Hello and welcome to Sprout! Our mission is to help gifted children discover their talents and become comfortable using them. We hope to enrich the lives of Chicago's gifted youth through socialization with like-minded children and planned activities with experts in a variety of fields, to stimulate and engage your child’s mind in many diverse disciplines and provide the freedom to explore their interests in a risk-free environment.

Lauren Callaway, Owner/Director, Head Teacher

Lauren opened Sprout in the summer of 2004 to fulfill a need for social and academic enrichment for Chicago's gifted children. Prior to Sprout she received a degree in elementary education from Purdue University and taught third grade at a private school in Lincoln Park. She became interested in gifted education after researching how to teach a highly gifted child placed in her classroom. Lauren then worked with Joan Smutny and taught at National Louis's Center for the Gifted. She enjoys working closely with parents at Sprout and loves the daily surprises of gifted children's creativity.

Jessica Lange, Assistant Teacher

Jessica is currently a first grade teacher in the Chicago Public School system. She taught for two years in Indianapolis after graduating from DePauw University and has now completed 2 years in Chicago. Jessica deals with challenges everyday in the Chicago Public Schools and looks to Sprout for more challenges and inspiration. She is currently involved in a Master's program at Concordia University obtaining her School Leadership degree. Her goal is to become a Professor of Education and she hopes that the knowledge and experience gained from Sprout will give her a view into a different aspect of the educational spectrum.