 Director & Head Morning Teacher: Lindsay [She/Her] I typically work with the children Mon-Thurs mornings and do admin work on the premises Mon-Wed afternoons. I can help (or substitute for) the other teachers as needed. I've been working with children since 2002, now! I have experience as a Head Start Preschool Teacher, as an infant room teacher, and 20 years experience running my own full-time toddler and preschool child care program from home. *He estado aprendiendo español y hablo español básico. Aprendo poco a poco para poder hablar con las families que hablan español, y para enseñar a los niños de mi programa. Quiero ser bilingue, pronto. ¡Todos, bienvenidos! I have an associate's degree, with an extra year of studies in early childhood education, child development, and family studies. In addition, I have over 300 other training hours related to child care, including courses such as: Making Learning Fun, Discipline in Child Care, Conflict Resolution in Child Care, Nurturing Children's Self-Esteem, Active or Hyper-Active?, Preschoolers in Child Care, Caring for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, and many more. I've also joined CASA of Lane County as a Court Appointed Special Advocate to legal cases helping children in the foster care system. This is a volunteer position with a two year minimum time commitment for each case. Children are really my life, which everyone who knows me knows about me. I began working from home with children in 2002 to stay home with my own children, and quickly realized it's what gives my life its deepest sense of meaning and purpose! I absolutely love knowing how many lives I've touched in a positive way over the last 19 years. I value the positive impact I make on the child's heart, mind, and future, and how I help them build a solid foundation and strong sense of self. This is a life calling for me. My other interests: I have a two year diploma in medicinal herbalism and holistic health, I'm a writer (with many books published), and I love food, travel, nature, animals, and music! I've written a couple of books about children and several books for children, with many more children's literature novels to come! FIND THEM ALL HERE.
 Full-Time Teacher & Substitute: Blake [They/them] Blake is our full day teacher Tues-Fri! Blake has been a full-time teacher and substitute for Happy Steps since they became teacher qualified by the state of Oregon in 2017! Before that, they were a regular volunteer during summer break and grew up in our program. Blake is a great teacher and very loved by the children! They are fun, consistent with the kiddos, patient, playful, caring, and engaged. They especially love facilitating outside time, art projects, story time, and block play with the children. Blake's personal interests and hobbies include swimming, bike riding, drawing, gaming, movies, and reading.  Assistant Teacher: Kaetlyn [She/Her] Kaetlyn is our Mon-Fri afternoon teacher and substitute! Kaetlyn brings a fun, bubbly, attentive, trustworthy energy to her work with the children! She is teacher qualified and has great previous experience: she was an assistant teacher at Waypoint Early Learning Center for a year and a half, was a private nanny for a year and a half, and was a counselor at Camp Harlow for two summers. She is a natural with children who guides and supports them in a positive and consistent way. The well-being of children is something she values highly! Kaetlyn has been with us since summer of 2023, with long-term plans to stay on the team. Her personal hobbies include camping, rock finding, cooking and creating new recipes, and trying new things! www.TheHappyStepsPreschool.com |
