https://www.teddybearwinfield.com/staff daily 0.75 2026-01-20 https://www.teddybearwinfield.com/staff/rachael-hiestand monthly 0.5 2026-01-05 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63c57ba30036681c1dfa4fdb/039a4785-2b86-43b3-9011-5cbfd9a2242e/Rachael.JPG Staff - Rachael Hiestand - Owner | Director |Teacher Mrs. Hiestand was born and raised in Crown Point. She has a degree in Elementary Education from Purdue Calumet. She started her teaching career in the Lake Central school district in 2006. Out of 9 years of teaching for LC, she spent 8 of those in kindergarten. She began teaching at Teddy Bear in 2014 alongside Teddy Bear creator Bonnie Coulter. Rachael took over as the Director in 2016 Rachael helped expand the program from 4 classes to our current 15 classes. She currently teaches 2 day morning classes. She is married with 2 daughters. In her spare time, you can find her watching her daughters play softball, do track and field events. She loves to travel, read, and spend time outside. https://www.teddybearwinfield.com/staff/sarah-petry monthly 0.5 2026-01-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63c57ba30036681c1dfa4fdb/1736450412484-SZDN5J0BTEKG900QJN5F/Sarah.JPG Staff - Sarah Petry - Teacher Mrs. Petry was born and raised in Crown Point. She has a degree in Elementary Education from Purdue Calumet. She started her teaching career at Jerry Ross Elementary and taught 3rd grade for 6 years. She has been with Teddy Bear since 2016. She has taught 2-day, 3-day, and currently teaches our 3 and 4-day classes. She is married with 2 sons. In her spare time, you can find her watching her boys play soccer, watching Track and Cross-Country meets, or watching them play the piano or violin. She loves to read and spend time outside with her family. https://www.teddybearwinfield.com/staff/mindy-means monthly 0.5 2026-01-15 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63c57ba30036681c1dfa4fdb/1736450551822-P02PDXCED2P1NRZL2OKG/Mindy.JPG Staff - Mindy Means - Teacher Mrs. Means was born and raised in Crown Point. She has a degree in Liberal Arts and Social Sciences. She has been at Teddy Bear since 2018. She has previously been our office manager, a classroom assistant, and Lead Cubby Bear Teacher. She now teaches our 3 & 4 day classes. She is married and has two sons. In her spare time, you can find her doing DIY projects, watching her kids play sports, shopping, and traveling. https://www.teddybearwinfield.com/staff/gina-maldonado monthly 0.5 2026-01-15 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63c57ba30036681c1dfa4fdb/d81c529c-b875-4859-95c3-d5a41e3123db/Gina.JPG Staff - Gina Maldonado - Teacher | Assistant Mrs. Maldonado was raised in Gary and graduated from Andrean High School. She has Bachelors in Psychology and a Masters in Child Development. She previously worked for Head Start as a lead teacher and First Steps as a Developmental Therapist. She currently teaches our 2 afternoon classes. She is married and has 2 daughters and a son, 2 of which are TB graduates. She loves spending time with her family outdoors and traveling all over to watch her kids play soccer and run. https://www.teddybearwinfield.com/staff/chloe-dorsey monthly 0.5 2026-01-05 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63c57ba30036681c1dfa4fdb/1736450907535-6IYFPRYW1X88S7KFYR85/Chloe.JPG Staff - Chloe Dorsey - Teacher Ms. Dorsey was born and raised in Crown Point. She’s also a Teddy Bear Graduate! She has been at Teddy Bear since 2020. She recently finished up her degree in Child Psychology and Child Development. She is our lead Cubby Bear teacher and a 3 year old teacher. She is a major Disney fan and spends her summers in Florida. She enjoys spending time with her family and friends, shopping, and traveling. https://www.teddybearwinfield.com/staff/michelle-wirtz-7w9ky monthly 0.5 2026-01-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63c57ba30036681c1dfa4fdb/5db10ccd-de2f-42f2-b916-66dd7be0fa3d/Samantha.JPG Staff - Samantha Parkhouse - Teacher Mrs. Parkhouse started at Teddy Bear in 2024. She lives in Lakes of the Four Seasons with her husband Jon and their two children Libby and Michael Mrs. Parkhouse attended Purdue University in West Lafayette & graduated with a bachelors in elementary education. She taught 2nd grade at Winfield Elementary for 10 years before leaving to pursue a career that better suited her growing family at the time. Now that her former Teddy Bear kids are in school full time, she could not pass up the opportunity to get back in the classroom. When she’s not teaching she enjoys crafting and reading. https://www.teddybearwinfield.com/staff/michelle-wirtz monthly 0.5 2026-01-05 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63c57ba30036681c1dfa4fdb/9fbc9d69-6688-4e93-b899-d35700a6a2da/Michelle.JPG Staff - Michelle Wirtz - Assistant Mrs. Wirtz was born and raised in Cedar Lake. She worked as a medical assistant for several years before coming to Teddy Bear. She has been at Teddy Bear since 2021 and is a former Teddy Bear parent. She is an assistant in Mrs. Petry’s 3 & 4 day classes. She is married with 2 kids, a son and a daughter. She enjoys being outside, going to concerts, and spending time with her family and friends. https://www.teddybearwinfield.com/staff/michelle-wirtz-axtyz monthly 0.5 2026-01-05 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63c57ba30036681c1dfa4fdb/1736450872323-RGLN8QGAV3GU2WMCMQR3/Christina.JPG Staff - Christina Watson - Assistant Mrs. Watson grew up in Lowell and has lived in Crown Point for the last 20 years. She has a Bachelor of Science in Computer Information Systems from Indiana University Northwest. She is an assistant in our Young 5’s classroom. She is married with 3 daughters and 1 son. Her kids have loved being Teddy Bear students and she is very excited to be part of the Teddy Bear family herself. When she’s not driving her kids back and forth to sporting events, she loves spending time at the beach and taking road trips with her family. https://www.teddybearwinfield.com/staff/michelle-wirtz-axtyz-3jxdg monthly 0.5 2026-01-05 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63c57ba30036681c1dfa4fdb/1736450827063-DGDXVX802WXPLWBKPYFA/Sara.JPG Staff - Sara Gubitz - Assistant Sara was born and raised in Griffith, IN. She has a Bachelors degree in Liberal Arts and Science. Sara also worked as a school/district secretary for 2 years at SELF school in Valparaiso, IN. She is married and has two boys, both have attended Teddy Bear! She’s currently an aide Mrs. Means’ 3 and 4 day classes. In her spare time, she enjoys going to concerts, traveling, and watching her boys play soccer. https://www.teddybearwinfield.com/staff/michelle-wirtz-axtyz-3jxdg-bhe87 monthly 0.5 2026-01-05 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63c57ba30036681c1dfa4fdb/1736450849759-TGTDVXWWIQ0I3Q9HY8KQ/Analyse.JPG Staff - Analyse Jobe - Assistant Analyse was raised in Hebron and graduated from Boone Grove High School. She worked as a orthodontic and marketing assistant for three years prior to coming back to Teddy Bear! She’s currently an assistant in Mrs. Hiestand’s AM and Ms. Dorsey’s PM classes. She is married with no kids but has one sweet puppy named Willow! She enjoys spending time with her family and friends, reading, and traveling! https://www.teddybearwinfield.com/staff/sandy-schaafsma monthly 0.5 2025-01-30 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63c57ba30036681c1dfa4fdb/4d386c17-323c-4a53-8e1b-cba45358b857/Sandy.JPG Staff - Sandy Schaafsma - Assistant Ms. Sandy was born and raised in Crown Point. She is married and has 2 kids and 4 granddaughters. She enjoyed babysitting her girls until they went to Elementary school. She is an assistant to our Cubby Bear classes and fills in where needed. She loves crafting and often preps our projects at home for us. She also enjoys watching her granddaughters at all their sporting events. https://www.teddybearwinfield.com/staff/sandy-schaafsma-wsfct monthly 0.5 2026-01-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63c57ba30036681c1dfa4fdb/1738248710409-UE19O0I2111UTNYGQYJ8/Courtney.JPG Staff - Courtney adams - Teacher/Assistant Mrs. Adams was born in Calumet City. She moved to Crown Point with her husband 23 years ago. She has a Bachelors of Science Degree from Purdue University. She teaches a 3 day class and an assistant to Mrs. Maldonado’s PM classes. She has a son Connor, and 2 daughters Chloe and Lily, all Teddy Bear Graduates! She has previously worked as a tutor for elementary grade levels K-5, spending most of her time as a Kindergarten Instructional aide. In her spare time, you can find her at the soccer field watching her daughter, vacationing with her family, going to concerts, and watching spooky movies. https://www.teddybearwinfield.com/home daily 1.0 2026-01-04 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/1615225337376-36JM1AX4C0NIC32WNXXU/Rectangle+26.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/1615225123989-3AGGEWNOKB8XK6YRH6A9/Rectangle+25.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/1615225350677-B3YBA0I530Q8W9125BX3/Rectangle+27.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/1615225322403-8M32U1NK41JYCCJQCWP7/Rectangle+25.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63c57ba30036681c1dfa4fdb/ab26a2d0-73e1-43dc-83b7-82a614680ff8/Rachael_1.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63c57ba30036681c1dfa4fdb/53f5f687-350e-4776-a0fc-3a7967537d6c/Girl+Glue_1.1.1.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63c57ba30036681c1dfa4fdb/c9614790-a146-426e-854d-d0476947523a/Classroom+Sara_1.13.1.jpg https://www.teddybearwinfield.com/about daily 0.75 2026-01-04 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63c57ba30036681c1dfa4fdb/fed45560-3dcb-4322-83e1-4e8c4a152b81/Flags_1.14.1.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63c57ba30036681c1dfa4fdb/c7f24ff4-47e9-4f5e-bc34-04bc1ba2673b/Grad_1.5.1.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63c57ba30036681c1dfa4fdb/2852b873-96da-4849-9ffe-01fd69b749a3/Boy_2.2.1.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63c57ba30036681c1dfa4fdb/465ee4b3-735d-4761-af64-3aa602b55fcc/Bonnie+copy.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63c57ba30036681c1dfa4fdb/c715a180-6a73-4435-87f7-a9afcb9750df/CommunityIcon.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63c57ba30036681c1dfa4fdb/9c7585ca-fe94-4e92-8167-0e9f993928b1/writing.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63c57ba30036681c1dfa4fdb/1f75795b-764b-4dfe-814c-7fe560838dd4/Congative.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63c57ba30036681c1dfa4fdb/079ddd43-7098-42aa-ac76-b84658a813cb/Crafts.png https://www.teddybearwinfield.com/contact daily 0.75 2026-01-04 https://www.teddybearwinfield.com/programs daily 0.75 2025-01-30 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63c57ba30036681c1dfa4fdb/9c7585ca-fe94-4e92-8167-0e9f993928b1/writing.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63c57ba30036681c1dfa4fdb/1f75795b-764b-4dfe-814c-7fe560838dd4/Congative.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63c57ba30036681c1dfa4fdb/079ddd43-7098-42aa-ac76-b84658a813cb/Crafts.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63c57ba30036681c1dfa4fdb/c715a180-6a73-4435-87f7-a9afcb9750df/CommunityIcon.png https://www.teddybearwinfield.com/gallery daily 0.75 2023-07-21 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63c57ba30036681c1dfa4fdb/bf886249-e750-456c-a82e-7f0ace1438bd/Gallery_1.1.1.jpg Gallery https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63c57ba30036681c1dfa4fdb/a7f3931b-1400-4615-8e62-82b1389c17c4/Gallery_1.2.1.jpg Gallery https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63c57ba30036681c1dfa4fdb/1ae6c977-1c3f-4fde-9bb5-391ee5e24a39/Gallery_1.3.1.jpg Gallery https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63c57ba30036681c1dfa4fdb/2ab3c84c-e13a-4f06-b67e-06cd0565bd53/Gallery_1.4.1.jpg Gallery https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63c57ba30036681c1dfa4fdb/f01a01f9-d57b-4fad-a05a-ab7038d52577/Gallery_1.6.1.jpg Gallery https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63c57ba30036681c1dfa4fdb/00f5f169-9929-41ad-8bd5-b5d367804902/Gallery_1.7.1.jpg Gallery https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63c57ba30036681c1dfa4fdb/53f5f687-350e-4776-a0fc-3a7967537d6c/Girl+Glue_1.1.1.jpg Gallery https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63c57ba30036681c1dfa4fdb/81f86851-2c67-4e35-80cb-16310f96c596/Classroom+Sara_1.13.1.jpg Gallery https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63c57ba30036681c1dfa4fdb/fff27889-59b1-4274-8de3-4062fec7bc3a/Gallery_1.5.1.jpg Gallery https://www.teddybearwinfield.com/form-submission-complete daily 0.75 2023-07-21 https://www.teddybearwinfield.com/form-submission-complete-1 daily 0.75 2023-07-21