Today we’d like to introduce you to Abbey Cartwright.
Abbey, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My journey to where I am today has been guided by service, faith, and willingness to step into new seasons. I moved from Illinois to Tennessee in 2015 after spending 15 years working in the emergency room as a medic. I was blessed to be able to be a stay-at-home mom with my girls for 3 years after moving. We had our third baby in 2018, and what seemed like a practical family decision quickly became a calling. I accepted a job at a Mother’s Day Out Program teaching 4-year-olds. I quickly developed a passion for early childhood education. I saw first hand how nurturing children, partnering with families, and creating safe, loving environments reflected Christ-centered service. Unfortunately, COVID shut us down in early 2020. This created an unexpected pause and opportunity for reflection. In 2020, I noticed a small private preschool opening inside of 24 Church in Pleasant View (my new hometown) and reached out. I was given the opportunity to come alongside an incredible director and one of my closest friends from my previous center and open a new community preschool. Being part of launching a school allowed me to help establish systems, culture, and expectations from day one. I led the 4-year-old classroom for about a year, and in 2022, I added Assistant Director to my role while continuing to teach and manage administrative responsibilities. The whole experience gave me a strong, well-rounded understanding of both classroom operations and school leadership. In 2023, I transitioned fully out of the classroom to focus on administration, staff support, compliance, and family engagement. In January of 2025, I stepped into the Director role. Each phase of my journey – emergency medicine, classroom leadership, and school administration – has prepared me to lead with empathy, structure, and accountability. I now lead with a heart for people, a commitment to excellence, and a desire to create a school culture that reflects faith in action – where children feel loved, staff feel supported, and families feel connected. I’m proud of the growth of our small private preschool and the community we’ve built within 24 church.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
There have definitely been some struggles along the way. Balancing being present for my own children while leading in education was challenging. I had to learn healthy boundaries and trust others, while also giving myself grace. Leading while still learning was hard. Stepping into leadership while still teaching and managing administrative responsibilities stretched me. I struggled at times, but it taught me time management, delegation, and leadership. As a director, having difficult conversations with staff and families has been challenging. It was hard to walk alongside my coworkers and friends and then transition into administration. I am grateful for an amazing team that helped smooth this transition for me. My team stands with me, supports one another, and shares the same heart for serving.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
What sets our preschool apart is that we are a small, private, faith-based program intentionally built around relationships. We focus on educating the whole child – the mind, the body, and the soul. We provide quality education with a biblical foundation. Our program strives to be the best academically, socially, emotionally, and spiritually – while maintaining high expectations, structure, and accountability. Because we are smaller, we know our families well, we can respond to individual needs, and lead with both grace and clear expectations. We are not just a preschool; we are a ministry.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
We define success as creating an environment where children feel safe, loved, and challenged to grow. Success means our children are developing confidence, kindness, and self-confidence. Success is our families feeling supported. Success is staff feeling equipped and valued. When our values are visible in our actions, and our community is strong, we know we are succeeding.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://elevatepreschool.org
- Facebook: Elevate Preschool
