Our Teachers

We are Paul and Julia Yontz, proud owners of the Goddard School on Executive Parkway. We have three young children enrolled at the school, making it very much a family business! As owners and parents, we value the importance of high-quality early childhood education. Paul graduated from Ohio University in 2010 with his Doctorate in Physical Therapy. He has always strived to become a small business owner and wanted to continue his career in a service-based field. Julia, also a graduate from Ohio University, has a business background and recently completed her Executive MBA at The Ohio State University. Our passion and mission are centered around the belief every child deserves the opportunity to learn, have fun, and develop life skills in a safe, nurturing environment.

Mrs. Cat is our Education Director here at the Goddard School. She is from Columbus and has lived here her entire life! She has been in childcare for over 5 years now and has her CDA in the Preschool age group. In her free time, she likes to play video games, go to the movies, and take her dogs on walks. She is a dog mom to two adorable pups named Silas and Blue who rule just about everything in her life. Her favorite color is pink and favorite food is Mexican food. She absolutely loves connecting with the kids and her fellow teachers. She believes the classroom and school environment are the best places to uplift and encourage kids, along with getting to experience their fun little personalities!

Ms. Melissa is our Assistant Director and has been working here at Goddard for 5 years. She attended the University of Rio Grande, where she was president of her sorority (Alpha Mu Beta), and on the All-Greek Council. She has two children who are 21(Shelby) and 15 (Sammy). If Ms. Melissa wasn’t in childcare, she would be a detective or a forensic anthropologist. In her free time, she enjoys anything related to BTS, spending time with her family and animals, watching or listening to true crime documentaries and podcasts, watching Anime, and listening to K-Pop. Ms. Melissa believes the best part about being in childcare is getting to know the children and watching them grow and develop into the amazing little people that they are becoming!

Ms. Jeannie is one of our infant teachers. She comes to Columbus, Ohio from the state of Iowa where she was born and raised. She has been with Goddard for 4 years and continues to be fond of being part of the Goddard family. Ms. Jeannie enjoys hiking in the mountains, traveling the world, and learning new things. Ms. Jeannie believes the best part about teaching is the bond and love she shares with the babies.

Ms. Penni is one of our infant teachers. Her hometown is Columbus, Ohio and she has been working at Goddard for five years. If she wasn’t a teacher, she would be an infant cuddler in the NICU at a hospital. Outside of work, Ms. Penni likes to read and craft. Ms. Penni believes the best part about teaching is she loves to see children learn new things and the excitement on their faces when they accomplish it.

Ms. Ann is from Athens, Ohio. She has been a teacher for many years. If she wasn't a teacher, she would still be a flight attendant. Her favorite color is periwinkle, and she has many favorite foods. Her hobbies include knitting, cooking, plants, and children! She has a sweet little Yorkie named Poppy, who is her pride and joy! Her favorite thing about teaching is watching them grow!

Ms. Keira is from Westerville, Ohio. If she wasn’t a teacher, she would be a dental hygienist. Her favorite color is light green, and her favorite foods are steak and shrimp fajitas. Her hobbies include going on bike rides, singing, and watching documentaries. She has a 12-year-old sister and an 8-year-old brother. Her favorite part about teaching is hearing all the funny and creative things that they say!

Ms. Melissa is our lead teacher in the Get Set classroom and was born and raised in Columbus, Ohio. If she wasn’t a teacher, she would work at a bakery. Her favorite restaurant is Texas Roadhouse and she enjoys playing video games, baking, crocheting, and watching scary movies. She also likes to go to the park, swim at the pool, and cook with her stepson. She has been teaching for about a year and her favorite thing about teaching is seeing how she gets to positively impact a child’s life and watching them explore the world in their own unique way.

Ms. Shelby is the lead teacher in our preschool 1 classroom. She is from Reynoldsburg, Ohio! She is in her second year of teaching. She has studied Psychology previously at Ohio University and currently at Columbus State Community College. Her favorite part about teaching is being able to aid kids in discovering and understanding the things and people around them. Her favorite color is red, favorite food Italian and her hobbies include makeup, playing video games, painting, watching movies, and a collector of Funko Pops and all things Marvel! Fun fact-she is Ms. Melissa's daughter!

Ms. Pam is one of our preschool teachers. She comes here from Arlington, Virginia and has been teaching for 20 years! If Ms. Pam wasn’t a teacher, she would be a chef. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, flower gardening, and residential interior design. Ms. Pam believes the best part about teaching is hearing all the fascinating stories that the children tell.

Ms. Barb is one of our Pre-K teachers. She has been at this location since April of 2005 and comes from Toledo, Ohio in 1995. She has three children herself, seven grandchildren, and one great grandchild. In her free time, Ms. Barb enjoys tent camping, making s’mores, spending time with family and her cats. Ms. Barb believes the best part about teaching is the smiles and hugs she receives from the children when helping them learn and achieve what they need for kindergarten.

Ms. Emily is one of our pre-K teachers. She was born and raised in Ohio. She has been with Goddard for 5 years and has taught in our infant classroom for a year. If she wasn’t a teacher, she would be a full-time student. In her free time, Ms. Emily likes to read and play video games. Ms. Emily believes the best part about teaching is watching children learn and grow from figuring out how to do things independently. She loves to do many art projects with the children as well.

Mr. Easton is from Westerville, Ohio. If he wasn’t a teacher, he would be a furniture salesman. His favorite color is blue, and his favorite food is ramen. His hobbies include watching football and basketball. His favorite thing about teaching is watching the kids grow and learn with us over time. Fun fact-Mr. Easton collects snow globes!

Ms. Tami is from Columbus, Ohio. If she wasn’t a teacher, she would open an arts and crafts store that is pet friendly on the beach. Her favorite colors are purple and ocean blue, her favorite place is the beach, and she loves all types of food! Her hobbies include arts and crafts and listening to live music. Bon Jovi is her all-time favorite, and she has seen him 29 times in concert! She has three grown adult children-2 daughters and a son. Her youngest daughter is getting married in December and she is very excited for the upcoming wedding! She also has a cat named Harley and a dog named Nugget. Her favorite part about teaching is getting to love all the beautiful babies.

Ms. Rebecca is one of our infant teachers, and this is her first year teaching! She is from Bucyrus, Ohio. Her favorite thing about teaching is watching the children learn, grow and experience new things! If she wasn’t a teacher, she would be a forensic psychologist. Her favorite colors are black, blue, purple and green. Her favorite foods are Mexican, Italian, and Chinese. In her free time, you can find her taking pictures, cleaning, organizing, volunteering and watching movies.

Ms. Vanessa was born in Spanish Town, Jamica but now calls Columbus, Ohio home! If she wasn’t a teacher, she would be a doula, a midwife, a foster mom or a judge. Her favorite color is yellow, and her favorite food is oxtail with rice and peas and a side of plantains. Her favorite dessert is ice cream and cheesecake. She also loves mangos, pineapple and June plums. Her hobbies include dancing and singing when no one’s around, reading, listening to music, coloring in coloring books, hiking, video games, binge watching anime, meditating, and collecting hot wheels. She has one fur baby named Ecko. Her family consists of her 7 siblings, her mom, her dad and her stepmom. Some of her other favorite things are highland cows, longhorns, baby goats, ducks and whale sharks! Her favorite thing about teaching is watching each kid blossom into their unique personality.

Ms. Ariel is from Columbus, Ohio. This is her first year of teaching. If she wasn’t a teacher, she would be a ballerina! Her favorite color is red, and her favorite food is ramen noodles. Her hobbies include writing music. She has two dogs named Damon and Mickey. Her favorite thing about teaching is helping children learn and making them laugh.

Ms. Miranda is from Houston, Texas and this is her first year of teaching. If she wasn’t a teacher, she would be an author or a marine biologist! Her favorite color is green, and her favorite foods are gumbo and BBQ. Her hobbies include video games, reading and cooking. She is married and has a Siamese cat named Sam and a 3-legged cat named Hugo. She also has 3 younger sisters ages 5, 7 and 16. Her favorite thing about teaching is being present while students learn about the world. Fun fact-she is currently writing her first novel in her spare time!

Ms. Bre is from Mansfield, Ohio. If she wasn't a teacher, she would be a paralegal. Her favorite color is pink, and her favorite food is street tacos. Her hobbies include reading, spending time with friends and family and watching and attending Ohio State football games. Her favorite thing about teaching is that she has a chance to help each child grow and develop into their own personalities. Fun fact about Ms. Bre is that she will be graduating from The Ohio State University next spring with her second college degree.

Ms. Cassie is from Delaware, Ohio. This is her first year of teaching! Her favorite color is sage green, and her favorite food is Goldfish. Her hobbies include gymnastics and drawing. She has 4 sisters, 2 cats and 2 dogs! Her favorite thing about teaching is seeing the children use their imagination, seeing all the amazing things they create and the hugs, of course!

Ms. Jasmine is from Columbus, Ohio. If she wasn’t a teacher, she would be a pediatric nurse. Her favorite color is pink, and her favorite food is chicken alfredo. Her hobbies include reading and writing. She has two brothers, one sister and one foster sibling. Her favorite part about teaching is watching her students learn and blossom into their full potential.

Ms. Jordan is from Obetz, Ohio. This is her first year of teaching! If she wasn't a teacher, she would be a nail tech. Her favorite color is blue, and her favorite food is chicken alfredo. Her hobbies include reading and building with Legos. She has a sister and 2 dogs named Ellie Mae and Noodles! Her favorite thing about teaching is watching the kids grow!

Ms. Linda was born and raised on a dairy farm in Sunbury, Ohio. She has been teaching for over 30 years in a variety of different roles. She has her Master's Degree in Early Childhood Education from The Ohio State University. If she wasn’t a teacher, she would be unemployed because teaching is all she has ever wanted to do! Her favorite color is blue, and her favorite foods are pizza and chocolate. Her hobbies include playing piano, reading and cross stitching. Her favorite thing about teaching is being immersed in the uniqueness and wonder of the childhood years.

Ms. Sarah is from Westerville, Ohio. Her favorite color is sage green, and her favorite food is macaroni and cheese. Her hobbies include reading and baking. Her favorite thing about teaching is seeing the kids' eyes light up when they learn something new, the funny faces they make, and the hugs! She has an older brother and a 5-year-old cat named Blu. Fun fact about Ms. Sarah is that she is a sophomore in college and currently majoring in primary education at The Ohio State University.

Ms. Sharon is one of our resource teachers. She has been teaching at our Goddard school for 7 years! She is a mother of three grown children and a grandma to one grandson. If Ms. Sharon wasn’t a teacher, she wouldn’t want to be anything else - she enjoys her profession! In her spare time, she likes to do yard work, cooking, baking, watching movies, and spending time with her children. Ms. Sharon believes the best part about teaching is watching the children develop their skills and communication.

Ms. Tori is from Westerville, Ohio. This is her first year of teaching. If she wasn’t a teacher, she would be an intervention specialist or working on IEPs in a public school district. Her favorite color is blue, and her favorite food is buttered noodles. Her hobbies include running, hanging out with her friends and family, and caring for others. She has a younger brother named Charlie. Her favorite thing about teaching is being able to help care for sweet and caring kids.