GREENFIELD — Dawn Sonsini fondly remembers life as a kid, standing in front of her two siblings and playing teacher.
Now she’s come full circle, overseeing Greenfield-Central’s rapidly growing Cougar Cubs program and how teachers can help children grow and learn through play.
Early childhood education at G-C has grown exponentially in recent years, according to a press release from the school corporation. There were only two classrooms in 2016; now there’s eight in 2024 with a wait list for two more classrooms.
Sonsini is in her second year as director of preschool and early learning for G-C schools. She brings nearly 20 years of experience to the position, 10 years as an interventionist and kindergarten teacher, and nine as a building and district leader in Wayne County.
She had developed professional relationships in Hancock County over the years, and wanted to be a part of a positive and collaborative team. When she met the preschool teachers she’d be supervising, the move to Greenfield was a clear choice.
“When I saw the teachers embrace the students as they walked in their classrooms with love – whether it was a hug, a high five, ‘I’m glad you’re here,’— that to me said everything I needed to know,” she said. “The people here care about kids, and that’s what I want to be a part of. I’m passionate about that.”
Now, greeting students as they come in each morning or sharing a wave goodbye as they leave each day is the best part of her job, she said. She enjoys building relationships with parents, and is spending more time this year creating programs that bring the entire family into the classroom for special events.
Dawn Sonsini is married to Tony, a teacher at Greenfield Central Junior High School, and they have three daughters who attend G-C schools. The family has made Greenfield their home.
While she enjoyed gaining leadership experience at her previous job, she is excited to be with young children again every day while also leading a strong group of teachers and instructional assistants.
“I love being with kids again,” she said. “I think it’s renewed my energy and passion for the work. I love being part of the team, helping with feeling the bigger picture. I enjoy working through problems with a team of people.”
Cougar Cubs has two locations in Greenfield, and Sonsini said she is blessed to be able to see what happens at all eight classrooms. She meets with teachers weekly as a group to talk about what’s working, and plan how to meet standards in the near future.
“It’s really just creating a space where they’re willing to be vulnerable and share what’s working and what’s not working,” she said. “That’s hard sometimes; no one wants to admit when they’re not successful, but we’re learning as a team to let down our guard.”
There are 170 students ages 3-5 enrolled in the program, a record high. Each Cougar Cubs classroom has one teacher and two instructional assistants, exceeding the state ratio standard. New this year, older preschoolers are in Pre-K classrooms to prepare them for kindergarten.
“I’m eager to support that first experience for Greenfield families, to make it a great start in Greenfield schools,” she said.
Devon Marine, director of elementary education for the school corporation, said Sonsini’s long-range planning and guidance for her team are strong leadership skills.
“Her dedication to early childhood education is evident in the way she works with the team to ensure that each student is ready for the next step in their educational journey,” Marine said. “Mrs. Sonsini is approachable and passionate about her work. She is committed to creating a positive culture within her team.”
Sonsini spent the 2023-24 school year observing the culture of the program. For 2024-25, she’s getting into deep planning and improving. A summer staff retreat had teachers get to know each other through personality inventories and discovering each other’s strengths. She also helped with the Kindergarten 101 program, and even oversees a “small but mighty” team of two teachers in the district that work with students whose first language is not English.
She’s implemented a new software app for billing and checking in and out for families. She plans to continue to increase the team’s knowledge of high-impact strategies to reach students, wherever they are developmentally.
“We’re really focused on making sure our foundation is strong, and remaining focused on what’s most important – serving our kids,” she said.
G-C Superintendent Dr. Harold Olin said Sonsini has been very valuable to the Greenfield-Central community.
“She has been a principal in elementary and middle school settings, and she was an assistant superintendent for a few years. Therefore, she has a very good perspective on the goals we are trying to accomplish,” Olin said. “She made an immediate, positive impact on our leadership team when she joined us in the summer of 2023, and she continues to find ways to make us better.”
