After earning his bachelor's degree in Financial Services from Wright State University, Derick received his MBA from Bowling Green State University. Since then, he has worked in corporate finance for over twenty years. Derick is also involved with the Novi Chamber of Commerce. Derick is thrilled to be able to provide The Goddard School's outstanding program to the children and families in the greater Novi community. He and his wife, Bobbie, are raising their young son and recognize the importance of a safe and nurturing learning environment, which is why they chose The Goddard School. He is proud to offer an incredible opportunity for children to grow through exploration and hands-on learning. NoviMI@goddardschools.com

Janelle earned her Bachelor’s in Elementary Education and Early Childhood Development and Learning from Central Michigan University. She has worked in schools and early childhood centers since 2006 and has grown a passion for early childhood education. Janelle had a goal of becoming an elementary school teacher but found her love for preschool when she started working as a lead teacher. Janelle was on the executive board for the Association of Education for Young Children at Central Michigan for three years and has volunteered in many elementary schools. As the Education Director, Janelle wants to provide a safe environment for each child and wants their experience to be beneficial to their growth emotionally, physically, and mentally. She is also very fortunate to have her daughter, June and son, Jonah attend The Goddard School. Janelle believes early childhood development is one of the most important aspects that children can experience. DNoviMI@goddardschools.com

Kaity holds an Associates Degree in Early Childhood Education from Chippewa Valley Technical College in Wisconsin. She is also working towards her Bachelor’s in Child Development from Concordia University, St. Paul, MN. She has been working with children since 2014. She began her time with The Goddard School of Novi as the Lead teacher in the First Steps classroom and has appreciated her experience helping nurture young children. As Assistant Director, Kaity strives to support the team in providing exceptional care, quality programming, and positive learning experiences for all children.

*Ms. April was nominated for The Goddard School's 2021 & 2023 Teacher of the Year Award* Ms. April is one of our Lead teachers. She has her Bachelor's in English Literature from Madonna University and her Associates degree in Early Childhood Education from William Tyndale College. Ms. April has been working with children since 1989 and became a mom in 2004. She has also worked at the Olympics as security. In her free time, Ms. April enjoys painting and writing poetry and short stories. She has self published a poetry book in 1990. Growing up, Ms. April's mom was a teacher in the school she attended. Once she went to college, Ms. April found her love for teaching as well and enjoyed working in the early childhood field.

Ms. April is one of our lead teachers. She has a bachelor's from Albion college and has attended English Nanny and Governess School. Ms. April has been working with children since 2001. Ms. April's favorite children's book is The Rainbow Fish. In her free time, Ms. April enjoys reading and crafts. She went into early childhood because she loves to watch children grow and learn new things. It is a wonderful experience to see them master new skills.

*Ms. Esther was nominated for The Goddard School's 2022 & 2023 Teacher of the Year Award* Ms. Esther is one of our Lead Teachers. She has her Associates of Arts from Mott Community College. Ms. Esther has her Child Development Associates in Preschool. Ms. Esther has been working with children since 2007. Ms. Esther's faith is very important to her and it has helped her with everyday struggles. She is very dedicated to her work and school. One of Ms. Esther's biggest accomplishments are her children. In her free time, Ms. Esther enjoys biking, scrap-booking, and traveling to different places. The love of children is what inspired Ms. Esther to go into Early Childhood. She wants all children to have a safe place to learn.

*Ms. Gabi was nominated for The Goddard School's 2023 Teacher of the Year Award* Ms. Gabi is one of our lead teachers. She has her Bachelor’s in Children and Families from Eastern Michigan University. Ms. Gabi has been working with children since 2013. In her free time, Ms. Gabi enjoys spending time with her family, knitting, and reading. Her favorite children’s book is Stellaluna. Ms. Gabi went into Early Childhood because she loves the idea of shaping young minds. She believes that even small milestones are big accomplishments.

Ms. Hannah is one of our lead teachers. She has her Child Development Associates with a Preschool concentration. Ms. Hannah has been working with children since 2012. Ms. Hannah's favorite children's book is "Oh, The Places You'll Go" by Dr. Seuss. In her free time, Ms. Hannah enjoys cooking. Ms. Hannah went into early childhood because she loves the children's excitement and enthusiasm for learning. She loves their open mindedness about the world and seeing things from their perspective.

Ms. Holly is one of our lead teachers. She has her Bachelor's in psychology from Eastern Michigan University and was a member of the honors college. Ms. Holly has been working with children since 2018. She has worked as a mentor and as a volunteer in a "Mommy and Me" class with Starfish Family Services. Ms. Holly has been a mentor in a college support system at EMU. She taught discipline, professionalism, leadership. She graduated high school and college with honors. Ms. Holly's favorite children's books are "The Velveteen Rabbit" and "Junie B. Jones." In her free time, Ms. Holly enjoys painting, poetry, reading, and yoga. Ms. Holly went into early childhood because of her passion for child development and stresses the importance of early intervention of early childcare.

Ms. Jaclyn is one of our lead teachers. She has her infant-toddler certificate, and a child development associate certification. Ms. Jaclyn has been working with children since 2017. Ms. Jaclyn's favorite children's books are the Elephant and Piggie books by Mo Willems. Outside of work, Ms. Jaclyn enjoys spending time with her dog, going off roading in her Jeep, and spending time with friends and family. Ms. Jaclyn was going to be a medical assistant, but she fell in love with teaching. She loves being with the kids and watching them grow and learn.

Ms. Michelle is one of our lead teachers. She has her associates degree in early childhood from Schoolcraft College. Ms. Michelle has been working in preschool programs since 2006. Ms. Michelle was able to design and develop her own curricular program when she was the director and curriculum advisor for the San Bernardino Archdiocese. She went through the licensing process which helped her build her program. In her free time, Ms. Michelle enjoys spending time with her 3 children, gardening, and being a dance mom. She went into early childhood because it is a hands on and creative career. Watching children learn and thrive is extremely rewarding.

*Ms. Morgan was nominated for The Goddard School's 2021 Teacher of the Year Award* Ms. Morgan is one of our lead teachers. She has her child development associates in preschool. Ms. Morgan also has her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Ferris State University. Ms. Morgan has been working with children since 2012. One of her greatest accomplishments was graduating college with a 3.6 GPA. In her free time, Ms. Morgan enjoys horseback riding. Ms. Morgan went into early childhood because she loves children and loves helping them learn.

Ms. Rachael is one of our lead teachers. She has her Child Development Associate with a focus in Infant and Toddler. Ms. Rachael has been working with children since 2007. In her free time, Ms. Rachael enjoys spending time with her son Kadin and traveling to Silver Lake Sand Dunes with friends. Her son was a big part of her inspiration to continue in the early childhood field. She loves working with children and seeing their faces light up when they learn something new.

Ms. Sarah is one of our lead teachers. She has completed her Associates of Arts Degree from Schoolcraft College. She is also pursuing her Child Development Associate Credential. Ms. Sarah has been working with children since 2019 and has previous retail and customer service experience as well. Her favorite children’s book is Charlotte’s Web. In her free time, Ms. Sarah enjoys spending time in nature and working with animals. She also enjoys writing and painting. She has loved her experience working with young children and is excited to help children learn and grow.

*Ms. Trisha was nominated for The Goddard School's 2022 Teacher of the Year Award* Ms. Trisha is one of our lead teachers. She has her Bachelor's of Arts in early childhood development and learning from Central Michigan University. Ms. Trisha has been working with children since 2007. In high school, Ms. Trisha had experience with living with a German exchange student. This allowed her to get an outside world perspective and learn about other cultures. Ms. Trisha's favorite children's book is "The Kissing Hand." In her free time, Ms. Trisha enjoys reading and traveling. She went into early childhood because she has always loved working with children. She knew she wanted to be a teacher her whole life so going into early childhood was the right path for her.

Ms. Abbey is one of our assistant teachers. She has her B.A. in fine arts with a minor in psychology and sociology with children’s focus from SVSU. Ms. Abbey has worked with children since 2014 and has 9 years experience at The Goddard School in Grand Rapids. Ms. Abbey was nominated teacher of the year in 2023 at the Grand Rapids Goddard location. Ms. Abbey’s favorite children’s book is “Penguin Needs a Vacation” by Salina Yoon. In her free time, Ms. Abbey enjoys painting, playing tennis, cross country skiing, snow shoeing, kayaking, and traveling. Ms. Abbey had the opportunity to travel to Spain in 2014. Ms. Abbey says children are the heart of our nation. Being able to contribute to the growth of young minds is the most rewarding thing.

Ms. Callie is one of our assistant teachers. She has been working with children since 2016. Ms. Callie's favorite children's book is "Love you Forever." In her free time, Ms. Callie enjoys crafting, baking, and reading. She also loves spending time with her son, Owen. Ms. Callie works in early childhood because she wants to help mold future generations into the best they can be.

Ms. Geeta is one of our assistant teachers. She previously studied in India, focusing primarily on education in the arts. Ms. Geeta discovered she received a great amount of joy from working with children, so she brought her creative background to early childhood. She has been working with children since 2005. In her free time, Ms. Geeta loves watching television, and spending time with her children. Ms. Geeta went into early childhood because of her love of working with children and getting to spend time with them.

Ms. Rachel is one of our lead teachers. Ms. Rachel is currently getting her Child Development Associates in infant and toddler. She began her educational experience with children as a paraprofessional in special education in 2020. Ms. Rachel was also a lead supervisor in an after-school program. She also has prior experience as a camp counselor. Her favorite children’s book is Little Critter series. In her free time, Ms. Rachel enjoys reading and embroidery. She also enjoys spending time with family and friends. She has always found working with young children to be rewarding and is eager to help the children learn and grow.

Ms. Lauren is one of our assistant teachers. She is currently going to school at University of Michigan. Ms. Lauren has been working with children since 2019. Ms. Lauren’s favorite children’s book is “The Giving Tree.” In her free time, Ms. Lauren enjoys going on runs with her dog and reading. Ms. Lauren loves being around kids and guiding them which is what drove her to work in early childhood.

Ms. Madhavi is one of our assistant teachers. She has her Bachelor's of Arts in Telugu, history and political science from Sri Krishnadevaraya University in India. Ms. Madhavi has also completed her Telugu Pandit Teacher training. She has worked with children since 2000 and taught high school students for 5 years. Ms. Madhavi has had the opportunity to live in different cities in India, London UK and in the U.S. This has helped her understand different cultures and appreciate them. Ms. Madhavi was awarded twice as best teacher during her early years of teaching in India. In her free time, Ms. Madhavi enjoys cooking, decorating her home, and painting. Ms. Madhavi chose to work in the early childhood field because she is a trained teacher and has a passion for working with younger children.

Ms. Makala is one of our assistant teachers. She is currently completing her bachelor's in secondary education at Eastern Michigan University. Ms. Makala has been working with children since 2013. Ms. Makala coaches rowing for Northville High School and has competed nationally and internationally. Her favorite children's book is "The Rainbow Fish" by Marcus Pfister. In her free time, Ms. Makala enjoys reading, writing, biking, kayaking, and hiking. Ms. Makala is interested in developmental psychology and how influences of early experiences from home and school can shape a child's mind and personality. She wants to make an impact and have a positive influence with every child she works with.

Ms. Maddy is one of our assistant teachers. She has been working with children since 2016. Ms. Maddy has plans to attend school to become an ultrasound tech. In her free time, Ms. Maddy enjoys playing volleyball and doing hair. When she was younger, Ms. Maddy always wanted to become a teacher. She realized how much she loved working with the younger children and helping them learn.

Ms. Sara is one of our assistant teachers. She is attending Eastern Michigan University and has been working with children since 2017. She has worked with children from three months to five years of age. Ms. Sara also has experience working with older teens. Her favorite children's book is The Very Hungry Caterpillar. In her free time, Ms. Sara enjoys listening to live music. She also loves to travel. Ms. Sara has a passion for young children and is warmed knowing she can be a part of their development.

Ms. Surekha is one of our assistant teachers. She has her Bachelor's of Education in Teacher Training. Ms. Surekha has been working with children since 2007 and was a science teacher in India for 3 years. Ms. Surekha's favorite children's book is "Brown Bear Brown Bear." In her free time, Ms. Surekha enjoys cooking and spending time with her children. Ms. Surekha went into Early Childhood because of the joy the young children bring her.

Ms. Raven is one of our assistant teachers. She was a nanny for two years and has two boys of her own. Ms. Raven has been working with children since 2016. Ms. Raven loves There Was an Old Lady children’s books. In her free time, Ms. Raven loves spending time with her children and riding bikes. Ms. Raven enjoys working with children. She loves watching them grow and seeing who they become.