Joy Williams founded Rise Up in 2019 after years of dreaming about opening a vibrant early childhood center that could also be a community for families. She is the heartbeat and director of Rise Up, and teaches in the Big Room. She has more than 20 years of experience working with young children, and her training includes certifications in Early Childhood Development (City Colleges of Chicago), and Waldorf education. Joy loves to sing and play her guitar with the children, and the children love it just as much. Likewise, the little ones adore her tales about Reggie the dog and her adventures at the triangle cabin in the woods, which is where she is likely to be found with her family when she’s not at Rise Up.
Gabriela Maniu joined Rise Up in the fall of 2025 as an assistant teacher in the Big Room. She is passionate about beauty, art, and the wonder of childhood. She holds a PhD in Architecture History and studied Art History across Romania, Hungary, and Italy. For over a decade, she shared her love of creativity with children teaching visual arts and later directing her own school in Romania, She is currently a student of Waldorf early childhood education education at the Waldorf Teacher Institute here in Chicago which has renewed her dedication to seeing each child as a unique individual. She finds joy in nature, hiking, biking, kayaking, and in the act of learning something new every day.
Cora Swise joined the Rise Up team in the fall of 2022. She is a beloved and core part of our afternoon teaching staff, and occasionally subs during the morning program as well. She works with the children in the Big Room and attends to the details that help our school flow. A visual artist with a theater background, Cora has also been pursuing early childhood training through the City Colleges, and brings both deep creativity and true curiosity as she interacts with the children. When she isn’t at Rise Up, Cora can probably be found painting, drawing, looking for birds on a long walk, or caring for her old black cat.
Maddie Franklin joined Rise Up in the winter of 2024. She brings a patient, playful, and inquisitive presence to our Sunshine Room as well as an enthusiasm for bringing arts experiences to the children. Her background includes working with children in various settings including home and daycare, and she is currently pursuing early childhood training at City Colleges. Her creative interests include knitting and other handwork and nail polish which is a fun connection point with the children. She is also an avid tea lover.
Kayla Placencio joined Rise Up in the summer of 2024. Full Bio coming soon!
Emily Klein first joined the Rise Up team in 2019, putting her arts background and love of writing to work as she helped get the Rise Up monthly newsletter started. She currently serves as a core part of the Rise Up admin team, focusing on enrollment, teacher support, and communications. Emily’s path has included Waldorf early childhood teacher certification and classroom work, leading a forest playgroup, and keeping up the quiet ebb and flow of her own creative practice. When she’s not at Rise Up, she might be found telling stories to her young son (a Rise Up alum), making soup for her family and friends, or perched at her drawing table, colored pencil, needle, or glue stick in-hand.
Donna Hall has been bringing fun and inspired weekly yoga experiences to the children at Rise Up from the time it first opened its doors in 2019. She also on occasion will sub in the classroom. A certified yoga instructor (200 hours), with specialist training in Psychology Sensitive/Trauma Informed Yoga, and an active member and instructor with several youth programs and Bloom Yoga Studio, she brings an abundance of experience to her practice. The children are delighted by her joyful and vibrant presence, her very special yoga breathing ball, and her magic scarves.
Karen Brennan She is a longtime early childhood teacher, having taught parent-child classes, mixed-age kindergarten, and forest play groups. Her education includes certifications in Early Childhood Development (City Colleges of Chicago) and in Waldorf Education. Ms. Karen makes the children giggle with her stories about her naughty dog Ziggy and loves to share her love of the natural world with the children as she gardens and crafts alongside them.
Karen Hallman joined Rise up in the fall of 2024 as a substitute teacher. Karen has a background in psychology and social work and has also been a nanny. As a mom to three adult children who all attended a Waldorf school, she began working in an early childhood classroom over 20 years ago and is pleased to be back at it! She enjoys spending time with her family, especially her two young grandsons, as well as cooking, gardening, and quilting. Spending time
with young children is always a breath of fresh air.
Pearl Williams bio coming soon!
Talia Chakraborty has been part of the Rise Up community since 2022, and has been supporting Rise Up’s admin operations needs since summer of 2023. She’s a very proud alumni parent, bringing warmth and insight to new parents, and an energy that is both experienced and deeply invitational to our admin team. Her background includes work in education, research, and computer science, among other things. She loves long walks, black coffee, and char siu bao. When the weather is warm and the workday is done, she plays with her family at Loyola Beach.
Joel Williams Bio coming soon!
Rise Up Early Childhood 