Our Teachers

Sean and Whitney are the Owners of the Goddard School located in Grand Rapids (Knapp's Corner). Whitney graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in Hospitality Business and before opening the Goddard School had a career in Sales and Event Management for Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park and the JW Marriott Grand Rapids. Sean graduated from Western Michigan University with a degree in Business Management and worked in Outside Sales for a traffic control company. As parents of 7 year-old daughter, Eila, and 3 year-old, Iris, Sean and Whitney understand the importance of creating a safe, nurturing environment and want the Goddard School to be a child's home away from home. Both Sean and Whitney were born and raised in the Grand Rapids area and look forward to giving back to the community by educating it's future leaders. Sean and Whitney look forward to welcoming you to the school and introducing your family to the amazing faculty!

Ms. Ali is our Executive Director. She holds her Bachelor's Degree from Indiana Wesleyan University in Christian Education and Children's Ministry. She has 5 years of experience as a lead pre-k teacher in the Detroit area, over 14 years of working with children and 5 years as a dance instructor. Ms. Ali was a Day Camps Director with SpringHill Camps where she traveled throughout the midwest with a team of counselors to provide a fun week of camp for children in their hometown. Ms. Ali loves to do arts and crafts with the children, as well as watching them discover new ways to move and play! She loves teaching science and guiding them through curious play and experiments. Ms. Ali loves children and teaching them new skills. She enjoys seeing children realize and discover their new talents. You will usually find her smiling and being creative, and always finds joy in the little things!

Ms. Michelle is our Director of Operations. She has a wide range of work experience in many different fields. Ms. Michelle worked at SpringHill Camps for over 22 years where she had many different roles including store manager/purchaser, registration professional and in-house designer. Ms. Michelle is a mother of 5 kids who all live in the Grand Rapids or Kalamazoo area. Ms. Michelle recently moved back to Grand Rapids to be near her kids and grandsons. She loves doing anything creative with kids including coloring, painting, baking or photography. Ms. Michelle joined the Goddard Knapp’s Corner Family because she loved the idea of supporting a school that is dedicated to providing quality education in a safe environment.

Ms. Lauren is our Infant/Toddler Education Coordinator. She majored in Youth Ministry and Creative Writing at North Park University in Chicago, IL. She has been working with kids since she turned 18, and has worked with all ages! Ms. Lauren was raised in Grand Rapids, and then lived in Chicago for 7 years before moving back in 2019. She has two younger brothers, and in her free time she loves to bake, read, write, and kayak. Her favorite activities to do with children are art projects and signing songs. She's got lots of verses to go with the Itsy Bitsy Spider and Row Your Boat! She is also known as the bug catcher in her class, and watching children react and learn about nature is always a fun experience all around! Ms. Lauren became a teacher because she had some very special people who were influential to her when she was a child, and her desire has always been to be that person for others. She absolutely loves the ways children perceive the world and want to share it with us.

Ms. Ana is a Co-Lead Teacher in our Preschool classroom, Rockin’ Robins! She has experience working with children at SpringHill Camps where she taught ages 4-12. She has experience working with large groups of children up to 20 and also has experience working one-on-one with children with special needs. Ms. Ana is currently in school working on attaining her associates degree in Child Development from the Child Care Institute. Ms. Ana and Ms. Jenna have been a co-teaching team for almost 2 years and are excited to continue working together in the Rockin’ Robins classroom. Ms. Ana chose to become a teacher because she has a passion for children and enjoys teaching them the tools to help with social emotional development. She also likes to see the student’s perspective about the world around them and teach them in a way that they understand but challenges them. Her favorite activities to do with students is anything creative, such as crafts and dramatic play!

Ms. Jenna is a Co-Lead Teacher in our Preschool classroom, Rockin’ Robins! She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Azusa Pacific University in 2021. She has previous experience working at an elementary school as a teacher aid, and with a before and after school daycare. Ms. Jenna first developed her passion for working with kids as a young teen babysitting and loves watching them develop their own unique personalities. Ms. Jenna and Ms. Arianna have been a co-teaching team for almost 2 years and are excited to continue working together in the Rockin’ Robins classroom. She enjoys being a part of the children's constant creativity. Her favorite activity to do with her students is anything that includes art projects as she loves to see them make their project their own!

Ms. Rachel is a Co-Lead teacher in our Preschool classroom, Mighty Moose. Ms. Rachel graduated from Cornerstone University with a Bachelor's in Elementary Education and TESOL. She has 6 years of teaching experience at the Elementary/Preschool lever. She found her passion for working with young learners when she taught for GSRP. Ms. Rachel loves working in early childhood education. She believes that young children have innocent imaginations and are so eager to learn. She became a teacher because she loves seeing the extraordinary growth each student goes through. She also loves to see the development of each child's unique personalities. Her favorite activity to do with her students is to read silly and entertaining books. Her favorite part is to see how her students faces light up and when they ask for the story to be reread over and over again. Ms. Rachel strives to make her classroom an environment where young learners can express their creative endeavors and learn to grow!

Ms. Erin is a Co-Lead teacher in our Preschool classroom, Mighty Moose! She is currently working toward her bachelor’s degree in teaching at GRCC and GVSU. She worked at a daycare for three years with infants and toddlers, and then nannied for a year. Erin moved from Connecticut two years ago to see a new city. She has three nieces and has been an aunt since she was seven. She has two cats named Ollie and Luna and spends most of her time at Reeds Lake, where she loves to read. Ms. Erin loves watching children grow and learn how unique and special each child is. Ms. Erin loves to learn herself and grow as a teacher alongside the students. She loves science and English related subjects and finds science so interesting to learn and experiment with in the classroom!

Ms. Jill is one of our Preschool Floater Teachers! Ms. Jill has been a teacher for over 20 years and has been in lead teacher in a 3s classroom, as well as director for an overnight summer camp for 8 years. She has a BS in Education and a Masters in Educational Leadership. Her favorite subject to teach is history, which she also has a BA in. All of her vacations are historically relevant! Ms. Jill became a teacher because she loves being around all the excitement and energy of children, whether they are preschool or high school! Ms. Jill continues to teach because it makes a positive impact on the future. She is passionate about teaching, traveling, gardening, reading, and cooking, and enjoys yoga, walking, and spending time with family. She has also been married for 27 years and has a son who is a recent MSU graduate. Go Green!

Ms. Amber is one of our Co-Lead Teachers in our Preschool Classroom, Loving Loons! Ms. Amber has 4 years of experience working as a lead preschool teacher and over two years of experience working in ABA therapy. Ms. Amber has been working directly with children for over 7 years and has loved every minute of it. In her free time Ms. Amber volunteers at Hope Network. Ms. Amber has a dog named Walter who was a calendar model for Kent District Library 2023’s calendar. Ms. Amber loves teaching the children about pretend/dramatic play, reading books and art. She became a teacher to help children build/discover the foundations of themselves and help prepare them to succeed in life.

Ms Kinzie is one of our Preschool Resource Teachers! Ms. Kinzie’s major driving force is her desire to be a positive role model for children! She wants to be the adult in their lives that encourages them and makes learning fun! She gets inspired seeing how much progress children make in such a short amount of time, and loves seeing their sense of self confidence grow! Ms. Kinzie worked in the ABA field for 2 years and became an RBT in August of 2023. Though she doesn’t have education training, she loves to teach children, especially reading a writing, because she believes that reading and writing boosts confidence and creativity. She wants to go back to college and get her bachelor’s in education, and she is currently learning ASL!

Ms. Elizabeth is one of our Co-Lead teachers in our Preschool classroom, Busy Bees! Ms. Elizabeth is new to this field but has experience caring for children at an in-home daycare setting. Ms. Elizabeth has a son, who she loves supporting by going to all of his school and sporting events! She thinks it is always amazing watching children grow and learn while doing the things they love and enjoy! She decided to become a teacher because she believes a child's mind is so imaginative! There is no limit to what they can do. In her opinion, her favorite part is seeing a child's eyes light up when they see or experience something new to them. Ms. Elizabeth's favorite activity to do with her students is anything to do with arts and crafts or dramatic play. She thinks its so fun to watch their imaginations run wild!

Ms. Maggie is one of our Co-Lead Teachers in our preschool classroom, Busy Bees! She has been substituting at the elementary school where her family went. She has a bachelor’s degree in psychology and took lots of child development and education courses as well. She has done babysitting and spent time working as a behavior technician helping children and young adults with autism. This will be Ms. Maggie’s first assistant teacher experience, but she always loved helping students and seeing all the progress they make. She loves teaching English and thinks it’s so cool to hear children forming words and eventually sentences to be able to communicate. Math is also one of her favorite subjects because of the exact answers but different techniques used to get those answers.

Ms. Nicole is our Assistant Teacher in our Bridge classroom, Busy Bees! She has worked with children her whole life, between babysitting and working in childcare for the past five years. Ms. Nicole has always loved children and loves watching them learn and grow. Ms. Nicole loves to teach colors and ABCs to younger ages, especially when she can make it fun and use songs to help kids learn.

Ms. Liliana is one of our Co-Lead teachers in our Toddler Classroom Pleasant Pheasants! Ms. Liliana has 4 years of experience working as an infant and toddler teacher. She is currently studying Early Childhood Education at Grand Rapids Community College. Ms. Liliana enjoys working with young children and helping them grow. She loves providing hands on experiences for children, especially in the science subject. Ms. Liliana became a teacher because she enjoys working with young children. She loves developing relationships with the children and families to help them grow and see all of the potential they have within them.

Ms. Lillian is one of our Co-Lead Teachers in our Toddler Classroom, Pleasant Pheasants! Ms. Lillian has experience from babysitting nieces and nephews, as well as helping out with after school daycare in middle school. She loves the energy that children have and wants to help shape the minds of future generations. Ms. Lillian loves math and art. Having the freedom to create and express creativity with no wrong answers is so important to your inner self and becoming who you want to be. Ms. Lillian is a very positive person and treats all children as if they were her own because we are all human and everyone deserves the same love and respect.

Ms. Courtney is the Co-Lead in our Toddler Classroom, Pleasant Pheasants. She Graduated with a bachelor’s degree in early childhood development from CMU. Since college, she's had experience in multiple daycare/preschool centers as well as working for Walt Disney World right after college, getting tons of one-on-one child experience! Ms. Courtney is the biggest Disney fan, and she loves incorporating Disney magic into her classroom and lesson plans. Her favorite activity to do with her students is arts and crafts. She says that, getting a little messy with some paint or play-doh is so fun and great for sensory, fine motor development, etc. She became a teacher because she has a huge love for helping children develop the skills needed to grow. The thing Ms. Courtney enjoys most about working with children is seeing their faces light up when they see her it's unlike anything else!

Ms. Alexa is one of our Floater Teachers in our Toddler and Preschool Classrooms! She comes to us with a bachelor’s degree in Outdoor Recreation Leadership and Management, so she loves incorporating outdoor learning into her teaching. She has worked in outdoor education, as well as childcare facilities, Montessori schools, and as a nanny and camp counselor. Ms. Alexa has always loved learning, and wants to inspire that in others, because each day brings new opportunities and ways to grow. She enjoys teaching about nature/ecology, since it is important to know and find ways to interact with your environment, and it supports lots of learning styles. Outside of work she likes to read, travel, and go for a run or a swim!

Ms. Hannae is one of our Co-Lead Teachers in our Toddler classroom, Darling Deer! Ms. Hannae graduated in May from Ferris State University. She has a background with children of all ages teaching dance, nannying, and tutoring in high school and college. She loves teaching because it is inspiring! Ms. Hannae loves getting to make an impact on children and be a part of their learning experience. She most enjoys teaching reading and has done lots of work with children on reading comprehension and phonemic awareness. She is very excited to begin at Goddard and share her love of teaching!

Ms. Sadie is one of our Co-Lead Teachers in our Toddler classroom, Darling Deer! Ms. Sadie is a graduate of Indiana Wesleyan University with a degree in Criminal Justice. She has worked with kids of all ages in the foster care system, as well as in the church nursery. During summers in college, she worked at kids’ camps at Indiana Wesleyan University. Ms. Sadie didn’t plan wasn’t always to be a teacher, but after working at a middle school during her senior year internship, Sadie fell in love with the job. She hopes to imitate what a good role model is, just like teachers did for her in the past. Each child is unique, and she looks forward to helping them grow! Ms. Sadie has lived in 8 states, traveled to 36, and visited 5 countries To learn new perspectives and cultures. She loves to be creative with drawing, painting, and arts and crafts. She also played college basketball and loves being able to be outside and active with kids!

Ms. McKenzie is our Assistant Teacher in our Toddler classroom, Darling Deer! She is a recent graduate of Grand Valley State University, where she got her degree in elementary education. She began working with children at a young age by babysitting and working in various types of classrooms. Ms. McKenzie became a teacher to inspire children and watch them grow into the best versions of themselves. She continues to teach because it’s what she’s passionate about, and because she wants every child to feel loved and protected and learn more about the world around them. She likes teaching reading and social studies the best because she loves to learn about the past, and really enjoys when students begin to show a love of reading and find what works for them. Ms. McKenzie is originally from Traverse City and moved here to go to school.

Ms. Sara is one of our Co-Lead teachers in our Young Toddler Classroom, Hoppy Hares! loves learning and being in learning environments. She’s curious in nature and enjoys nurturing children’s natural curiosity. She has an associate degree in arts of science and is also a licensed esthetician from the Douglas J in East Lansing. She studied elementary education at GRCC for 2 semesters in 2017 and has over 2 years of experience in babysitting children from 1-12. She is very patient and loves being around children because there’s never a dull moment when you’re with them! Ms. Sara became a teacher because she was always inspired by her teachers in school, as well as her dad, who have a passion for learning and teaching. She’s excited to learn more from seasoned teachers here at Goddard and even more excited to apply and pass on her knowledge to future leaders!

Ms. Cathy is one of our Co-Lead Teachers in our Young Toddler Classroom Hoppy Hares! Ms. Cathy’s passion in life is to work with children and help grow. She is currently enrolled at Grand Rapids Community College working towards her Child Development Associates. Ms. Cathy has some schooling in Early Childhood Education from Cornerstone University. Ms. Cathy has years of experience working with children including raising her son. She worked at Great Start Readiness Program for 3 years where she gained experience in classroom management, child development and working in a fast paced setting. Ms. Cathy chose to work at The Goddard School (Knapp’s Corner) because she loved the facility and community of teachers.

Ms. Grace is our Assistant Teacher in our young toddler classroom, Hoppy Hares! Ms. Grace comes to us with several years of babysitting, over 4 years of childcare experience, and several credits in elementary education from GVSU. She became a teacher to leave a mark on the lives of the students she teaches. She wants to make a positive difference and inspire children to make their dreams come true! Seeing children grow and learn inspires Ms. Grace to keep teaching. She loves teaching English and writing, as they have always been her favorite subjects. She loves when children discover a love of language arts through learning and practice.

Ms. Emily is one of our Co-Lead Teachers in our First Steps Classroom, Tiny Turtles! Ms. Emily has had 5 years experience both nannying and working in childcare settings with all ages. She loves to be outside, and loves bringing her love of the outdoors to her children as well. Ms. Emily loves being silly and making learning fun through lots of play. She believes that every child has different qualities, and she loves all the little moments when they learn new skills, no matter how big or small! She loves to teach music too! It played a huge part in her childhood, and therefore she loves bringing that joy into teaching!

Ms. Margaret is one of our Co-Lead Teachers in our First Steps Classroom, Tiny Turtles! Ms. Margaret has been working with kids for almost 15 years, with her last six years being focused on infants. She loves to watch children grow and learn as time progresses, especially when she sees them accomplish something with hard work. Ms. Margaret enjoys doing art projects, reading stories, singing songs, and getting into some sort of sensory experience! She has a bachelor’s degree in Spanish and loves spending time outdoors.

Ms. Kaylee is our Assistant Teacher in our First Steps Classroom, Tiny Turtles! She has eight years of childcare experience and has taught infants to four years old. She loves teaching infants and toddlers the most because she is able to help them learn the basics of life. Ms. Kaylee’s aunt operated a daycare and that inspired Kaylee to work with children and maybe run her own daycare one day. She has lived in Rockford since 2017, when she and her husband remodeled their house together. They have been together for fourteen years and married for seven!

Ms. Taylor is one of of Floater Teachers in the Infant and Toddler classrooms. Ms. Taylor comes to us with a Bachelor’s in Psychology and plans on returning to school in the fall for a degree in school counseling. She has experience with children from babysitting, observing classrooms while in college, and working with a pediatric physical therapist. She became a teacher because she enjoys watching children grow. She continues to teach because she likes the idea of being the difference in a child’s life and helping them learn subjects that may be difficult for them. Ms. Taylor enjoys teaching arts and crafts because she herself loves crafty projects. Art also allows people to be themselves and has therapeutic and calming benefits. There’s never a wrong way to do it, and it’s always different! In her free time, Ms. Taylor enjoys lifting weights with her boyfriend and hanging out with their dogs, a German Shepherd and a Beagle. She also really enjoys the outdoors!

Ms. Brittnee is one of our Co-Lead Teachers in our Infant classroom, Sleeping Bears! She has a bachelor’s degree in social work from Northern Michigan University. She also has 6 years’ experience working in childcare centers, primarily with infants and toddlers. Ms. Brittnee has a daughter named Jaynee! They have a small family consisting of themselves, their dog Loona and 2 cats named Pancake and Simba! Ms. Brittnee loves spending time with her family and friends and much as possible. Ms. Brittnee became a teacher in 2016 because she loves watching kids grow through learning, exploring, and trying new things. Her favorite activity to do with her students is to sing songs and get messy with art or sensory! She loves seeing the process of watching a child figure out how to complete a difficult task and then having that "light bulb" moment!

Ms. Emma is one of our Co-Lead Teachers in our Infant classroom, Sleeping Bears! Ms. Emma has over 7 years of childcare experience, including babysitting, nannying, volunteering for children’s ministries at church, and being a teacher’s aide for Preschool-2nd grade. With all that, she couldn’t imagine herself doing anything different! Watching children grow, learn, and develop relationships has always been rewarding. She loves children’s new perspective on things, and always wants to be an inviting presence to nurture them and help them use their new skills to the best of their abilities. Ms. Emma enjoys teaching biology or anything related to the outdoors. There is so much to learn by being outside, and when kids can see, smell, and touch what they’re learning about it helps them gain new understanding. She loves to be outside camping, hiking, and kayaking. Time spent outside is time well spent!

Ms. Ashley is one of our Floater Teachers in our Infant classrooms! Ms. Ashley just graduated from Wheaton College with a double major in psychology and International Relations. She did an internship at World Reset with the youth and children’s department where she worked with young immigrants, refugees, and their mothers. Ms. Ashley has also nannied and babysat for many families with children aged 6 months to 12 years old. In the fall she is starting on another degree in counseling, with which she hopes to continue her work with children. Ms. Ashley has the most experience and enjoyment teaching about music. She was a piano teacher in high school and loved teaching her students how to make and appreciate music. She grew up as a musician and has been playing piano since she was 4! She also plays the ukulele and sings and does some writing and storytelling as well! Ms. Ashley is passionate about psychology and development, so teaching is a huge part of that. She

Ms. Annie is one of our Floater Teachers in our Toddler and Preschool Classrooms. Ms. Annie graduated from GVSU with a BA in sociology and worked in social work for 2 years before switching her focus to early childhood education. She was the lead teacher in the 3s room at another center before coming to Goddard. She became a teacher because of her experience in the social work field. Her calling has always been to nurture and care for young minds, but it wasn’t fully realized until she had the experience in social work. Ms. Annie loves anything that has to do with music, songs, and nature! She loves how easily joy is found when engaged in song or experiencing nature, and both encompass wide topics in the world and human experiences. Ms. Annie spends most of her free time outside- she loves hiking, camping, and hammocking. Her love of fun helps her engage with children and come up with creative curriculum ideas!