofball”.

Ms. Tammy Bach has her associate’s degree (Liberal Arts & Science) from Kirkwood Community College and has all of the pre-requisites required for their Nursing Program as well. Before working at Purple Bloom School, Ms. Tammy worked in restaurant management.   Ms. Tammy lives in North Liberty with her fiancé, 2-year-old daughter, 10-year-old son, and their English bulldog, Bella.  Her favorite thing about working at Purple Bloom School is that it feels just like a family. Ms. Tammy studied martial arts, the violin, and loves music and cooking. She continues her Early Childhood Education by attending conferences and training seminars.

Hi My name is Mr. Max and I am a classroom assistant here at Purple Bloom School and I am originally from Virginia. I am attending Kirkwood Community College for Early Childhood Education. I plan to become an elementary school teacher in the future. I enjoy playing board games and spending time with my cat.

Ms. Britta Cavinder majored in Special Education at Southern Illinois University. Currently enrolled in a Registered Behavior Technician course through FIT.  Before working at Purple Bloom School, Ms. Britta was a general manager at Buffalo Wild Wings among other restaurant and retail leadership roles.  Her favorite parts about working at Purple Bloom are the inclusion Purple Bloom offers, the educational philosophy, family-like feel, support, and the people including staff, parents, and children. Ms. Britta is the mom of an amazing, energetic, and happy 3.5 year old son. He attended Purple Bloom from the time he was 16 months to almost 3 years old until he made his way up the waiting list at the Quad Cities Autism Center where he is working 1-on-1 with a Registered Behavior Technician to learn to communicate. They love to play outside, do sensory activities, engage in messy play, paint, and sing!  Ms. Britta continues her education by attending relevant trainings and conferences.

Ms. Teanna is currently studying Criminology, Law, and Justice. She’s not sure what she is going to do with her degree yet but is excited to be in this field. Ms. Teanna has previous experience working in Early Childhood Education.  Her favorite thing about working at Purple Bloom is being with the kids because they make her day so much better!

Ms. Jennifer Gerard is currently studying to earn her degree in business and is exploring the idea of getting my degree in child psychology.  Before joining Purple Bloom School, Ms. Jennifer was an assistant dance teacher and early childhood teacher.  She grew up with two older brothers and her loving parents.  She now has 5 nieces and nephews!  Her favorite quote is, 'A person's a person, no matter how small.', by Dr. Seuss.  She believes firmly in letting a kid be a kid, and that is through play-based learning. “Children figuring things and problems out themselves will lead them to becoming the person the future will see, and having kids that Purple Bloom School is teaching their students, I know that the future will be filled with bright young minds, with caring hearts.”   Ms. Jennifer continues her early childhood knowledge though attending trainings and conferences.

Ms. Kaylee Gross has her degree in Floral Career Design.   She owns her own children’s clothing line business.   Ms. Kaylee and her husband have one daughter who attends Purple Bloom School.  They are all avid Hawkeye fans!  Ms. Kaylee enjoys working at Purple Bloom School because of the supportive environment.   Ms. Kaylee attendings trainings and conferences to study and further her knowledge of Early Childhood Development.

Abbie grew up in Iowa City and has one semester left at the University of Iowa before completing her Industrial Engineering degree. After school she is joining the Air Force and attending pilot training. Abbie is currently pursuing her 200 hour yoga teacher training along with a trauma informed yoga teacher training course. She values continued education and emotional intelligence above all else. Abbie has worked in child care as a helper at an in-home day care, a full time babysitter, and she actively tutors mathematics in the local area. Abbie is very excited to be part of the Purple Bloom School team where intentional living is at the forefront!

Ms. Billie is currently studying Education at the University of Iowa. She is originally from Urbandale, IA and has three sisters. Ms. Billie’s favorite part of working at Purple Bloom School is building relationships with children and watching them grow every day.  

Ms. Jenna is a junior at Liberty High School. She is involved in volleyball, track, show choir, jazz choir, and band. In her free time Jenna enjoys spending time with family and friends and getting outside. She loves working at Purple Bloom School and it brings a smile to her face each and every day!

"Hi everyone! My name is Megan Uden and I just graduated from Liberty High School. I was involved in many activities such as volleyball, basketball, tennis, band, choir, show choir, and National Honor Society. I will be attending the University of Iowa in the fall and majoring in music education/performance and/or business. I’m planning to join the Hawkeye Marching Band and pep band! I love working and playing with kids and I am very excited to work at Purple Bloom School! I can’t wait to meet all of you!"

Ms. Emma is 3rd year student at the University of Iowa and is currently studying Secondary Foreign Language Education and Spanish. She is also studying to be certified to teach K-12 English language. Ms. Emma has previous experience working in early childhood education and before/after school programming. Her parents live in Des Moines, her sister is working Minneapolis, and she has a pet parakeet named Lago. She is in the University is Iowa marching band and is a huge Hawkeye fan. Ms. Emma really enjoys working with her Purple Bloom co-workers. She finds it fulfilling to watch the students at Purple Bloom hit their developmental milestones. She is looking forward to Purple Bloom Summer Day Camp 2020. “I can't wait to hang out with some kids and go on some fun adventures when the weather is nice! I also hope to do some fun art projects and other projects to learn from.” We are so happy to have Ms. Emma at Purple Bloom!

Ms. Ella began studies for music education at the University of Iowa. Before joining Purple Bloom, she was a barista at the Bread Garden Market.   Ms. Ella loves her family because they absolutely rock! In her free time, she loves to travel.  She enjoys working at Purple Bloom because the children fill her heart everyday and bring her endless joy. She is looking forward to Summer Day Camp 2020 because she cannot wait to experience a leadership role and spend all day outside exploring and learning about this wonderful earth we live on.

Ms. Payton Janney is currently working in our infant room at Purple Bloom.   She is a master’s student at the University of Iowa studying Child Life. Child life is psychologically and socially supporting children while they are in the hospital through play and development. Ms. Payton has previous work experience at the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital playing and supporting children. She grew up in Cedar Rapids with her parents and sister.  Her sister just got a job as a pediatric nurse and the University of Iowa and she has a big old dog named Tank.  Ms. Payton is a Chicago Cubs fan is very much missing watching the Cubs play baseball!  She enjoys working at Purple Bloom because she loves the kids and being able to learn more about them while providing a safe environment for them to grow.