Meet Our Amazing Child Care Staff!
At The Big Barn Preschool, our well-qualified and experienced child care staff have great affection, knowledge, and understanding of young children.
These nurturing teachers guide the boys and girls through a comfortable environment away from home. They also assist the children in communicating successfully with others and developing a positive respect for themselves.
Director
Bonnie Kasman
I am very excited to be the Director of The Big Barn Preschool! I have been the Director for since May 25, 2011, and I have been working in Early Childhood Education for more then 20 years. I graduated from Western Illinois University with a BS in Early Childhood Education.
I am so excited to be the Director of such an amazing school, and I know I will be able to help the school and become ever more amazing!
While I have been here we have re-painted the school, added rubber chips to the play ground and a climber. Now we also have a Kindergarten Room and a 4 year old room.
I am married to a wonderful man, Jim. He helps out around The Big Barn Preschool frequently. We have two children, Nicole and Chris. I have some wonderful ideas for a great year so please call (847) 895-3257 or schedule a tour of our terrific child care center. Member of GoAEYC, a Child Care organization.
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Assistant Director / Lead Teacher
Sheri Futris
My name is Sheri Futris and I've been working at The Big Barn since September 1, 2009. I started as the 3, 4 & 5 year old teacher and I am now the Assistant Director as well. I have an Early Childhood Certificate and have been teaching for 28 years.
Teaching children has always been my passion. It is amazing to watch the children grow and learn. It is an awesome experience because I still learn so much from them every day.
Teaching new experiences such as Holiday’s Around the World is something I love! This is a unit I teach every December, where the children get passports and we pretend to travel and learn about other cultures. I also enjoy watching the children go from recognizing their names to writing them.
Married to a great man, Tom and I have two children, Tyler and Chad. Some of my hobbies are watching my boys play their sports, watching T.V. and reading.
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Beth Blankenship - Lead PM teacher and Music Teacher
Beth is thrilled to join the Big Barn Preschool after 22 years as a teacher in the Bellwood School District. She taught a variety of grades including Kindergarten and Preschool.
Beth is also a working musician. Beth integrates music into her curriculum and loves to sing and dance with the children.
Miss Beth grew up in Plainview, New York. She came to Chicago in 1976 for her undergrad at Northwestern University. She then completed her Master's in Education.
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Brian Darrow- Lead 3/4 teacher
I have an Associate Degree in Early Childhood Education from Harper College, and have been in child care teaching children ages 3-5 for 19 years.
After working at various other centers around the area, I joined the Big Barn in February of 2016.
Working with young children to help enrich their lives is a true joy and pleasure knowing that I make a difference in their lives. My favorite activities outside of work are seeing action/horror films with my Dad and watching Mr. Who.