The Goddard School Located in Woodbridge - Our faculty has over 374 combined years of experience!
Director - Ms. Jessica attended Mercy College in Dobbs Ferry, New York, and received a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology. After working with three and four year old children for a few years, she attended Jones International University and received her Master's Degree in Elementary Education (K-6th grade). Ms. Jessica is very excited about being a part of The Goddard School in Woodbridge and truly believes in the importance of high quality early-learning environments. She is especially interested in the social-emotional development of children and wants each child to have a positive first experience with school. The office doors are always open for questions, concerns and chocolate fixes!
Assistant Director - Ms. Tara has a BA degree in Liberal Arts and is working towards her Master’s degree in Education with concentration in Elementary and Early Childhood Education. She has more than ten years of experience which includes teaching elementary school and preschool-aged children and acting as a director’s assistant. She has demonstrated excellent work ethics, customer skills and leadership qualities. Ms. Tara works with each teacher to develop age-appropriate activities in accordance with our monthly themes and ensures that these plans are implemented effectively in the classrooms. She also strives to maintain open parent-school communication and can often be seen dancing in the hallways!
Infant Team - Our infant team has more than 70 years of combined experience! Our lead teachers have been with us since the school opened four years ago and continue to be a strong foundation for this program. It is important that we are meeting the individual needs of each child in our program and our infant teachers will speak with you about schedules, preferences and your child’s little personality! Rest assured that your infants will get lots of love as our teachers truly do love working with our youngest friends!
Toddlers - It is definitely important for our toddlers to get lots of time to run around, dump out and pick up, and explore the classroom freely! Our toddler teachers are a group of energetic ladies that sing and dance the days away! Our lead toddler teacher has been working with infants and toddlers for almost 15 years and enjoys planning a flexible program for this very busy group. Our daily schedule includes inside and outside gross motor time, sensory and art activities, lots of music and movement, and an organized circle time.
The Twos - Our two-year-old teachers are full of energy and fresh ideas for this age group. All four teachers have been working with this age group for several years and have been with our School for almost two years! These teachers provide an all-day curriculum that bridges the toddler and preschool programs. We are also blessed that so many of our teachers are fluent in more than one language - Our children are immersed in new vocabulary and culture! We want our two year olds to become independent preschoolers in a safe and supportive environment.
Preschool - Our preschool teacher has a degree in Early Childhood Education and experience with both preschool and elementary-age children. Before joining our school last year, she taught Kindergarten and enjoys planning and preparing this first preschool group for Pre-K and Kindergarten. This teaching team emphasizes pre-reading and pre-writing skills during small group activities with the goal that these children move seamlessly into Pre-K programs. The learning that takes place in our youngest classroom really lays the foundation for things to come!
Pre-Kindergarten - Our two Pre-K teaching teams have been together for almost two years and deliver a fun and challenging learning experience! Our teachers have Associate's and Bachelor's Degrees in education fields and have more than 75 years of combined preschool experience! These teachers use both large and small group instruction to best prepare our four year olds for Kindergarten. Each day, there is a focus on writing and pre-reading skills and gross and fine motor movement to prepare the children academically for school. There is also an emphasis placed on developing the social-emotional skills necessary for turn-taking, cooperation and conflict management.
Kindergarten - Our Kindergarten teacher holds a Master’s Degree in Communication & Journalism and a Bachelor’s Degree in Literature & Psychology. She has been teaching in both private and public settings for more than 10 years and has been with The Goddard School in Woodbridge for four years. Our Kindergarten program follows a curriculum similar to that of the Prince William County School system and exceeds Virginia’s Standards of Learning criteria. Our teachers stay current on education trends and best practices in order to ensure a smooth transition from our Kindergarten program into the public school system.