Our Teachers

Hello, I’m Jim Freda, owner of The Goddard School in Sparta for over 20 amazing years. Along with my wife Marianne and our son Gavin, we are committed to creating a nurturing and safe environment where every child can thrive. Although I graduated from Kean University with a degree in Management Science, I’ve found my true passion in early childhood education. Each day at The Goddard School is a reminder of the privilege it is to contribute to the growth and development of young minds. As an owner, I take the responsibility of caring for your child very seriously. You can trust that we provide a high standard of care and education, treating each child with the respect, compassion, and attention they deserve. I look forward to partnering with you in supporting your child’s early learning journey.

Miss Terri is a Graduate of William Paterson University. She has been working for The Goddard School corporation for 16 years. We are very proud to say that Terri has been our Educational Director since September 2014. She brings a lot of energy and pride to our school, and we are very excited to have her on board.

Miss Sara has joined our team in February 2018. She was our Year to Grow Teacher and Staff Support Administrator. She recently has taken the new role as the Assistant Director. She has worked in public school and in the childcare setting for over 10 years! In her free time, she enjoys exploring new places and does photography on the side. We are excited that she is part of our administrative team!

Miss Liz has been working at Goddard since 2012. She has a degree in Baking and Pastry from Atlantic Community College and her Child Development Assessment. Her favorite part about working with the babies is being able to watch them grow and development at each stage. She loves bonding with all of the babies and finger painting with them. She loves to read "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" and "Are You My Mother?". In her free time Liz enjoys spending time with her husband, her daughters Aubree and Lily, and her son Donato.

Miss Riley joined our infant program in September 2022. She is very much enjoying all things 'baby'! In her free time, she enjoys crocheting and playing with her pups! She loves making art with the babies and playing with the tunnel! Her favorite story as a child was "The Very Hungry Caterpillar". She loves the ending when the caterpillar finally grew and turned into a beautiful butterfly!

Miss Melissa has been working here since September of 2021. She has worked with many different ages but found infants as her homebase. She loves being able to play and care for infants and enjoys being a huge part of their growth and development. She loves reading to the children and her favorite books are the Llama Llama books. Miss Melissa in her free time loves shopping or spending time with her family!

Miss Becky started out as one of our Staff Support teachers and has now found a home in one of our Toddler classrooms. She received her bachelor's degree in art history back in May 2023. She loves all things knitting, crocheting, and art! Her favorite part about working with children is being able to see a concept or an idea instantly click in their head. "I love being able to show my nurturing side and making special connections".

Miss Serina began working for us in September of 2022 and we are so happy she did! She does a great job transitioning the children and getting them acclimated to her classroom. She has her associate degree and plans on going back to school to finish her bachelors in the near future. Miss Serina's favorite part about working with children in watching them grow. She says she feels "so proud when she sees her old students and how much they continue to accomplish". And she definitely has a sweet tooth for candy!

Miss Alex is our big ball of happiness. Not a day goes by that she isn't smiling and exuding her fun-loving personality into her classroom. She loves seeing the children progress and grow together. Miss Alex is currently in the process of completing her Child Development Assessment, and she can't wait to use these new tools in her classroom. In her free time, she loves sewing and taking long walks.

Miss Ashley is our "mom" of the class, any craft or activity you'll find her wearing her apron! Her favorite part about working with children is being able to watch them grow, experience new things and learn. Miss Ashley loves sour Skittles with a big glass of peach tea! In her free time, she enjoys doing arts and craft activities with her daughter Allison.

Miss Kelly is not new to the childcare world as she has been teaching for over five years! She loves working with this age group because the children are all learning how to talk more and express themselves. She loves all things coffee and Disney! Miss Kelly loves doing art activities with her class and small group activities so that she can work and play more closely with the children. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family and her daughter!

Mr. Tom joined our Before and After Care team originally back in 2022. He has decided to take on the challenge of the main building classrooms. Tom has become accustomed to all rooms and helps everyone out when needed. He is a big lover of Halloween and horror films. His favorite part about working with children is that it is never a slow day!

Miss Brandy is our longest reigning teacher here at The Goddard School. She loves teaching children so much that she has been here since 2005, can you believe that?! She is local to the Sparta community, with three children of her own. She loves watching her students grow and having that 'Ah-Ha' moment. She loves reading stories the children bring from home, "this is such a special moment that brings our class together". Miss Brandy could not imagine having any other career other than teaching.

Miss Brittney joined our Goddard team just in time for the 2023 school year. She was recently a town dispatcher but is not new to the childcare world as she has over 5 years experience. She has a son of her own who she loves doing outside activities with. Miss Brittney has her associate degree in early childhood education as well. She loves watching her students learn new skills independently and together with their peers. In her spare time, she enjoys going on spontaneous adventures.

Welcome Miss Rachel! When she started here, she assisted in our Pre-K program, but now is starting out strong as one of our Lead Preschool teachers. She has her Child Development Assessment credentials as well. Her favorite story to read to her class is "The Giving Tree". She believes it shows that love is so deep that it can endure even the most difficult challenges. She loves all things that involve being creative and sunflowers.

Miss Elia has been our afternoon Preschool Assistant since 2019. She works at the local Ogdensburg Elementary School as a Paraprofessional. Miss Elia loves gardening in her free time and doing musical activities and reading with the children. Her favorite story to read with the children is 'Rainbow Fish', "It's great to see the children learn to share and seeing the satisfaction when they make others happy".

Miss. Kaitlyn absolutely loves working with children. She has her associates in Early Childhood Education and is completing her Bachelor’s in Education as well. She has over 5 years’ experience teaching children and thoroughly enjoys encouraging her class to get messy with paint and arts and crafts. She is such a great asset, and we are so lucky to have her be a part of our team!

We are so happy to have Miss Haley as a part of our school! She has worked with all ages and has been fitting in great with our preschool team and now taking on the role of Pre-K assistant. In her free time, she loves baking sweets and watching sports on tv! Haley loves being able to provide her students with love during the day. "I like showing my class that you can never be too big or old to have fun and be silly"!

Miss Julianna is new to Goddard as of Spring 2022 where she took on the role as the Year to Grow teacher! Miss Julianna is local to the Sparta community with two children of her own. She is in the process of completing her Child Development Associates. Julianna loves doing science experiments with her class and seeing their reactions! She welcomes all children to explore and challenge themselves, mistakes are not to be ashamed of but celebrated. In her free time, she enjoys being a 'couch potato' watching Harry Potter!

Miss Leigh joined our team in the Summer of 2021 in Pre-K. In her free time, she enjoys attending concerts. Miss Leigh loves teaching and encouraging her students to learn new things. Her favorite part about working with children is being able to build a strong bond and make a positive impact on their lives. Her favorite child's story is 'Edward the Emu', Edward tries to be like every other animal at the zoo but eventually realizes that being himself is the best thing after all! She is also just a little bit Disney obsessed!

Miss Sarah Rome has been working at the Goddard School since September 2016. She has been a Lead in Bridge and has transitioned to the Pre-K realm. Miss Rome has her bachelor's in family and child studies. She is newly married with three fur-babies and a beautiful daughter. Sarah says her favorite part about working with children is being able to have the ability to explore the world with young eyes. "I love watching that light bulb moment when my students learn something new".

Miss Wendy is no stranger to childcare as she has been in this business for over 20 years! She joined our team back in 2019 and has experience with all ages from infants to pre-k. Miss Wendy loves a good bowl of penne vodka and a cup of hot coco! She says her favorite part about working with children is how imaginative they are! “Green Eggs and Ham is my favorite story to read to the kids because Sam was so patient with his friend, and that we should always try new things”!

Miss. Ella has been a great asset to Goddard! She is one of our school floaters. But mainly in our infant rooms. She loves hockey and enjoys a nice cup of Starbucks!

Miss Kirsty loves her babies. She has been working here since September 2016. Her love for children shows in her work. She is such a great asset to our school and has made so many impressions on the children to create a great foundation for learning.

Miss Amanda joined the Goddard team in April of 2024 as a Floater and moved to Room 7 as the Lead Bridge Teacher. She has worked in childcare for over 10 years, starting as a babysitter, then working as a nanny for a family. She is now excited to be a lead teacher at The Goddard School. Miss Amanda is really passionate about letting the children express their creativeness in the classroom. Miss Amanda's favorite book to read to her class is Birdies Halloween and Olivia Pig books!