• Caity & Ellen are sisters. Caity & Ellen's mom, Grammy, is the substitute at Sprouts.

• Ellen is taller than Caity. Caity is older than Ellen. 

• Caity & Ellen grew up in Champaign and both attended Champaign Unit 4 schools.

• Caity's & Ellen's children also grew up in Champaign and currently attend Champaign Unit 4 schools. 

• Caity wears lots of overalls and almost never shoes. Ellen needs glasses and sometimes wears them.

• Ellen's house is sometimes referred to as "The Thunderdome". Caity's house usually is not.

• Caity & Ellen both have two dogs at home.  Caity's dogs are small. Ellen's dogs are big. 

• Ellen likes to swim. Caity likes to read. 

As the children & grandchildren of some of our area's great environmentalists, we (Caity & Ellen) were taught early on that conservation, sustainable living, and environmental stewardship were essential components of a life well-lived. Our passion is passing these values on to future generations. 

At Sprouts, we strive to integrate accessible nature experiences into children's lives fostering a lifelong appreciation for and dedication to the natural world. 

We aim to provide a sustainable example for the children in our care - learning about and practicing composting, recycling, and re-using. We discuss our human impact on nature and living things. We minimize plastic, use found objects as toys, and love the addition of a great cardboard box to be re-purposed on the playground - before adding it too to the compost pile. 

We are fortunate to live in a community with similar values and commitment. Because we must work together as a community to ensure that upcoming generations inherit the resources, environment, and Earth they rightfully deserve, in addition to the knowledge of how to preserve it.