Valerie, Goddard School Owner - I am the on-site Owner and Business Manager of The Goddard School® located in Orange Park. I am thrilled to live in and serve this growing, family-oriented community. My career has spanned over 20 years where I’ve developed expertise in business, human resources and client service. Most recently, I was a Partner in an international Human Resources Consulting firm. Having watched my own daughter develop and thrive in a Goddard School, I decided to change the course of my own life’s work to be part of this quality preschool. And, I truly enjoy each and every day. In my free time, I spend as much time as possible with my inspiration--my daughter. We sing and dance and just enjoy life together.

Ms. Jennifer, Center Director - I am excited to be the Education Director at The Goddard School® located in Orange Park. Our overall program/curriculum is best-in-class and truly unparalleled in this community. Always passionate about children, I have worked in the childcare industry for thirteen years. My experience spans teaching, from infants to preschoolers, and includes center administration and director roles. I hold a Child Development Associate and a Director credential in the State of Florida. I chose to be the Education Director with Goddard because the opportunity is exciting and unique. I will focus on implementing the educational process in the School and supporting the teachers in their work. My family lives in the area and I look forward to supporting our community with the highest quality School for years to come.

Ms. Kimberlie, Lead Infant Teacher Hi, my name is Ms. Kimberlie and I am delighted to be part of the quality Infant program here at The Goddard School. I serve the Morning Sunshine Infant classroom. I have been working in the field of Early Childhood Education for 6 years! I have earned my Bachelor’s degree. It is my passion and goal to make every day a meaningful experience for your child. I will support your child in developing a strong sense of self. I will also support their language, cognitive, social and emotional skills to provide a strong foundation. On a personal note, I am married with three wonderful girls. My family and I live right here in Oakleaf Plantation.

Ms. Lori, Lead First Steps Teacher Hello, My name is Ms. Lori and I am very excited to be working with the children here at The Goddard School. I received my Associate's degree in Early Childhood Education. I have over twenty years' experience working with children birth to five. I find teaching young children is very rewarding, and I look forward to new expriences with your children. I am very excited to be part of this wonderful growing community.

Ms. Nilda, Lead Young Toddler Teacher - Welcome Young Toddlers to our Happy Kittens classroom. My name is Ms. Nilda and I am excited to be a part of The Goddard School team. I look forward to leading and guiding this classroom through this important stage of development. I am currently continuing my education in Early Childhood Education to receive my Associate's degree. In my classroom, children will excel in many developmental areas in a short amount of time. I cannot wait to watch your children grow. On a personal note, I have been married for 25 years and I have three wonderful boys.

Ms. Grace, Assistant Young Toddler Teacher - Welcome to the Happy Kittens classroom. My name is Ms. Grace and I just love my Toddlers! I am excited to be part of the team here at Goddard! I have worked in early childhood education for over 19 years. I am a mother of three and grandmother of five. I knew from the moment I stepped into my first classroom that this was my calling. My goal as a teacher is to provide a loving and nurturing environment that will enable each child to flourish. Teaching here will allow me to use my many years of experience to make your child’s first educational experience a joyful & meaningful one.

Ms. Melanie, Lead Pre-Kindergarten Teacher - Welcome to the Little Gardeners Pre-Kindergarten classroom. My name is Ms. Melanie and I am delighted to be a part of the team here at The Goddard School. I have worked in early childhood education since my junior year in high school! After high school, I continued my education at Miami Lakes Educational Center receiving in-home operator’s license in 1998. I have taught in various high quality centers throughout the years. I am a mother of 3 wonderful children—one actually joins me each day at Goddard in the Pre-K class. My day-to-day passion is the look in a child’s eyes when they have accomplished a task on their own for the first time. They feel so good about themselves—this is what inspires me to continually better myself intellectually, spiritually, & emotionally.

Ms. Stacy, Assistant Toddler Teacher I am excited about being on the staff at The Goddard School® in the Wagon Pups classroom. I will be assisting the Toddler classroom. I recently graduated from high school and am currently pursuing my Child Development Associate degree. I’ve worked with young children for the last three years and am thrilled to pursue a degree in this field. I expect to achieve my degree by the Fall of 2011. My goal each day is to nurture and develop your children with the same attention and care that you would provide in your own home. I will support in the development of lesson plans that are specifically tailored for the children in this class.

Ms. Megan, Lead Get Set Teacher - Welcome to the Chirping Birds classroom. My name is Ms. Megan and I am excited to join the wonderful team here at Goddard. My family and I recently moved to the Jacksonville area from Georgia. I completed my Associate's degree in early childhood education in the Fall of 2008. I have been working in early childhood education for six years with children ranging from infant to school-age. I look forward to getting to know each child. The eagerness children have to learn at this age is amazing! My class will prepare children for preschool — we will target group interactions (sharing, showing respect) and, of course, potty training!

Ms. Darlene, Lead Preschool Teacher - Welcome to the Country Cows Preschool classroom. My name is Ms. Darlene and I am so excited to be part of the Goddard family. I have earned my Child Development Associate's degree along with my director's credential in the state of Florida, and I am always continuing my education. I have been working in Early Childhood for more than 15 years. My experience ranges from Infants to Pre-Kindergarten. I believe children learn best in a loving, nurturing, and safe environment with clear expectations. This is the environment I will provide for your child. While in my class, my goal is for your child to have as much fun learning as I have teaching. I look forward to a wonderful year!

Ms. Cheyenne, Assistant Preschool Teacher - Hi, my name is Cheyenne and I will be assisting Ms. Darlene in the Country Cows classroom. I have been teaching in Early Childhood Education for five years. I have my Child Development Associate with a Preschool specialty. Teaching young children is my passion. Helping them develop academic and life skills is so great. I was born and raised here in Jacksonville. I love spending time with my family. It will be my pleasure to work with your children and help them to grow and learn here in the Country Cows classroom.

Ms. Jasmin, Education Director - Welcome to the Goddard School! My name is Ms. Jasmin and I am delighted to be part of the administrative team here. I am committed to children—understanding them, developing them and supporting them. I have been working in early childhood for nine years now and have enjoyed every minute of it! My experience ranges from infants through pre-kindergarten. I earned my Child Development Associate from First Coast Technical Institute and am currently continuing my education in Early Childhood Education. My children will receive an excellent balance between nurturing and learning. My goal is to support each child’s individual abilities, ensuring their success. My family has lived in the Orange Park area for years and I very much enjoy serving this great community.

Ms. Michele, Lead Pre-Kindergarten Teacher - Welcome to our Little Explorers classroom. I am proud to be the a Lead Teacher for Pre-K. This class builds confidence, instills the love of learning and prepares children socially and academically for Kindergarten. After working in Early Childhood for 14 years, I have a significant amount of experience in every age group. However, I have developed a soft spot for the older preschool children! During the past two years, I decided to focus on four and five-year-olds and their developmental needs in preparing for Kindergarten. I earned my Child Development Associate's degree in 2004 and am currently continuing my education in Early Child Development. I am excited to join the Goddard team and am grateful for the opportunity to be an important part of your young child’s success!

Ms. Emily, Lead Pre-Kindergarten Teacher - Hi, my name is Ms. Emily. Welcome to the Little Explorers Pre-K classroom. I will teach this classroom with Ms. Michele and am looking forward to expanding your children’s knowledge and preparing them for success in Kindergarten. I graduated from Florida State University in May of 2009 with my Bachelor's degree in early childhood education. I am pleased to be part of the top notch team at The Goddard School. I am very energetic and enthusiastic about my role here. My goal is to provide children with a joyful and fruitful experience that is both fun and educational. It is critical that my Pre-K children are eager to learn and are fully prepared for Kindergarten.

Ms. Jasmine, Assistant School-Age Teacher - My name is Ms. Jasmine and I love working with children. I am excited to be part of the team here at Goddard! I am currently attending Oakleaf High School. As a student, I am working in the early childhood education program. I look forward to growing and expanding my education and knowledge with The Goddard School.

Ms. Mandy, Lead Pre-Kindergarten Teacher- Hi, my name is Ms. Mandy and I am very excited to be working with such amazing teachers here at The Goddard School. I am looking forward to teaching our Little Gardeners! My goal for this year is to prepare my children socially, emotionally and academically for Kindergarten. I will work cohesively with parents to ensure we are meeting each child’s unique abilities. I earned my BA in Elementary Education from VWC in Virginia. I immediately loved teaching children and realized that I chose the right profession. It wasn’t until I moved to Florida that I decided to work with younger children—at The Goddard School I have fallen in love with the preschool population!

Ms. Katie, Assistant Get Set Teacher - Welcome to the Chirping Birds Get Set Classroom. My name is Ms. Katie and I am glad to be part of The Goddard School teaching team. I have been working with young children for seven years and I truly enjoy every minute of it. I will continue my education in Early Childhood Education in the Spring of 2012. Children are growing so rapidly in my classroom—their motor skills, language, emotional and social leaps. I will provide tender, nurturing care while crafting activities to inspire, engage and develop your toddler. They will love coming to School!

Ms. Alicia, Assistant Infant Teacher - Hi, I’m Ms. Alicia and I am delighted to be working in the Morning Sunshines room. I have more than eight years of experience working in Early Childhood Education. I am pleased to be a part of The Goddard School staff. I earned my Bachelor’s degree in the summer of 2011 in Business Administration. I am continuing my education in Elementary Math. I also have my Child Development Associate’s degree, so that I can better enrich your child in cognitive, emotional and physical development. I take great pride in seeing how much your child has learned from week to week. This is my inspiration for coming to work each day.

Ms. Katie-Asst. First Steps Teacher Welcome to the Peek-a-Boo Squirrels classroom! My name is Ms. Katie and I will be assisting Ms. Lori with your little ones. I am currently enrolled at Florida State College at Jacksonville where I will finish my A.S. in Early Childhood Education, and will continue on to get my B.S. Working with young children is my passion. I look forward to working with your children here at The Goddard School.

Ms. Ashley- Lead Toddler Teacher Hi, my name is Ms. Ashley and I will be the lead teacher in the Wagon Pups classroom with Ms. Stacy. I have been teaching in childcare for six years and it is truly my passion. I love watching my children reach new goals and achievements. I believe having a fun learning environment makes the learning process more exciting. I am very excited to be part of The Goddard School's teaching team and I can not wait to watch your children learn and grow in our fun and happy environment.

Ms. Amanda-Lead Preschool 2 Teacher Welcome to the Running Horses Preschool classroom. My name is Ms. Amanda and I am so excited to be part of the Goddard family. I graduated from UCF with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Education. I have been working with children for several years and I have been actively teaching since 2011. My goal is to create a fun, exciting learning environment for your preschoolers. I believe that children are always ready to learn, and I love watching them grow. I am very happy to continue my teaching career here at The Goddard School.

Ms. Hailey-Afternoon Assistant Teacher My name is Ms. Hailey and I just love working with children. I am excited to be part of the team here at Goddard! I am currently attending Oakleaf High School. As a senior, I am working in the early childhood education program. Within the high school child development program I will earn my CDA. In the fall I plan to attend the University of North Florida. I will be pursuing my Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education.

Ms. Michelle-Assistant Teacher/Floater Hello, My name is Ms. Michelle! I am so happy to be part of the Goddard family. I am very excited to start my journey as a teacher. I plan on continuing my education in General Education this fall. I feel The Goddard School is just the place for me to get some real hands-on experience. I am thrilled to be part of your child’s early education and I can’t wait to see what they can teach me.