Our Teachers

A graduate of Columbia University’s Teachers College and The Pingry School where also she taught English, leadership, and mindfulness for ten years, Laura's vision is that "the classroom should simultaneously prepare our children for the world and make the world better." To serve this mission, in Millburn and Maplewood Goddard Schools, “we help our children become strong, empathetic communicators who thrive in diverse communities.” While many may overlook the importance of the first five years, Laura understands that this is the critical time when we establish the foundation and trajectory of a person’s whole life. In fact, "moment for moment there is no bigger impact we can make on a person's life, and the world, than the first few years" says Laura. "Goddard Millburn is not just a daycare, we are a school that seeks to transform the world, one child at a time." Laura is the mother of five young daughters and cares for all children as her own.

Lily Chang comes to Goddard with extensive experience both as a classroom teacher and a school administrator, most recently as Principal of Early Years at Changchun American International School. With an Ed.D. in Education Leadership and a Masters in Early Childhood Education, Dr. Lily has spent her career working at International Schools around the globe which also use a Reggio-Emilia inspired approach using projects and problems to engage children in meaningful learning. Having lived and worked at international schools in Taiwan, South Korea, the United Arab Emirates, Chile, and China, she has held various roles such as classroom teacher, literacy coach, curriculum developer, and school accreditation evaluator. Dr. Lily speaks both Mandarin and English.

As the School Director of Goddard Millburn, Ms. Samantha is an experienced and proven leader who is passionate about early childhood education. When asked about why she loves working in the field of Early Childhood, Ms. Samantha reflects that “all children deserve a healthy and safe space to learn, grow and thrive. Each child deserves the same opportunities to learn, and each child may need different resources to reach their potential. I believe in equity and mindfulness, meeting kids where they are and giving them everything they need to thrive.” A strong advocate for children, Ms. Samantha is also experienced and skilled with training, inspiring and motivating faculty. In addition to being our School Director, Ms. Samantha is an Educational Trainer for NJAEYC (New Jersey Association of the Education of Young Children). A few of her most recent trainings include “Cultivating Diversity,” “Contributing to a Team in a Positive Way,” “Leading a Leader,” “The Leader in You,” and genera

Ms. Samantha, our Assistant Director of Education, has a Bachelors in Early Childhood Education with a Bilingual Extension, and she is a native speaker of both Spanish and English. With nearly a decade of experience both in School Administration and Teaching, Ms. Samantha mentors, coaches, and supports our teachers in the classroom. Additionally, Ms. Samantha supports the implementation of our Wonder of Learning Curriculum, Reading Program, World-Language Program, and Seasonal and Cultural Celebrations Curriculum and Events.

Ms. Nicole, our Assistant Director of Operations, has more than a decade of experience as a School Administrator and Teacher, both at the elementary and preschool levels. With a Bachelors of Science in Elementary Education she holds several teaching certifications. At our School, Ms. Nicole serves a key leadership role in supporting the daily operations of our school which can include supporting teachers in the classroom, conducting Health & Safety checks, organizing fun faculty events, and communicating with families.

Ms. Jian is a Lead Mandarin Teacher in our Pre-Kindergarten classroom. With more than a decade of prior teaching experience, Ms. Jian believes that a strong, loving bond between the teacher and child is the best foundation for helping young learners thrive. She recognizes the primary importance of the development of children’s social emotional skills, and she also believes that fostering imagination and creativity is critical at this age. Ms. Jian uses theatrical performance, singing, and games to support student learning. Ms. Jian feels so happy to be at The Goddard School where she believes that her work makes a huge impact!

Ms. Katherine has been teaching in educational childcare for more than fifteen years with children of all ages - infant, toddler, preschool and prekindergarten. She earned her bachelor's in Education from Universidad Inca Garcilaso de la Vega and her certification in Early Childhood Education from University of Maryland, College Park. When asked what energizes her most about teaching in the toddler program at The Goddard School she states: “I love to connect with students and watch them grow into great people. I get excited about making a difference in their lives every day.” Ms. Katherine believes that “teaching kids to count is fine, but teaching them what counts is best!” (Bob, Talbert). Being able to continue her passion at The Goddard School of Millburn motivates her to be the best toddler teacher she can be!

Ms. Kristen, a Lead English Teacher in our Pre-School program, joined Goddard Millburn’s faculty in our opening year. Having worked in early childhood education for almost twenty years, six of which she served as Director of another New Jersey Goddard School, Ms. Kristen holds a bachelor’s degree in History with an Elementary Education Certification from William Paterson University. When asked about why she loves our Wonder of Learning Curriculum, Ms. Kristen says that “it gives the children an opportunity to question and explore so many different topics.” Her favorite time of the day is Learning Lab because she gets to watch children process things they’ve learned and apply them in new ways. In terms of why she loves Goddard Millburn, Ms. Kristen says, ‘this is a unique school that has given me the opportunity to grown and learn along with the children.”

Ms. Sara, a Lead Mandarin Teacher in our Infant and Toddler program, has about ten years of experience and a Bachelors of Arts. A native Mandarin speaker, Ms. Sara's affability and warmth allow her to connect with children of all ages: infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. Ms. Sara believes that children learn best when they feel safe and loved. She is excited to be a faculty member at Goddard Millburn!

With more than twenty years of experience and a native Spanish speaker, Ms. Rocio, a Lead Spanish Teacher in our Pre-School Program, is an outstanding addition to our Goddard School faculty. With a Master’s of Education, and a Bachelor’s in Special Education, Ms. Rocio loves to create game-based learning for her students. She believes children should engage in hands-on learning with a play-based approach to learn best. In terms of our Wonder of Learning Curriculum, she says “it provides many opportunities for children’s natural curiosity to manifest.” Her favorite thing to do is interact with students which happens all day in different ways – Large Group, Small Group, Learning Centers, Meals and Playground. The Learning Centers allow her to observe students more closely, listen to their open-ended questions, model and extend learning. Finally, Ms. Rocio encourages her students not to be afraid of making mistakes because failing it is a part of the learning process.

Ms. Alex, a Lead English Teacher in our infant program, comes to Goddard with a degree in Early Childhood Education and Liberal Arts. With more than a decade of experience working with young children, Ms. Alex is “more than a teacher” and her “children think the world of her.” A loving, hardworking, talented teacher who goes above and beyond on a consistent basis, Ms. Alex builds strong relationships with her children. When asked about whys she loves our Wonder of Learning Curriculum, Ms. Alex says because it really is setting a foundation for life-long learning. “When I look around the classroom, I see children using their imagination, exploring materials, and trying new things.” Her favorite part of the classroom is the Evidence of Learning Boards where we display student work, step-by-step photographs which show their process and an explanation regarding how the project is connected to key developmental goals.

Ms. Venice, a Lead English Teacher in our Toddler program, has been with Goddard Millburn for several years. Holding a Bachelor’s degree from Montclair State University, and a passion for early childhood care, Ms. Venice is acquainted with designing lesson plans that engage children and help them learn through play. When asked about her favorite time of day, Ms. Venice mentions that “lunch time provides students with the opportunity to interact with each other in a different way. I love seeing my children use their communication skills and talk about things that interest them.” In terms of what she loves about working at Goddard Millburn, she says “this School is like my family. Our administration supports faculty and makes sure we have all the things we need to achieve success. The school is not only well-maintained, it is also a safe place for children and faculty.”

Ms. Viviana comes to Goddard with more than twenty-years of formal teaching in early-childhood education, a Child Development Associate Certification and experience raising her own four children. As a teacher in our infant program, Ms. Viviana partners with teachers to build and implement lesson plans which achieve classroom objectives. Ms. Viviana believes it's important to support student learning in small groups and on an individual basis during independent exploration. When asked about her educational philosophy, Ms. Viviana explains that, "children are active, creative, and wonderfully curious, and they are unhappy if they remain unchallenged." Ms. Viviana loves the magical moment when children understand something for the first time. She encourages all children to reach their potential by infusing her classroom with love, patience and enthusiasm.

Ms. Christine is a Lead English Teacher in our Infant program who comes to Goddard with a degree in Nursing and experience working in Early Childhood Education and care. When asked to describe her philosophy of teaching, Ms. Christine encourages us to “take the time to listen. To observe. To Understand. Patience is a virtue. It is only when we do these things that we can provide the best help for a child.” She sees working in Early-Childhood Education as an “amazing gift” because she feels that she is making an important contribution to the world by raising future leaders. When asked about why she loves our Wonder of Learning Curriculum, Ms. Christine says that it encourages our babies to use their natural curiosity. “I am always amazed by how much I learn while observing their process of exploration and discovery.”

A Lead Spanish Teacher in our Pre-Kindergarten program, Ms. Murial has a Masters in Teaching and more than a decade of experience teaching and working with children. When asked about her philosophy of teaching, Ms. Muriel says that “children must be active in their learning” and “that if a child enjoys her activities, she will learn easily and love learning.” Regarding our Wonder of Learning Curriculum, Ms. Muriel explains that she enjoys watching students lead the activities using their innate curiosity and sense of imagination. The high-quality, intentional materials are designed to allow for meaningful exploration and learning. I love working at Goddard Millburn because of the people around me – both students and faculty. I am always learning something new which keeps my experience as a teacher exciting and interesting."

Ms. Jojo, a passionate and experienced teacher, is a Mandarin teacher in our Pre-School program. Ms. Jojo is an extremely warm and empathetic person, who easily builds trust and strong relationships. Smart, engaged, hard-working, collaborative and active, Ms. Jojo crafts hands-on learning experiences through which students learn while having fun. A mother herself, Ms. Jojo balances all aspects of teaching young children with grace and ease. She focuses on supporting students through their social-emotional development, while challenging them with new and interesting tasks that build important school-ready and life-ready skills.

Ms. Christa is our Part-Time Teaching Assistant at all levels – infant, toddler and pre-school -- who is passionate about making a meaningful contribution with her life. At Goddard Millburn, she is a resourceful and collaborative team player, who is relied upon for her dependable helping hand. Excellent at connecting with children on their level, communicating and empathizing, Ms. Christa is a warm and nurturing guide for our students.

Ms. Maggie comes to Goddard Millburn with a Masters in Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language. With a decade of experience, Ms. Maggie works as a Mandarin Lead Teacher in our Pre-School program. Inspired as a young child by her mother who was a math teacher in Taiwan, Ms. Maggie believes early-childhood education is a nurturing profession. When asked about why she loves our Wonder of Learning Curriculum, she says, “I have noticed that each weekly unit builds upon the previous. Children naturally make connections among the units and deepen their knowledge and skills in this reflective process.” Her favorite time of day of Large Group Gathering, because it provides an opportunity to students to share their thoughts and experiences with peers, building the environment where students can develop crucial social-emotional skills. It also offers numerous opportunities for language development and gives students the opportunity to showcase their abilities and achievements.

A Lead English Teacher in our Pre-School classroom, Melissa-Ann comes to Goddard with a passion for teaching. Warm, patient, loving, and strong, Melissa-Ann is a nurturing teacher who understands how to communicate with young children and build strong relationships. Having worked for the Newark Museum of Art, she is familiar with creating hands-on, learning experiences for young children. When asked about what she loves about teaching, Melissa-Ann talks about the important connections children make between what they learn in the classroom and the outside world, “It is so exciting to see the impact that I helped make on them!” Melissa-Ann resonates with Goddard Millburn’s mission because she says that teaching empathy is the core of her work as a classroom teacher.

Ms. Nicolle, a Lead Spanish Teacher in our Pre-Kindergarten Program, has experience working with children from birth through school-age. Earning her Associates Degree in Education, Ms. Nicolle says, “I always wanted to be a teacher since I was a little girl. When asked about her favorite area of the classroom, Ms. Nicolle identifies the Sight Word Wall because it makes students feel proud of their emerging reading skills. She believes the role of a teacher is to "help every child believe in themselves and their capacity to overcome challenges." She wants her students to feel comfortable making mistakes, "Making mistakes is part of the learning process, and we cannot learn as long as we are afraid to make mistakes." "I want my students to have confidence in themselves as they learn new things (including Spanish!), so they can share their light with the world!"

Ms. Sydney is a Lead English in our Pre-Kindergarten program who has a passion for teaching and supporting young students to set the foundation for their future success. When asked about why she loves our Wonder of Learning Curriculum, she says “it is amazing to see children really learning through play-based activities. We use open-ended questions that empower children to use their natural curiosity as they communicate with each other to solve problems!” A warm, nurturing, and approachable teacher, Ms. Sydney quickly establishes strong relationships with students and families. Her patience, empathy, and clear communication foster a classroom atmosphere in which all students feel safe and loved. When asked about what makes a teacher great, she identifies “compassion” as a key quality. Redirecting students, empowering them with self-regulation skills, providing them with personal time to reflect, and validating their feelings are all important aspects of her work with students.

Ms. Luisa is a Lead Spanish Teacher in our Infant Program who has experiences with children of all ages. Earning a BA in Psychology, Ms. Luisa has always been interested in understanding more about what makes people happy, how they learn, and how she can help them. She says, “For me, contributing to start of their great journey as human beings, is awe-inspiring. I love seeing how step-by-step the traits that form their personality, tastes and talents develop. When asked why she loves our Wonder of Learning Curriculum, she says, “the curriculum has shown me how I can mindfully help our children develop socially-emotionally and what developmental goals I should have in mind. I’ve observed that by babies exploring together, they stimulate each other. Each one finds a different way to do the same thing, and they amaze each other with their achievements. Ms. Luisa mentions that she loves small groups and one-on-one interactions, and the fact that we have different areas of learning.

Ms. Edwina is a Lead English Teacher in our Toddlers program, and she comes to Goddard with a passion for Early Childhood Education. With a Masters of Economics, Ms. Edwina returned to teaching because she is passionate about child development and has the desire to make a positive impact on the world. As a native English and French speaker, she is particularly interested in Goddard Millburn’s multilingual approach and its focus on global and cultural education. In her classroom, Ms. Edwina focuses on communicating clearly with her students and setting a warm and nurturing atmosphere in which all students feel safe and loved. In lesson planning, Ms. Edwina is creative and detail orientated. She collaborates with her colleagues to create intentional, play-based learning experiences for her children, so that they are having fun while learning all-day long.

Ms. Karen, a Lead Spanish Teacher in our Pre-Kindergarten program, speaks English, Spanish, and Mandarin. Before coming to Goddard, Ms. Karen taught children of all ages both in China and the United States. With a Bachelors in Industrial Engineering, Ms. Karen always focused on Early Childhood Education because she understands there is no better time to make a positive impact on a person’s life. In her classroom, Ms. Karen loves to help children learn that actions have consequences, both in the classroom and in life. Collaborating with her colleagues, she enjoys creating wholistic, play-based experiences in which children learn about many things (math, social studies, language, literacy) as they work in groups to complete projects. When asked about her favorite area of the classroom, Ms. Karen talks about the Sticker Chart and Community Jar; she says,“it is rewarding to encourage children to be their best for themselves and their community.”

Ms. Maria is a Lead Spanish Teacher in our Pre-School Program. Studying Early Childhood Education in Bogota, Colombia, Ms. Maria’s coursework was interdisciplinary, bringing together theory and practice in a bilingual setting. Ms. Maria is passionate about Early Childhood Education because she hopes to positively impact our children and the world. For example, in her classroom, she likes to have children work on playful projects that help them develop problem-solving and communication skills that help them in life. When asked about her favorite area of the classroom, Ms. Maria identified our Evidence of Learning Boards. “When children see their projects up on the wall, and photos of them and their friends completing various steps, it generates a sense of belonging and pride and they feel happy with themselves.”

A Lead Spanish Teacher in our infant program, Ms. Alba is a nurturing, creative and patient caregiver who plans fun and engaging activities for our babies. Throughout the day, you can see her playing, singing and talking with children at their level, collaborating with her colleagues to create another eye-catching display, and organizing materials to keep the classroom clean. When asked what she loves about our Wonder of Learning Curriculum, Ms. Alba says that the Reggio-inspired lessons foster the children’s natural curiosity and encourage them to explore even further. Her favorite time of day with the children is during small groups at the Science Center where she often helps children with social emotional skills such as self-awareness and good decision making.

Ms. Verushka is a Lead Spanish Teacher in our Pre-School program with experience both as a classroom teacher and an educational psychologist. When asked about her goal as a teacher, Ms. Verushka says that she "wants to make a lifelong mark on her students and be the teacher who looks and listen in addition to teaching." Her favorite time of day is small-group work because it provides her with the opportunity to give children even more personalized attention. With regard to our Wonder of Learning Curriculum, Ms. Verushka celebrates that it is "dynamic and versatile, and can be adapted to each child." Also she sees that her students have greater autonomy and self-confidence as a result of the Reggio-inspire approach and engaging lessons. Ms. Verushka is a nurturing and inspired teacher who loves working at The Goddard School of Millburn.

A native Spanish speaker and Assistant Teacher in our Pre-School Summer program, Ms. Rianna is earning her BA in Education from TCNJ. Having years of experience working with young children, Ms. Rianna loves working with students and helping them grow. In particular, early childhood education fascinates her because the children exude excitement, curiosity, and eagerness to learn about the world. A teacher serves a critical role as a guide, mentor and friend and she must build strong relationships as she establishes a safe, loving, nurturing, fun, dynamic and engaging classroom. When asked about what she hopes to accomplish with her students, Ms. Rianna says that she “wants to build strong relationships with her children and among her children, through which they learn to communicate and empathize and be good people.”

Ms. Alina, an Assistant English Teacher in our Infant & Toddler program, is a dynamic and affectionate teacher who loves building close relationships with her students. She is bilingual (Albanian and English), has a Bachelors degree, and several years experience working with young children. Engaging students in literacy, art, gross-motor, musical and world-language activities, so they can have fun while learning, is something that she loves about working at Goddard Millburn. When asked about the importance of being a teacher, Ms. Alina focuses on fundamental social emotional skills such as self-awareness and communication. Using books and activities from our Life Lesson Library, Ms. Alina knows that she is helping students develop critical skills that will impact their ability to express themselves in important ways.

An Assistant Resource English Teacher, Ms. Linda admires children’s energy and curiosity which leads them to see magical moments every day. “Working with children is inspiring because they teach us how to relook at the world in a fresh way” she says. Prior to joining Goddard, Ms. Linda worked with young children for several years. At Goddard Millburn, Ms. Linda enjoys supporting teachers in implementing the Wonder of Learning Curriculum, particularly when children are at problem-solving centers. “Of course, one our most important jobs is to help inspire children to think for themselves as they face problems, both in school and their lives.” When asked about her favorite area of the classroom, Ms. Linda focuses on the library center because children are able to choose books, engage in a picture walk alone or with friends, and enjoy reading with a teacher.