Who We Are

Building a Better Community, One Child at a Time.

Caring for your child is a responsibility we take very seriously. You should feel at ease and confident about the place your child spends their day. We have been providing exceptional care for children of the DeForest community for over 20 years. Our credentialed and degreed teachers and staff are dedicated to providing quality early care and education for our children. Daily interaction with loving, caring people can positively influence your child’s future. Our goal is to develop a partnership, between home and school, which benefits the development and growth of your child. Wishing Well Preschool is rated 5-star by the State of Wisconsin and our facility is accredited by the National Accreditation Commission for Early Care and Education Programs Accreditation is an official review process performed by a nationally-recognized outside agency. The process of achieving and maintaining accreditation is no easy feat. It involves staff and family participation, classroom observations, and health and safety checks. The accrediting agencies have high standards that often go above and beyond our state’s minimum licensing requirements for child care centers. We have to meet these high standards in order to achieve this mark of excellence. Our school age program, located adjacent to the main building, offers school enrichment opportunities in a safe and nurturing environment. We provide care before and after school to all three local elementary schools. Each summer, children participate in additional activities as part of our full-day summer camp. Wishing Well 2.0 is a DeForest Area School District 4K partner site offering on site 4K to families of the DeForest community.

Administrative Team

Sheila Smozynski

Owner/Administrator

I am the Administrator of Wishing Well Preschool and Wishing Well 2.0 School Age Programs. I started working at Wishing Well in 2003 but have worked in the Early Care and Education field for over 20 years. I gained ownership of Wishing Well in October of 2006. I have a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Spanish from the UW-Madison. I consider myself a life-long learner and have completed two credentials: One from Nicolet College, the Administrator’s Credential and one from UW-Milwaukee, the Leadership Credential. I continue to take classes at Madison College in their Early Care and Education program. I have always loved working with children. I think it is such an exciting job to be able to be a part of so many children’s foundation of development and growth.

Angie Evans

Director

Meet Ms. Angie, our Director at Wishing Well! She spends many of her days working on the curriculum aspects that meet guidelines for our Accreditation standards that make us a 5 star Accredited Center along with meeting Licensing guidelines. Angie began her career with Wishing Well in 2006 as a Toddler and School Age Teacher and since has completed her Infant and Toddler Credential, her Associates Degree in Early Childhood Education, her Bachelors Degree in Community and Engagement and Education through UW Milwaukee and is currently enrolled in a Leadership Credential through UW Milwaukee. Angie and her husband Seth live in DeForest where their three children attend school. When not busy transporting her children to their multiple extra-curricular activities, she enjoys reading, learning and traveling with her family!

Tracie Kayartz

Director

Meet Ms. Tracie, our Wishing Well 2.0 Center Director! Ms. Tracie spends her time divided in the 2.0 building between her office and the three classrooms within the building. She has over 12 years of experience working with children in a group child care setting and has been with Wishing Well for 7 years. Ms. Tracie has an Administrative Credential as well as an Inclusion Credential and is currently enrolled at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College to obtain her Associate Degree in Early Childhood Education. In her free time, Tracie enjoys spending time outdoors, hiking, and attending multiple sporting events with her husband Steve and their three children. Ms. Tracie also has an eye for photography! “A child learns at their fullest potential by being treated as an individual and developing a positive self-image. ” Tracie Kayartz

Testimonials

Caring, nuturing environment. Communication between staff and parents is very good. The atmosphere of a center also works well in regards to not having to worry about sick days or unplanned vacation days.

Kimberly L.

We have only been going here about a week, but they are by far the best daycare my children have ever gone to! My daughter has had some major busing problems from school to daycare, and they have gone WAY above and beyond to get it all figured out. I am so impressed!

Darcy L.

This is the cleanest facility that I have seen in a long time. The staff knows every child by their name creating a close knit family environment. My children cannot wait to go in the mornings and sometimes are sad to come home at the end of the day because they enjoy it so much!

Nikkoleen A.