Meet the Staff
Brickies from the Start
DeAnn Jennette- Brickies from the Start Coordinator
DeAnn has a degree in Communication and Music Education. She has 14 years of home visitation work and 6 years of adult education and family literacy work experience.
DeAnn is a wife and mother of two boys. She loves her family, the beach, music and doing puzzles.
Contact DeAnn
219-942-7263 x 8811
Jill Runyan-Parent Coach
Jill received a B.A. in Elementary Education with a Kindergarten Endorsement in 2003 from Purdue University. Prior to becoming a Parent Educator, Jill was a Kindergarten teacher for 10 years in Hammond. Indiana.
Jill is a wife and mother to one daughter, and a mini schnauzer. Jill is a muscian and enjoys playing her piano and singing. She also enjoys cooking, reading and spending time with family and friends.
Contact Jill
219-942-7263 x 8813
Kristal Rada - Playroom Coordinator and Community Giving Specialist
Kristal received a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Purdue University in 2003 and a Master of Library and Information Science from IUPUI in 2010. She was a Children’s Librarian for 10 years and worked in library administration for 3 years.
Kristal lives in Hobart with her husband and 3 children as well as 2 dogs and 3 cats. She loves to read, spend time with family, and watch scary movies.
Contact Kristal
219-942-7263 x 8819
Kara Soderquist - Infant and Toddler Specialist
Kara Soderquist is a lifelong Hobart resident who graduated from Hobart High School in 2003. She has a bachelor's degree in Elementary Education from Valparaiso University. She taught 5th grade, 4th grade, and kindergarten elsewhere before returning to School City of Hobart in 2010 at a Parent Educator and Outreach Educator for Parents as Teachers, where she loved doing home visits and planning playgroups for all our Hobart families.
Along the way, Kara and her husband Steve become the proud parents of four wonderful boys, Andrew, Luke, Mark, and Henry. Kara took a break from her career to stay home with them after she had her third baby. During her time at home, she homeschooled for several years, stayed active participating in Timber Nook and other nature-based play opportunities, and continued to support new parents around the community as they transitioned into parenthood, largely by providing breastfeeding help and other postpartum and developmental support to parents.
Recently she was hired back to work as the Infant and Toddler Specialist for Brickies from the Start. She is very excited to connect with families of littles. She hopes to ensure that every family in Hobart has the support and resources available to them for their families to flourish in our community.
Contact Kara
ksoderquist@hobart.k12.in.us
219-942-7263 x 8812
Brickies from the Start
Email: djennette@hobart.k12.in.us
Website: https://www.hobart.k12.in.us/Page/1195
Location: 400 North Wilson Street, Hobart, IN, USA
Phone: 219-942-7263
Facebook: facebook.com/brickiesfromthestart