Mrs. Valaire, Operational Director /Owner: Valaire, along with her husband Fred, is the proud owner of The Goddard School located in Chanhassen. She attended the University of Hartford, Connecticut, for two years, then transferred to earn a degree from the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. An Account Executive in Advertising for seven years, the owner of The Gourmet Coffee Club, five years in Retail Management, the Event Supervisor at Braemar Golf Club and most of all her love of children have prepared Valaire in many ways for her newest adventure as the owner of The Goddard School. Going to Jones Beach every day in the summer, even if it was drizzling out is Valaire's favorite childhood memory. Mrs. Valaire believes all children deserve a safe, nurturing and loving environment in which they can be free to make choices, explore and most of all laugh and smile!

Miss Diana, Educational Director: Miss Diana is the Educational Director at The Goddard School® located in Chanhassen. She possesses a Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Studies from Metropolitan State University and is continuing her education towards a Master’s degree. Her experiences include providing care and support for children with disabilities, teaching toddlers and preschoolers, as well as teaching in the Minneapolis School District. A favorite childhood memory is of fishing with her Great Uncle and catching a boot! Miss Diana believes each child is a unique individual who must be taught at their own level and pace with caring teachers in a fun and loving environment.

Miss Jennie, Assistant Director: Miss Jennie is the Assistant Director for The Goddard School located in Chanhassen. She possesses a Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education with a specialty in pre-primary from Minnesota State University-Mankato. Her experiences include student teaching in classrooms with diverse ethnic backgrounds and teaching infants. A favorite childhood memory is when her family took a road trip to Texas to visit her Grandparents. Miss Jennie believes children deserve an environment where they are loved and feel comfortable to grow and develop.

Miss Heather, Lead Teacher: Miss Heather is a Co-Lead Teacher in the Cuddly Koala (Infant One) classroom. She is currently pursuing a degree in Nursing with hopes to work in pediatrics someday. Her experiences include teaching infants, preschool and at the elementary level. A favorite childhood memory is of spending the summers at her cousin's cabin and swimming in the lake. Miss Heather believes children should be able to learn and grow through hands-on experiences and that a child's curiosity is one of the best learning tools they can use!

Miss Felicia, Co-Lead Teacher: Miss Felicia is a Co-Lead Teacher in the Cuddly Koala (Infant One) classroom. She possesses an Associate's degree in Early Childhood and Child Family Services from Rasmussen College. Her experience includes teaching infants, preschool, pre-kindergarten and Sunday school. A favorite childhood memory is of going to the Zoo and Bay Beach with her parents, brother and sister. Miss Felicia believes children have wonderful gifts to share and deserve the best care from everyone around them.

Miss Bianca, Lead Teacher: Miss Bianca is the Lead Teacher in our Butterfly Garden (Infant Two) classroom. She possesses a Child Development Associate degree (CDA) specializing in Infants and Toddlers from Wisconsin Stout. Her experiences include teaching infants for over 17 years. A favorite childhood memory is of her dad giving all the children a ride on his motorcycle around the cul-de-sac! Miss Bianca believes children need affection, patience, and stimulation in a warm, loving environment to help them learn and grow through different experiences, along with the help of great teachers.

Miss Jen, Lead Teacher: Miss Jen is the Lead Teacher in the Starfish Reef (Toddler) classroom. She is pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education from North Central University. Her experiences include teaching toddlers, as well as teaching Sunday school, counseling at YMCA summer program and various teaching roles within the elementary level. A favorite childhood memory is when her grandpa would pretend to sleep in his armchair and she would pull on his ear to make his tongue stick out! Miss Jen believes children love to learn and it is most important to provide them a safe and fun environment to do so!

Miss Stacey, Lead Teacher: Miss Stacey is the Lead Teacher in the Dolphins Bay classroom. She attended courses in Early Childhood Education at Crown College in St. Bonifacius. Miss Stacey has worked with children for eleven years, including experience teaching infants, toddlers and preschoolers. A favorite childhood memory of Miss Stacey's is when her parents took her to Macinac Island in Michigan. The family took a horse drawn buggy ride around the island. Unfortunately, the map was lost and they didn't know how to get back! Luckily, the horses remembered the route, getting them back safely! Miss Stacey believes children show us how to live and enjoy life to its fullest!

Miss Asma, Lead Teacher: Miss Asma is the Lead Teacher in the Terrific Tiger (Preschool) classroom. She possesses a Bachelor's degree in Health Sciences from Pakistan. Her experiences include teaching preschool and Pre-Kindergarten. A favorite childhood memory of Miss Asma's is when she visited her grandma during a summer break and was able to play with all of her cousins. Miss Asma believes children thrive in a loving, fun and creative environment, along with routines and consistency.

Miss Kristin, Lead Teacher: Miss Kristin is a Lead Teacher in the Lion's Den (Pre-Kindergarten) classroom. She possesses a Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education from the University of Wisconsin-Stout. Her experiences include student teaching and teaching children of all ages. A favorite childhood memory is when she would play house with her younger cousins and would pretend she was the mom and take care of them. Miss Kristin believes that children are always learning and need a safe environment to in which to thrive!

Miss Dana, Lead Teacher: Miss Dana is a Lead Teacher in the Soaring Eagle's (Pre-K) classroom. She possesses a Bachelor's of Science degree in Elementary Education with a Kindergarten endorsement from Minnesota State-Mankato. Her experiences include teaching in the area of supplementary education and as a pre-kindergarten teacher. A favorite childhood memory is of camping with her family every summer. Miss Dana believes children should have a positive, safe and fun learning environment where they can grow and learn.

Miss Ashley, Assistant Teacher: Miss Ashley is a floating Assistant Teacher at The Goddard School. Miss Ashley possesses a Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education from the University of Florida. Her experiences include teaching toddlers, preschoolers and pre-kindergartners, as well as tutoring and working with students with disabilities. A favorite childhood memory is when her family would go camping together and go hiking in the forest. Miss Ashley believes that children learn through hands-on activities and benefit from multiple lessons following a similar theme.

Miss Becky, Teacher's Aide: Miss Becky is a Teacher's Aide in our Starfish Reef (Toddler) classroom. She attended courses at St. Cloud State University for Elementary Education and plans to return to school to pursue a degree in Early Childhood Education. A favorite childhood memory is when she would go up North to her grandparents' house to play cards and board games with them. Miss Becky believes children need lots of love, encouragement and hugs.

Miss Rene, Teacher's Aide: Miss Rene is a Teacher's Aid in the Butterfly Garden (Infant II) classroom. Her experiences include teaching before- and after-school programs, preschool and infants. A favorite childhood memory is when her whole family would gather together and she could play with her cousins. Miss Rene believes children have the potential to do anything they set their mind to and need an environment that can help them achieve and excel at their goals and dreams.

Miss Kelly, Co-Lead Teacher: Miss Kelly is a co-lead teacher in the Lions Den (Pre-Kindergarten) classroom. She possesses a Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education from the University of North Dakota. Her experiences include teaching before- and after-school, third grade, preschool and pre-kindergarten. A favorite childhood memory is when her family would spend a whole week during the summer at the lake. Miss Kelly believes children desire and deserve a warm, nurturing environment in which to grow and learn.

Miss Samantha, Teacher's Aide: Miss Sam is a floating Teacher's Aide at The Goddard School located in Chanhassen.  She is currently pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education from Augsburg College. Her experiences include volunteering in elementary school classrooms. A favorite childhood memory is of driving to Indiana every summer to visit her great-grandma, Bea.  Miss Samantha believes children are naturally curious and need a classroom environment that allows for learning to be fun!

Miss Natalia, Assistant Teacher: Miss Natalia is an Assistant Teacher in the Playful Panda (Pre-Toddler) classroom.  She attended courses in child development from North Dakota State University.  A favorite childhood memory is of sitting with her dad on Sunday mornings reading the comics in the newspaper. Miss Natalia believes children have the potential to meet their fullest with love and support from the people around them!

Miss Angelique, Assistant Teacher: Miss Angelique is the Assistant Teacher in the preschool (Dolphins Bay) Classroom at The Goddard School^®. She possesses a Bachelor's Degree in Elementary Education from St. Kates. Her experiences include teaching at an early childhood learning center and teaching students from Kindergarten up to Junior High. Miss Angelique believes children are curious and need an environment that allows them to explore and learn from the world around them. 

Mr. Brian, Assistant Teacher: Mr. Brian is an Assistant Teacher in the Playful Panda (Pre-Toddler) classroom. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Physical Education from North Dakota State University. His experiences include teaching children with disabilities, toddlers and in the Fargo school district. A favorite childhood memory is taking family vacations up north to the lake to go tubing with all of their family and friends. Mr. Brian believes children deserve and desire a fun, safe and friendly environment in which to learn and grow!

Miss Stacey, Assistant Teacher: Miss Stacey is a floating Assistant Teacher at The Goddard School located in Chanhassen. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Physical Education from North Dakota State University. Her experiences include teaching infants through 12th grade. A favorite childhood memory is of traveling on a softball team. Miss Stacey believes children believes children are fun, loving individuals that desire to learn, play and experience new things.

Miss Nancy, Assistant Teacher, Miss Nancy is an Assistant Teacher in the Starfish Reef (Toddler) classroom. She holds a Child Development Associate's degree from Hennipen Technical College. Her experiences include over twenty-five years of teaching ages birth through preschool. A favorite childhood memory is of when she, her sisters and friends would go swimming at the lake during the summer and ice skating during the winter. Miss Nancy believes children are our future; their smiles, joy and excitement as they achieve both academic and social skills reward and motivate her.

Miss Ivy, Assistant Teacher: Miss Ivy is a floating Assistant Teacher at The Goddard School located in Chanhassen.  She holds a Bachelor's degree in Family Life and Child Development from Minnesota State-Mankato. Her experiences include teaching in early childhood centers in Mankato and volunteering in homeless shelters. A favorite childhood memory is of taking family vacations to Michigan to visit her extended family. Miss Ivy believes all children deserve to be treated with respect and should be provided a fun, stable environment to learn and grow.

Mr. Ian, Assistant Teacher: Mr. Ian is an Assistant Teacher in the Terrific Tiger (Preschool) classroom. He holds an Associate's degree in Liberal Arts and has obtained courses in Child Psychology and Development from the University of Cincinnati. His experiences include teaching infants through preschool and working one-on-one with children with special needs. A favorite childhood memory is of receiving his first dog, a German Shepard, who became his best friend. Mr. Ian believes children enjoy the little things in life and see the majesty that was intended to be observed on a daily basis. 

Miss Kathleen, Support Staff: Miss Kathleen is a Support Staff Member at The Goddard School, helping out in all of our classrooms. Her experiences include teaching children, adolescence and adults in a wide variety of settings. A favorite childhood memory is of playing/acting out "The Monroe's" (a TV show) with her six siblings in their back yard. Miss Kathleen believes children are a gift in which she has been given to help shape into confident, bright and intelligent young adults. 

Miss Sarah, Co-Lead Teacher: Miss Sarah is a Co-Lead Teacher in the Soaring Eagles (Pre-Kindergarten) classroom.  She possesses a Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education from St. Catherine's University. Her experiences include teaching preschool, pre-k and substitute teaching. A favorite childhood memory is of helping out on her great uncle's farm and feeding the baby calves their bottles. Miss Sarah believes children deserve a safe and fun environment where they can explore, learn and play in engaging, meaningful ways. 

Miss Cory, Lead Teacher: Miss Cory is the Lead Teacher in the Playful Panda (Pre-Toddler) classroom. She possesses a Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education from Eastern Connecticut State University.  Her experiences include teaching infants at a Goddard School in Connecticut and volunteering in a first grade classroom. A favorite childhood memory is of playing out in the snow with her sister and then coming inside to enjoy hot cocoa with marshmallows to warm up. Miss Cory believes it is her responsibility as a teacher to provide a safe, fun and developmentally appropriate learning environment where every child will gain a life long love of learning!

Miss Laura, Assistant Teacher: Miss Laura is a support staff at The Goddard School^® in Chanhassen, helping out in all of the classrooms.  She holds a Bachelor's Degree in Elementary and Early Childhood Education from Winona State University.  Her experiences include teaching in an early childhood center and student teaching with preschool and 2nd grade.  A favorite childhood memory is of going to the Minnesota Zoo wth her grandparents and petting the snakes and blue-tongued skink.  Miss Laura believes children love to learn and should have their interests encouraged and supported by thier teachers to reach their full potential.