Manistee Early Childhood Center
Grades: Daycare - Pre-K/GSRP - Mini-Mariners - Begindergarten - Kindergarten | Manistee Area Public Schools
Welcome to Childcare, Pre-K & GSRP
Nurturing our youngest learners as they begin their school experience, we make the classroom experience fun and rewarding. Our practical tools help your student begin on the right foot.
Please Note!
Manistee Early Childhood Center programming is now operating from the new location at 1309 Madison Road in Filer Township. MAPS Preschool, Kindergarten, Begindergarten, and Daycare programs will all be housed at the Filer Township location in the fall.
The Begindergarten program is new to MAPS for the 26/27 school year and will be a full-day, play-based Kindergarten readiness program for students turning 5 years old June 1st through December 1st. This program provides a bridge between Pre-K and traditional Kindergarten and is designed for children who are young 5s or would benefit from an additional year of development before beginning their K-12 experience.
Before and after school care will also be offered at this building for students ages 5 to 12.
Additionally, MAPS is working through the licensing process for the facility to offer a future 0-3 infant care program, supported in part by a grant from the Manistee County Community Foundation to furnish the new space. With the expansion of space available for early childhood programming, we have focused efforts to create care and learning programs that aim to provide a variety of options to accommodate working families. More information will be available soon.
View Manistee Early Childhood Center Staff
Manistee Early Childhood Center Staff
Shelly VanVoorst, Principal, svanvoorst@manistee.org
Angela Taylor, Assistant Principal, ataylor@manistee.org
Kindergarten Teachers
Crystal Harthun, charthun@manistee.org
Megan Lowe, mlowe@manistee.org
Cindy Lundberg, clundberg@manistee.org
Allison Veine, aveine@manistee.org
Jordan Riley, jordanriley@manistee.org
Student Services Teacher
Chastity Gouker, cgouker@manistee.org
Specials
Amanda Feyen, Music, afeyen@manistee.org
Cassie Miller, Physical Education, cmmiller@manistee.org
Kaitlyn Duke, Art, kduke@manistee.org
Laura Miller, Health/Wellness, lmiller@manistee.org
Parapros
Tiffany Bottrell, tbottrell@manistee.org
Kaitlyn Duke, kduke@manistee.org
Ashlee Gazda, agazda@manistee.org
Macie Miller, mgoodspeed@manistee.org
Rachel Lindeman, rlindeman@manistee.org
Behavioral Health Team
Stephanie Johnson, Behavioral Specialist, After School Care Assistant
Early Childhood Substitutes
Flynn Anderson, fanderson@manistee.org
Sadie Verheek, sverheek@manistee.org
Nicole Anisco, Manistee Early Childhood Program Director, nanciso@manistee.org
MAPS Great Start Readiness Program Staff - 231-398-3757
GSRP 1
Amy Brown, Lead Teacher, abrown@manistee.org
Brenda Struble, Associate Teacher, bstruble@manistee.org
Courtney Gibbs, Assistant Teacher, cgibbs@manistee.org
GSRP 2
Renee Turmel, Lead Teacher, rturmel@manistee.org
Nancy Zatarga, Associate Teacher, nzatarga@manistee.org
Ashley Johnson, Assistant Teacher, akjohnson@manistee.org
Mini Mariners (age 3-4) - 231.398.3758
Sandy Ludwig, Lead Teacher, sludwig@manistee.org
Julie Zajac, Lead Teacher, jzajac@manistee.org
Natalie Beldo, Assistant, nbeldo@manistee.org
Infant Toddler (birth to age 2.9)
Amber Hiipakka, Lead Teacher, ahiipakka@manistee.org
Associate Teacher: TBD
Morning Care Staff - 231.723.9285
Ashley Johnson, Morning Care Lead, akjohnson@manistee.org
Brenda Struble, Morning Care Lead, bstruble@manistee.org
Breanna Whitmer, Assistant, bwhitmer@manistee.org
Tiffany Bottrell, Assistant, tbottrell@manistee.org
After School Care Staff - 231.723.9285
Nicole Anciso, Lead Teacher, nanciso@manistee.org
Amber Hiipakka, Lead Teacher, ahiipakka@manistee.org
Ashlee Gazda, Assistant, agazda@manistee.org
Katie Henne, After School Care Assistant, khenne@manistee.org
Katilynn McDowell, Associate, kmcdowell@manistee.org
Jordan Riley, Associate, jriley@manistee.org
Donna Williams, Assistant, dwilliams@manistee.org
Summer Care - 231.723.9285
Nicole Anciso, Lead Teacher, nanciso@manistee.org
Amber Hiipakka, Lead Teacher, ahiipakka@manistee.org
Flynn Anderson, Care Associate, fanderson@manistee.org
Ashlee Gazda, Assistant, agazda@manistee.org
Katilynn McDowell, Associate, kmcdowell@manistee.org
Jordan Riley, Associate, jordanriley@manistee.org
Sadie Verheek, sverheek@manistee.org
School Custodial Team
Johnny Skocelas, Custodian, jskocelas@manistee.org
Nutrition Services
Bonnie Kruse, bkruse@manistee.org
Rich Koon, rkoon@manistee.org
Summer Food Service Program
Manistee Area Public Schools Nutrition Department plans to sponsor a Summer Feeding Program under the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Summer Food Service Program for Children. We will offer free meals for pick up and will also offer on-site meal serving. At Manistee Early Childhood Center & Manistee Elementary School summer programs. Students will stay and eat at our feeding sites, and at MMHS on Thursdays, parents can pick up 7 days of breakfasts & lunches to eat at home. The locations, dates of service, and times of service are as follows:
ON SITE SERVING
Manistee Early Childhood Center 1309 Madison Rd, Manistee, MI 49660
Breakfast & Lunch: Monday - Friday June 9th - Aug. 22nd, 2026
Breakfast served: 8:00a - 8:20a Lunch served: 12:00p - 12:30p Snack served: 2:00p -3:00p CLOSED ON THE 3rd OF JULY
Manistee Elementary School 550 Maple St., Manistee, MI 49660
READING CAMP
Breakfast & Lunch: Monday - Thursday July 27th - August 6th
Breakfast served: 8:30a - 8:45a Lunch served: 11:00a - 11:30a
PICK UP SERVICE
Manistee Middle/High School 525 12th St. Manistee, MI 49660
Breakfast & Lunch distributed on Thursdays June 11th - Aug. 20th, 2026
Distributed between 12:00p - 1:00p
First distribution on Thur. June 11th
Last distribution on Thur. August 20th, providing BRK and Lunch until August 27th
Please note: If your students are served meals at Jefferson and would like to order a 2 or 3-day weekend meal pack to be picked up during the same MMHS pick up meal service, the order must be placed with the nutrition worker at Jefferson prior to Thursday. This is available so all participating students have access to the same number of breakfasts and lunches each week. Meal accommodations can be made at both our onsite and pick up settings however, nutrition services need an up-to-date special dietary statement to make the accommodation.
In accordance with the USDA regulations, we are informing you of these food service operations. If you have any questions, please contact my office at (231) 398-3695. As always, we are grateful to our Nutrition Team for making this summer program possible.
Thank you,
Haleigh Savage, MAPS Nutrition Services Director
June 2026 Summer Feeding Breakfast
June 2026 Summer Feeding Lunch
Summer Feeding Snack June 2026
July 2026 Summer Feeding Breakfast
July 2026 Summer Feeding Lunch
Summer Feeding Snack July 2026
August 2026 Summer Feeding Breakfast
August 2026 Summer Feeding Lunch
Summer Feeding Snack August 2026
RNC Grab N Go Breakfast June 2026
RNC Grab N Go Lunch June 2026
RNC Grab N Go Breakfast July 2026
RNC Grab N Go Lunch July 2026
RNC Grab N GO Breakfast August 2026
RNC Grab N GO Lunch August 2026
MAPS Early Childhood Center Program Choices
PreK for All (GSRP)
State-funded preschool program age 4 by Sept 1
Kindergarten
Children Age 5 by September 1
Mini Mariners
Enrichment Daycare for ages 3 and 4
Begindergarten
Students in between age requirements
Infant & Toddler
High-quality care for ages 0-3
Daycare
Ages 3-12
Let us help you decide which choice is best for your student. Fill out the form at the link below and we will be in contact with you soon.
Time to Register for Pre-School & Kindergarten!
The time has come to start planning for your little learners entry into Pre-School or Kindergarten!
Registering for Pre-School or Kindergarten Begins Here!
Register Now!
Pre-School Entry
Will your child be (three) 3 years old or (four) 4 years old on September 1, 2026?
If yes, click the button below to share your information to start the registration process for Pre-School.
Kindergarten Entry
Will your child be (five) 5 years old on or before Sept 1, 2026?
If yes, click the button below to share your information to start the registration process for Kindergarten.
Your Child’s Journey Begins Here!
Commitment to our MAPS family….
- Responsible citizens who are ethical, productive members of a global society; take responsibility for their own actions and physical well-being; are environmentally conscious; and contribute their time; energies, and talents for the improvement of their community and the quality of life for all.
- Effective communicators who posses skills in written, visual, and spoken skills.
- Self-confident individuals who demonstrate a positive self-image and are caring, sensitive and flexible human beings. Life long learners understand that learning is a process, not an event.
Get In Touch
Location: 1309 Madison Road, Manistee, MI 49660
Principal: Shelly VanVoorst
Assistant Principal: Angie Taylor
Telephone: (231) 723-5212
Preschool: (231) 398-3758
Email: ataylor@manistee.org