4K

Culleen Witthuhn the Director of Early Learning has been with Madison Metropolitan School District for 4 years.  She comes to the district with 18 years of Urban Education Experience. Her undergraduate in Education comes from Carroll University.  She has a Masters in Educational Leadership and a Director of Special Education/Pupil Service License from Cardinal Stritch University.  She is coming from Racine Unified School District with 10 years teaching experience in Elementary and Middle School with 8 years experience being a Director of Early Learning and Directing Principal for the Racine Early Education Center.   She is widely known throughout the state and presents frequently at Early Learning Conferences on research based best practices.  She is certified as a trainer of Creative Curriculum, Teaching Strategies Gold, Ages and Stages Questionnaire, Danielson Framework, and Pyramid Model.  Her philosophy and beliefs in early learning which include PreK- 3rd grade are that children learn through meaningful experiences and hands-on education.  It is a teacher's job to individualize instruction, it is a Director's Job to move obstacles out of a teacher's way to help support them to make that happen. 

Andrea Bertone is returning to MMSD after spending four years as a special education consultant at the WI Department of Public Instruction and 2 years as the Director of Special Education and Student Services in Marshall, WI. Andrea started her career in MMSD in 2000 and spent the first 18 years of her career supporting students ages preschool through high school as a speech-language pathologist, diagnostician, and program support teacher. Andrea lives in Cottage Grove with her family. She enjoys spending time with family and friends and doing all things outdoors in her freetime. 

I am Janet Brown, the assistant to the Early Learning Department.  I have worked with MMSD for the last 3 ½ years in a supportive role for C&I and Early Learning. I have a wide variety of duties in our department which includes scheduling meetings and acting as a liaison between office staff, 4k offsite staff, schools faculty and staff, and families. I am detail oriented, very organized, and communicate effectively both in person and in writing. I like problem solving and event organizing and believe my skill set helps me achieve excellent results for my team and the district as a whole. 

Hello everyone, my name is Esmie Ambriz. I have been teaching/coaching for 25 years. I am the 4K teacher leader for the district and I work with 4K teachers and 4k community sites. I love being part of the Early Learning community and I believe in Play Based Learning. 

After over 20 years in Early Care and Education, Andrea Riley joined the MMSD Department of Early Learning as the Early Learning Liaison.  Her role is to connect families with young children to opportunities in early literacy and social-emotional development, support Early Care and Education programs, promote Pyramid Model practices within 4K classrooms and promote community relationships. Andrea loves connecting with families and young children and connecting with providers in our community. 

With 21 years of experience in education, I currently serve as one of the 4K Teacher Leaders at MMSD. In this capacity, I collaborate closely with early childhood educators and teams across the district to provide guidance, resources, and ongoing professional development. My role focuses on supporting the implementation of the Pyramid Model, as well as addressing the evolving needs of curriculum development, assessments, and instructional practices. I am committed to fostering a collaborative, supportive environment that empowers teachers and ensures high-quality early learning experiences for all students.