EduPlay
Discovery Center
Nurturing and Educating Children Through Purposeful Play.
Two Locations:
EduPlay Discovery Center
518 N. Franklin St. Frankenmuth
989-652-0182
EduPlay Discovery Center North
385 E. Morley Dr. Saginaw
989-798-8641
"Our teachers are really the heart of our center. They lead with enthusiasm, values and compassion."
Hailey Pratt
Administrator
“I have always loved working with children; they inspire me to be the best person I can be. Children help you see things from a whole new perspective. There is never a dull moment around children, and I love that!”
Hailey began her childcare experience in 2010 in the early childhood program at the Technology Center. She then moved into a teacher’s aide position at Vassar High School Head Start and Latch Key. Hailey started working for EduPlay in October of 2014. She has completed her Child Development Associates in 2016 at Delta College and is currently working towards her associate’s degree in Early Childhood Education. Hailey enjoys camping and spending time with her husband and two children.
Makenzie Buetow
Director-Frankenmuth
"What I love most about working with children is their fearlessness. They have a whole world to discover filled with new and exciting, sometimes terrifying things. I love seeing their genuine reaction when they are learning. There is nothing more rewarding than experiencing that with them"
Makenzie began her childcare experience in 2016. She started her employment at EduPlay in January of 2019 as an assistant teacher. She was a lead teacher in the Toddler Room for several months. She obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education Administration in November of 2021. She spent two years teaching and overseeing the Great Start Readiness Program, then moved into the Director position as EduPlay expanded. Makenzie loves spending time with her dog Benny, her friends, and family especially her nieces and nephews. She enjoys concerts, baking, crafting, and swimming.
Melissa Volk
Assistant Director
"I’m happy to be back into the field of working with children again. I love to see children light up when they learn something new or reach a new milestone- children are such a blessing and so much fun to be around and teach!"
Melissa started in childcare in 1997. Since then, she has held various positions at several childcare centers. She has been an assistant teacher, lead teacher, and in 2003 became a director. She worked as a certified nursing assistant in home care and was the head of the Restorative Therapy Program at Wellspring Lutheran Services for the last 10 years. She pursued her degree in Childhood Development at Delta college. Melissa was the Early Preschool lead teacher and now is the assistant director. She loves spending time with her dog Snickers, reading, traveling, crafting, and spending time with her family and friends.
OUR EDUCATORS
Our teachers are really the heart of our center. They lead with enthusiasm, values and compassion. We build cohesive teams by valuing each teacher’s strengths and contributions within the programs and recognizing the relationships with the children in their care. Our teachers understand that children learn best when they are provided a foundation of warm, responsive care, and a genuine loving relationship is built with their teacher. We are very fortunate to have an amazing team of talented teachers at EduPlay who are passionate in what they do and care deeply about the children.
Kimberly Zehnder, Owner
Some of the best times in our lives are spent as a child exploring, learning and imagining. These years are also the most valuable when comes to learning and absorbing all the information and experiences we are given. These are the brain's critical developmental years. The first few years in a child's life are an extraordinary period of cognitive and emotional growth, brain development and language acquisition. The older we get the more we forget just how precious and fleeting these moments were for us, not to mention how important they were to our brain's development.
Imagine an early childhood program and after-school program that not only meets the child care needs of parents during these periods of critical development, but that also provides opportunities for in depth exploration and discovery in the areas of science and creative arts in an activity based learning environment.
EduPlay aims to offer quality early childhood services with flexible hours that support local parents as well as those employed in the tourist industry within the community. We will provide close personal attention and an activity based learning environment that encourages exploration and discovery. These qualities are essential to providing a quality and creative learning experience that promotes the development of the whole child.