Carolyn Budig-Lipowski relocated to Hobart less than year ago and has since found her passion in work and in a community that she loves. Budig-Lipowski, a teacher in the K2 room at Caring Heart, Open Arms Childcare and Development Ministry, graduated from Purdue University and started a career in teaching in 1990 where she quickly found her place in elementary education.
“Back then, early childhood education didn’t exist as a major. I got an elementary education degree and a kindergarten endorsement. There were no separate majors for early childhood education at that time,” said Budig-Lipowski.
Budig-Lipowski grew up in Des Plaines, Ill. and came back home after she graduated from college to work as a first-grade teacher at Our Lady of Victory in Chicago. She moved to kindergarten after her first year of teaching and stayed with that grade for nine years. She credits her own kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Brush, as likely being an early inspiration for her teaching career; however, she noted that this is something she always knew she wanted to do.
“Mrs. Brush was my favorite elementary school teacher. She was the sweetest lady and I loved kindergarten,” said Budig-Lipowski.
After several years at Our Lady of Victory, Budig-Lipowski took a position in Valley View School District to be closer to the home she shared with her husband in Bolingbrook, Ill. There, she had the opportunity to learn from an early pioneer in early childhood education – Pat Smith – who inspired her teaching technique and changed the way she approached her own classroom.
“Pat Smith was really pioneer in the learning-through-play movement. I learned a lot from her and I learned a whole new way of education and teaching young kids,” said Budig-Lipowski.
Budig-Lipowski always knew that she was going to take a break from teaching to raise her family. She stepped away from the classroom in 1999 after her first daughter was born. Years later, as her youngest began school at Caring Heart, Open Arms, Budig-Lipowski met Director Judy Ford. The two formed a bond over their love of early childhood education while her daughter was a student there.
Ford reached out several years later to see if Budig-Lipowski would be interested in working a few hours a week at Caring Heart, Open Arms Childcare and Development Ministry. She thought it would be a fun opportunity while she figured out what she wanted to do next since, at the time, she was unsure if going back into the classroom full-time would be a good option.
“I knew I wouldn’t be able to give everything at home and everything to my job like I did before, so I didn’t think I wanted to go into a lead teaching position again. Judy let me know that they had just started an infant room and needed a teacher for one day a week,” Budig-Lipowski said.
She ended up staying in the infant room for seven years under Ford’s leadership. After briefly leaving to help with the children’s ministry at Hobart Assembly of God, Budig-Lipowski realized that she missed interacting with kids every day and came back to Caring Heart, Open Arms Childcare and Development Ministry in her current role in the K2 room. This is where she found her true calling as a teacher to two-year-olds and enjoys helping her students and their families reach milestones in their development and education.
“Children’s brains are developing rapidly from the time they are born until they are five years old, so those first five years are key. It is so important for them to be in an environment where they have the opportunity to be learning every day,” said Budig-Lipowski.
Aside from fulfilling her passion in teaching, Budig-Lipowski is dedicated to her family and enjoys her new community. As her children get older and she has more free time, she is hoping to take piano lessons. Until then, Budig-Lipowski hopes to experience more of the family-friendly activities that Hobart has to offer.
“The thing that I love about Hobart is that it is a very family-oriented community; I really feel like Hobart is this secret nugget and people don’t even realize what we have here. It’s such a great place for us to raise our children,” said Budig-Lipowski.
Budig-Lipowski notes that one of her family’s favorite activities in Hobart is the Fourth of July Parade. She has valued getting to know her students and their families over the years and enjoys running into them at events held in their community.
For more information on Caring Heart, Open Arms Childcare and Development Ministry, visit caringheartopenarms.com.