Our Goddard School Teachers

As a mother of two my choices are very personal. Both of my daughters have graduated from Goddard and are now in school. There's an amazing amount of trust extended when you choose a school, and I am passionate about the quality of the experience your child receives. I constantly verify that the teachers attitudes and skills exceed your expectations. We are your child's first school and set the tone for their future love of learning, and take that quest personally. Lea has a BA of Fine Arts degree from UNC-Charlotte and received her Director Level 3 Certification in Early Childhood shortly after. Lea has been involved in Early Childhood Education since 2000, both as a Teacher and Director. Lea has owned the Goddard School in Cary since 2016.

Hi! My name is Karen. I am the Educational Director. I have been employed with The Goddard School since 2017. I started out as an Assistant teacher and quickly moved to lead teacher. A few year later I was promoted to Assistant Director. I maintained this position for a little over a year and then was promoted to Educational Director. I hold a bachelor's degree in Recreation and Leisure studies. I also continued my education in Early Childhood and with that I became a level 3 director. I always pride myself on taking the time to get to know every family and child in our school. Building relationships and gaining the trust from families and children is my first priority. My hobbies include walking, reading, and spending time with my family. I also love a good football game! Go Titans!!! My favorite children's book is "Are you my mother?"

Hi! My name is Monica, and I am the Assistant Director here at The Goddard of Cary. I have a completed Associate's degree in Early Childhood Education making me a level 2 administrator in North Carolina. I am also Certified by the North Carolina Institute for Child Development Professionals. I have been working in Early Childhood Education since 1999. I have have been with Goddard of Cary since 2001. My favorite children's book is, "The Giving Tree" by: Shel Silverstein. I love this book because it teaches about unconditional love and giving. In my free time, I really enjoy spending time with friends and family. I am also a foodie and love to experience food from all over the world.

Hi! My name is Sheleka. I am very happy to be a part of the leadership team here at The Goddard School-Cary. I am the Assistant Director. I started a career in Early Childhood Education over 12 years ago. I hold a BS in Child and Adolescent Psychology and completing my MS in Applied Behavior Analysis. I have a wonderful son that is 13 years old and I am a dog mom to a beautiful Staffordshire American Red Nose Pitbull. I love being a mom. Building positive relationships and gaining trust from children has always been my #1goal in the community. My hobbies consist of hiking, spending time with family and friends, traveling the world with my son, going to the best restaurants and watching movies on my down time. My favorite children's book is "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" by Eric Carle. My favorite quote is "When children feel safe, they grow. When they feel loved, they thrive."

Hi, my name is Dimpy. I recently moved to the USA from India. I have more than 15 years of experience in teaching. It is awesome working with children. I always enjoy spending time with them. I have a completed Bachelor's degree in Education as well as a Master's in English. My favorite things to do are listen to music and cooking.

Hello, My name is Yazmin. I am originally from Wisconsin and have resided in North Carolina for quite some time now. I have a bachelors degree in Early childhood education from the University of Wisconsin Green Bay. I have experience working in childcare with infants and really enjoy them. During my free time I enjoy relaxing activities such as Arts & crafts , walking in nature and reading. My favorite children's book is "The giving tree".

I am originally from Colombia, and my native language is Spanish. I began working in certified childcare centers in 2017, and over the years I have had the opportunity to work in three different states. Across all of these experiences, one thing has remained the same: my passion for helping children grow, learn, and build confidence. Seeing children explore the world and learn through what we teach them is one of the most rewarding parts of my career. In my free time, I enjoy cooking, traveling, and discovering new places.

Hi! My name is Alisha. I am an assistant teacher in the Infant B classroom. I consider myself to be a loving, caring, and funny person. I really enjoy bringing in my positive attitude to the children and creating a positive learning environment. I love children! I do not have any children of my own, but I do have 10 siblings! I also have 4 dogs. I have worked in the preschool industry for 7 years with all ages. I have a completed AAS Degree in Early Childhood Education a well as an AAS in Hospitality and tourism. My favorite things to do include traveling, watching movies, go shopping, and spending time with my friends and family. My favorite children's books are "The Rainbow Fish", "Corduroy", "The Bad Case of Stripes", and "The Day the Crayons Quit".

Hi My name is Shali , I have been in North Carolina for two years with my five year old daughter and our dog "siaria". I have experience working with children under the age of 4 in various childcare settings. I have a bachelors degree of Engineering in electronics and communication that I received from India. I enjoy working with children and learning new things together. My favorite children's books are "My first strawberry" & "The Little Monkey".

Hi, I'm Sushma! I’m very excited to be a part of this wonderful learning environment. I have always enjoyed being around children and have experience helping and engaging with them through various activities and learning programs. I hold a bachelor’s degree in Education with a focus on the Hindi language. In my free time, I love spending time in nature, reading books, and cooking. The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle is my favorite children's book—its simple yet meaningful story has always inspired me. I look forward to learning and growing with all of you!

Hello, my name is Ms. Diedre and I am the Lead Toddler B teacher. I recently relocated from Davie, Florida. I have over 12 years of experience with children. My passion is to create art that can be used for therapeutic imagination. I believe that children should be given the ability to become independent by setting limits with praise. In recent past, I’ve taken a teacher substitute class at Miami Dade Community College in Miami, Florida. To add, I am currently taking classes to obtain my Early Childhood Education degree. I love being surrounded around children because of their curiosity, imagination, and creativity. My focus is to provide a fun and educational interaction to keep a child engaged and develop an eagerness to learn. My favorite children’s book is “Love You Forever” written by Robert Munsch. I enjoy outdoor activities, the theatre, yoga, baking healthy snacks, listening to music, and dancing

Hi, my name is Kayla. I am originally from Bronx, New York. I moved to NC when I was 8. I have a big family that consists of 6 girls in total. Since I was 10 I have babysat an loved working with children. For the past 4 years I cared for my younger sister daily while my parents worked. I am currently attending Wake Tech and majoring in Early Childhood Education. I am excited to continue to strengthen and grow in my Early Childhood skills. My hobbies include cleaning, cooking, taking walks, photography, and spending time with my family. My favorite Children's book is "It's Okay to be Different" by: Todd Parr.

Hi! My name is Rhiannah. I am an auntie of an amazing nephew. I currently reside in Clayton to remain close to family and to remain a huge part of my nephew's life. I helped my mother run an in home childcare center for 10 years. I then moved on and worked in a Christian preschool for a while. After highschool, I attended one year of college, and plan to return this fall. I am super excited to be a part of The Goddard Family! My favorite thing to do is spend time with my nephew. I also love going out to eat with my friends. My favorite children's books include Pete the Cat, Dr. Seuss, and Brown Bear Brown Bear.

Hi! My name is Melissa, and I am the lead Bridge teacher. I am originally from the Dominican Republic. I have three daughters and one granddaughter. I have been a teacher for over 25 years with 9+ of those years being right here at Goddard. I have a bachelor's degree in psychology. I love to walk on the greenways in Cary and through the beautiful parks. I am a native Spanish speaker and really enjoy bringing a second language into the classrooms. I am also known as the "Potty Training Guru" here at Goddard. My favorite children's books are all of David Shannon's collections.

Hi, my name is Laurie. I have one child of my own whom is grown now. I have worked with children for 30 plus years. I am originally from Iowa, where I ran my own in home facility. I moved to NC to be closer to my daughter. I have an Associates Degree in Early Childhood Education. My favorite things to do are hiking, reading, and writing. My favorite children's books are "I will Always Love you", and "The Giving Tree". I love animals and nature and a good snow storm!

Hello, my name is Nancy. I have many years of experience working with young children, from infants to five-year-olds, and I truly love teaching and watching them grow. I’m originally from Brooklyn, New York, and have lived in Pennsylvania before settling in the beautiful countryside of North Carolina. In addition to my professional experience, I’ve also been a parent to children with special needs in the school system, which has deepened my understanding and compassion in working with families. I hold an associate’s degree in Early Childhood Education. In my free time, I enjoy arts and crafts, drawing, browsing flea markets, and singing karaoke. Two of my favorite children’s books are I Love You Forever by Robert Munsch and The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn.

Hi! My name is Ms. Daniela. I recently moved to North Carolina from NYC. I have a completed Bachelor's degree in international criminal justice and I have credits towards my Master's Degree in Early Childhood Education. I have been working with children for 7 years and I have found my passion with teaching. I am very creative and I really love to bring hands on, engaging, creative activites into the classroom for my students. I am dedicated to providing a positive learning environment for all students. Building relationships with families is very important to me and consistent communication is key!

Hi, my name is Jessica and I am a Navy brat. I lived in three different states growing up; Illinois, Mississippi, and Indiana. Indiana was my favorite state to live in because I had a chance to volunteer at the children's museum. I love to travel to different states and learn all about history. Growing up, I helped my mom work with children in her in home center which started my career in childcare. I then taught children at my church at Duke Chapel. I have 20 years of experience working with children. I have my Early Childhood credentials and am working towards completing my Early Childhood Degree. My favorite things to do include watching football (Go Oregon Ducks and Buffalo Bills!) I also love to paint, draw, and spend time with friends. My Favorite children's book is "The Giving Tree".

Hi! My name is Daniya and I am a preschool teacher here at The Goddard School. I have been working with children since 2020 and greatly enjoy shaping all of the children into little people that are kind, caring and love to have fun. I really love knowing all of the children in the school. I graduated with a bachelor's degree in psychology from William Peace University. I also plan to transfer afterwards to receive my master's degree at NC State University. I love to cook and do hair! My favorite children's books are The Very Hungry Caterpillar, The Very Impatient Caterpillar, and Chika Chika Boom Book.

Hi everyone! My name is Ayanna, and I have over four years of experience working with children of all age groups. I truly enjoy watching them laugh, grow, and smile—it’s such a rewarding experience. In my free time, I enjoy relaxing, spending time with loved ones, and just going with the flow. My favorite children’s book is Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle—such a classic!

Hi, my name is Lynda. I am married with two children. My son is Thomas and he is in the US Navy. My daughter is Melanie and she is attending NC State. Our family is from Montclaire, NJ. We have lived in NC for about 13 years. I have been working with children for over 30 years and it has truly been rewarding. Interacting with children is an amazing experience. I have a completed degree in early childhood education from Thomas A. Edison College and Union County College. I am recognized as a Developmental Child Specialist with the U.S Department of Labor. I also have participated in rigorous training in Early Childhood Education. I was recently nominated for Infant Teacher of the year. My favorite things to do include gathering with my family and friends. I love travel, hiking, photography, spa days, trying new restaurants and reading current events. My favorite children's books are "The Tiny Little Seed" and "Brown Bear Brown Bear What do you See?" by Eric Carle.

Hello, I'm Nashwa. I am married with one child. I have my bachelors degree in science of arts and currently taking early childhood education courses. During my free time I enjoy walking, dancing and cooking. My favorite type of children's books are Bed time stories.

Hi everyone , My name is Preeya. I have been working in childcare since 2021 with majority of my experience being with toddlers. My goal is for all children to learn to be kind hearted to others. I currently hold a bachelors degree in health science. During my free time I enjoy singing and dancing. I also love to watch movies in theatre and travel. I am fluent in three languages those being English , Bengali and Hindi. My favorite children's book is "Our skin" by Isabel Roseas.

Hi, My name is Lily. I love to read and have fun living life! I've gained experience working with children during an Early childhood education internship with my high school. My favorite children's book is "The giving tree".

Hello, I'm America. I was born and raised in Raleigh. From a young age, I worked with children and quickly discovered my passion for early childhood education. I'm currently continuing my education at a local community college. In my free time, I enjoy walking my dog, drawing, and exploring videography. My favorite children's book is The Rainbow Fish.

Hi! My name is Caroline. I started out as an assistant first steps teacher and then worked my way down to infants where I have found my passion! I previously taught Kindergarten in the Philippines and felt as though I found my love to work with and care for children. I have a completed degree in tourism and accounting. I am working on furthering my education in Early Childhood Education. Outside of work, I love to spend time with my family.

Hi! My name is Maleya. I have been around little ones most of my life. I am currently attending Wake Tech and working on my associates degree. My goal is to become a pediatric nurse. I am so happy to have the opportunity to teach and care for your little ones. I recently was a nanny for a family for two years. Before hand, I babysat and worked a seperate job at a skating rink teaching children to skate while keeping them safe and happy. In my free time I enjoy shopping, watching tv, and going to the beach! My favorite children's book is "The Very Hungry Caterpillar".

Hi! I am Maria and I work in the kitchen. My favorite part of my job is being able to form relationships with all of the children in our school. I also have the opportunity to work with different teachers. I am fluent in both English and Spanish. I have 8 children of my own ranging from 4 months to 18 years old. I am currently pursuing courses in Early Childhood Education to further my knowledge of the growth and development of preschool aged children. My favorite children's books are the Pete the Cat series.