Livonia North - Directors

• Kim Avendt - Director

• Patty Hanrahan - Assistant Director

• Karen Ballard - Regional Director

Kim Avendt - Director
Kim Avendt is the Director of The Learning Tree North. 

She first started at The Learning Tree in 1993 as a Co-Op from Franklin High School. After graduation she went on to attend Eastern Michigan University where she took classes in Early Childhood and Child Development. Kim came back each summer and worked at the center. In 2001 she came back for good and started as a preschool assistant, quickly moving up to become one of the Kindergarten head teachers. 

In 2002 she was promoted to Staff Trainer and within a few months become the Assistant Director. In April of 2005 she became the Director of The Learning Tree North. She is a great example that The Learning Tree strives to promote within!

When she is not at The Learning Tree she loves spending time with her husband and her daughter and newborn son.

Patty Hanrahan - Assistant Director

Patty Hanrahan is the Assistant Director at The Learning Tree- North. She received her degree in Child Development from Madonna University and has been working with children for over ten years. She began her employment at The Learning Tree in June 2007 as the Head Teacher in the Transitional Preschool program, where she enjoyed every moment working with the children and watching them grow. 

In December of 2007 she was offered the opportunity to move up within the company to become the Assistant Director. Patty feels she now has the best of both worlds: an administrative position but she always seems to find time to be in the classrooms with the children.

In her spare time she enjoys scrap booking, reading, and spending time with her son Collin.

Karen Ballard - Regional Director
Karen Ballard is the Regional Director of The Learning Tree Child Care Centers. 

Karen began her career with The Learning Tree in August of 1998 as a Head Teacher in a toddler classroom. Her passion for early childhood education was fueled in that class and her love for children and their families grew. In June of 2002 she switched gears a bit and transferred to The South Lyon Learning Tree as Director. It was as a Director that she became enthusiastic about watching children and teachers grow and learn. In December of 2003 she was given the opportunity to be Regional Director, overseeing the operations of all three Learning Trees. 

As Regional Director she has the pleasure of traveling from center to center throughout the week, talking with parents, training the administration at each center and still finds time to do what her heart loves most- play  with the children. She graduated from William Tyndale College in December of 1998 with a degree in Early Childhood Education and is continuing her education at Madonna University. She looks forward to being a part of each child’s early learning experience and knows that The Learning Tree is the perfect fit for you and your family.