Our Teachers

MANAGEMENT TEAM- Trish McKay became involved with The Goddard School® in 1996 when Trish became the one year old teacher. She came with a passion for young children along with a BS in Home Economics Education and her PA teaching certification. As her passion for the quality education of young children grew so did her role in the School. In 1999, Trish became the Director of the facility. As her two girls were born, her passion for young children and providing a School of excellence grew stronger. She purchased this School in 2005 when the previous owner retired. Since becoming the owner of the School she has poured her passion into creating a remarkable, educational, safe and healthy learning environment for her students and staff.

MANAGEMENT TEAM- Jeni Shade joined the Goddard family in the summer of 2007. She holds her Bachelor's degree in Elementary/Early Childhood Education from Kutztown University. Jeni worked for our School several years ago as a Teacher. She brings many years of experience as a Director and knowledge of young children. She spends time observing teachers' lessons as well as doing the administrative tasks in the office. Jeni also helps our teachers fine tune the curriculum in order to provide the best education to the children. She loves young children which is evident when you see the work she does at Goddard on a daily basis.

MANAGEMENT TEAM-Debra Brownmiller joined our Goddard Family in the spring of 2024. Ms. Deb is the Assistant Director. Ms. Deb has an AA in Early Childhood Education from Reading Area Community College and has attended Kutztown University taking classes towards her BS in Elementary Education. Ms. Deb has her Paraprofessional Certification through the BCIU. She worked with students in the Life Skills and Learning Support Classrooms. Ms. Deb was the program director for the YMCA where she setup summer camp, child watch and birthday parties. She created special kid nights, and coordinated special events. Ms. Deb believes that children are truthful and loves to hear what they have to say because it shows how their minds work. She believes that as she listens to children, she can learn to understand them and to be able to better support them. She loves to provide a healthy, safe environment so that are able to focus on learning and growing.

INFANT PROGRAM- Ms. Ashley became part of the Goddard family in the fall of 2006. Ms. Ashley holds her Occupational Child Development Certificate from Berks Career and Technical Center with a specialization in Early Childhood Education. She is nearly finished with her Child Development Associate certification.She brought with her several years experience working with children after being a student in the childcare program at Berks County Vo-tech. Ashley loves young children and is always finding new ways to encourage the children to talk. She also develops fun learning experiences which encourage the children to discover new things. You can always find Ashley with a song on her lips and a dance in her step, and the children love joining in with her.

INFANT PROGRAM- Ms. Haley joined our Goddard family in the spring of 2023. Ms. Haley has her BS in Psychology and Biblical Studies from Lancaster Bible College. Ms. Haley enjoys being a teacher because children are so eager to learn. She always wants to ensure that their needs are meet so that they are able to learn new things as they are not needing anything else. She enjoys being engaged in the fun learning experiences, helping the babies with the hands on experiences that are provided in the Infant room.

INFANT PROGRAM-Ms. Molly joined our Goddard family in the winter of 2024. Ms. Molly graduated from Exeter Township Senior High School. She has taken some pre-nursing classes at RACC. Ms. Molly has been babysitting since she was twelve years old and was recently working as a nanny. Ms. Molly believes that children are inquisitive, adventurous, and imaginative. She believes in developing mutual respect between the teachers and the students engaging with each other in positive ways. She values and places a heavy emphasis on allowing children to play with hands-on learning. She loves assisting in implementing hands-on fun learning experiences that allows students to thrive as they explore, thus developing their innate sense of wonder.

FIRST STEPS PROGRAM- Ms. Charlene joined our Goddard family in the winter of 2020. Ms. Charlene has her Child Development Associates. She has been working in the early childhood field for over twenty-five years. She always worked as an assistant or a teacher in a one year old classroom. Ms. Charlene actually worked here at Goddard in the nineties and is excited to return to her first early childhood family. Ms. Charlene loves to create fun learning experiences for her students to explore. She creates a variety of homemade materials for them to use to get their wiggles out. She believes that children are loving little people. Ms. Charlene loves to ensure that her students have a foundation of kindness as they learn from her how to be nice to their friends. She encourages their independence by having them complete tasks at varying levels across the learning domains. She strives to provide a safe, healthy, caring learning environment where her students thrive.

FIRST STEPS PROGRAM- Ms. Kelly joined The Goddard School in the winter of 2020. She is a student at Reading Area Community College with an Early Childhood major. Ms. Kelly holds her Occupational Child Development Certificate from Berks Career and Technical Center with a specialization in Early Childhood Education. She has nearly two years experience working in the early childhood field. Ms. Kelly likes to engage with her students as they are explore fun learning experiences. She believes that she can support them as they grow and develop. She asks open ended questions that lead them to new discoveries. She believes that when they feel secure that they will be happy and have a positive educational experience.

TWEENIES PROGRAM- Ms. Vanessa joined our Goddard family in the summer of 2022. She graduated from Reading Muhlenberg Career and Technology Center with a certification in Early Childhood Education. She has volunteered in early childhood schools. Ms. Vanessa believes that children are amazing and unique in their own way. She believes that when she provides a safe, healthy, nurturing environment that children feel taken care of and are able to learn. She enjoys assisting in implementing the fun learning experiences. She loves playing with her students as they explore hands-on, play-based, fun learning experiences.

TWEENIES PROGRAM- Ms. Rosy joined our Goddard Family in the winter of 2022. She's a teacher's assistant in our Tweenies Classroom. Ms. Rosy graduated as a dental assistant from RACC but after spending time babysitting found that being with young children is a good fit for her. She believes that young children are special and unique in their own way. She loves supporting her students in the way that they learn best by creating fun learning experiences. She feels that allowing children be themselves lets them enjoy learning. She desires to teach her students to be able to express themselves by better understanding their emotions and how to handle them.

TODDLER PROGRAM- Ms. Sara Sara joined our Goddard School Family in the fall of 2004. Ms. Sara has earned her Child Development Associates. Ms. Sara is excited about mentoring her Toddler students while assisting them in making discoveries that lead to learning. She believes that when she is having a good time the children will want to join in with her and in turn will learn so much by having fun. She also believes that her students are eager to learn good manners so she encourages them to use their words to express good manners all throughout their days. She believes that an active, involved teacher will help her students stay focused. Ms. Sara likes to create hands on fun learning experiences through the center activities that she creates while writing her lesson plans.

TODDLER PROGRAM- Ms. Nicole joined our Goddard School Family in the summer of 2016. She has taken Early Childhood and Child Development classes. Ms. Nicole believes that children are able to anything that they believe in so the teacher’s job is to instill confidence in them. She loves being engaged with them as they play in fun learning experiences. She believes as she meets her student’s needs and provides a loving, caring, stable environment that they will be able to learn while having a blast. Ms. Nicole loves spending time with family.

GET SET PROGRAM- Ms. Joanne joined our Goddard Family in the winter of 2013. Ms. Jo has over 20 years experience working as an assistant teacher in an early childhood setting. Ms. Jo believes that children are excited to learn. She believes that children learn in different and creative ways so as a teacher she needs to provide a wide range of creative, fun learning experiences for them to explore. She loves to use music and movement to energize them and allow them to creatively express themselves. Ms. Jo encourages her students to help out and to be responsible as it gives them self confidence!

GET SET- Ms. Nyana joined our Goddard family in the winter of 2024. Ms. Nyana is an assistant teacher in our Get Set classroom. Ms. Nyana has taken some introductory courses in early childhood education at Millersville University. She has done babysitting since 2019. She has worked as assistant preschool teacher. Ms. Nyana believes that children are curious, creative, and full of energy. She believes that students will thrive when their teachers create a clean, safe, supportive learning environment. She feels that when a teacher to fosters a nurturing, inclusive, educational environment. She enjoys creating fun learning experiences to inspire curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking.

PRECHOOL 1 PROGRAM- Ms. Tatiana joined our Goddard family in the Spring of 2023. Ms. Tatiana is an assistant teacher in our Preschool 1 Classroom for the summer. Ms. Tatiana is enrolled at Penn State Berks in pursuit of her BS in Occupational Therapy. Ms. Tatiana is working full time for summer camp and part time during the school year as a teacher resource helping to maintain ratios and implement lessons. Ms. Tatiana believes that children are curious and are very eager to explore to learn new things. She enjoys helping the students with their fun learning experiences. She believes that if each child feels welcomed, important, and heard that they will thrive with the loving care she provides for them. She encourages interactive, imaginative play where they have the space to create and activate all the parts of their brains. Children thrive where there are routines but she likes to provide for children the ability to make choices to promote confidence and individuality.

PRESCHOOL 2 PROGRAM- Ms. Linda joined our Goddard family in the fall of 1999. Ms. Ms Linda graduated from Penn State with a degree in health and physical education. She also hold her private school academic teaching certificate. Ms. Linda holds The Goddard School Teacher of the Year 2013. Miss Linda is extremely creative and believes that children thrive in learning when there are numerous fun learning experiences. She loves music and movement activities and can create an activity to enhance any theme with little or no warning. She is our in-house songwriter. It is easy to see why the children are always engaged in learning with Ms. Linda. Ms. Linda previously won The Goddard School Teacher Award.

PRESCHOOL 2 PROGRAM- Ms. Laura joined our Goddard family in the summer of 2023. Ms. Laura Bachelor of Arts in English and her master’s degree in Elementary and Early Childhood Education. She has over 25 years of experience working with young children. Ms. Laura believes that children are curious, active, and very caring. As a teacher her goal is to provide her students with a warm, safe, healthy environment where they can thrive as they explore hands-on fun learning experiences through play. Ms. Laura engages with her students as they play by sitting with them, taking advantage of teachable moments, and by asking open-ended questions that foster growth and further exploration. She provides loving guidance as they learn to navigate social situations by supporting them as they learn to communicate successfully,

PRESCHOOL 3 PROGRAM- Ms. Brandi joined our Goddard School Family in the spring of 2022. Ms. Brandi is the lead teacher in our Preschool 3 classroom. She has worked a lead teacher in the early childhood field previously. She has taken college classes towards her education degree. She has also spent time working with children in her position as a library assistant. She believes that children are a fun burst of life to cherish as our future shines bright in them. Ms. Brandi likes to ensure that every child’s unique needs are met by offering different approaches to learning as each child is special and built differently. She likes to have a room where structure and freedom both exist so that children are free to thrive. She desires to teach with fun learning experiences and help every child to grow into a strong confident individual who knows their self-worth and can express themselves clearly.

PREKINDERGARTEN 1 PROGRAM- Ms. Julie joined our Goddard family in the winter of 2022. She has completed most of her college classes in social work and special education at Bloomsburg University. She is currently enrolled at RACC in ECE. Ms. Julie worked as a paraprofessional in a local public school for five years. She works with the Cub Scouts as a program specialist. She also worked as the cub scout camp director at Hawk Mountain Scout Reservation. Ms. Julie believes and loves that children are unpredictable because they are always busy investigating new ideas. She loves to create a fun learning environment where students can explore through hands-on and mind-on activities where they learn through trial and error. She believes that as she communicates with her students that they can learn to self-regulate their emotions.

PREKINDERGARTEN PROGRAM Ms. Bre joined our Goddard Family in the winter of 2022. Ms. Bre worked as an aid at another center for two years. Ms. Bre believes that children are a joy to be around because they are amazing. She loves to play with them as she assists in implementing the fun learning experiences created using the Flex Learning Curriculum because she believes that they learn best through play. She believes that children learn in individual ways so she finds ways to develop each child’s strengths, skills, abilities, and to extend their knowledge and learning.

PRE-K/ SCHOOL AGE PROGRAM- Ms. Madison joined our Goddard Family in the spring of 2024. Ms. Maddie will be a teacher in our Prekindergarten/ School Age classroom for the summer. She will continue in the fall part-time when returning to college working as a teacher resource where there is a need to maintain ratio and to support the teachers. Ms. Maddie is a student at Kutztown University studying Elementary Education. Ms. Maddie has worked with children in another Early childhood school and as an Assistant Para-Professional. Ms. Maddie believes that children have an innate sense of wonder and curiosity. She believes that it is her job as a teacher to foster creativity, imagination, and a sense of joy of exploration as those things lead to learning. She wants to get to know her students as individuals so she can understand their needs and unique learning styles. Ms. Maddie wants to empower her students to become critical thinkers, problem solvers, and life-long learners.

PREKINDERGARTEN 2 Ms. Vicki joined our Goddard family in the fall of 2021. Ms. Vicki obtained her Associate's degree in Early Childhood Education from Reading Area Community College. Ms. Vicki believes that children are inquisitive and want to learn about the world around them. She believes that children learn best through play. She will create fun learning experiences for them to enjoy as they create, imagine, discover, and explore. She believes that each child is an individual and that she wants to value their abilities and learning styles so that she can find the way that they learn best to extend their learning. Ms. Vicki loves to promote diversity and will promote it in the classroom.

TEACHER RESOURCE- Ms. Alondra joined our Goddard family in the spring of 2024. Ms. Alondra is a teacher’s assistant working as a teacher resource, where there is a need. Ms. Alondra worked here during the 2022-2023 school year as an intern while she was a student at Reading Career and Technology Center in the Early Childhood Education program. Ms. Alondara is currently a student studying elementary education at Kutztown University. She has volunteered in early childhood schools. Ms. Alondra believes that children are each unique and brilliant in their own special way. She loves to encourage students to learn at their own different pace providing assistance and direction as needed. She really enjoys engaging in playing and exploring with her students in the fun learning experiences that are hands-on and play-based. She loves to see their reactions when they master something new.

TEACHER RESOURCE- Ms. Angelina joined our Goddard family in the summer of 2024. Ms. Angelina is a teacher resource working where there is a need to maintain ratio and to support the teachers. Ms. Angelina is a student at Liberty University studying in youth ministry. She has worked with Jr. Kindergarten for two years at the King’s Academy as an intern. She has been a small group leader of children at her church for a few years. Ms. Angelina believes that children are a priceless gift from God and are each uniquely and intricately desinged. As a teacher she feels it is her responsibility to tend each child’s individual needs. She enjoys getting to know each child so that she can ensure that they are learning in the way that best fits their personality. She feels it is important to teach good manners, morales, and kindness to others as these are skills that will help them be successful their entire lives.

TEACHER RESOURCE- Ms. Julia joined our Goddard family in the spring of 2024. She is a teacher resource where there is a need to maintain ratio and to support the teachers. Ms. Julia is a marketing major at the University of Pittsburgh. She has worked at the Olivet Boys and Girls club as the youth development director and found that she really enjoyed being children. Ms. Julia believes that children are excited to learn and take on new challenges, She loves being a part of the adventure of exploration that leads to that learning. She says that as one of six siblings that she learned a lot from her wonderful mother. She learned that patience, compassion, and a strong work ethic are the keys to managing children, She also learned that providing them with enrichment activities causes them to want to explore. She is eager to engage in their fun learning experiences.

TEACHER RESOURCE- Ms. Natalie joined our Goddard family in the winter of 2024. Ms. Natalie worked as a paraprofessional in a local school district providing personalized, educational, behavioral, and emotional support to individual students to enable positive learning outcomes. Ms. Natalie believes that children are unique individuals who are each so important. She to ensure that she knows them as individuals so that she can meet those individual needs. She believes that children are creative and that they love to explore. She loves to create and provide a loving environment filled with fun learning experiences. She loves playing and exploring with them and ensuring that they are happily learning all of the time.

TEACHER RESOURCE- Ms. Noel joined our Goddard family in the spring of 2024. Ms. Noel is a teacher’s aide, working a teacher resource where there is a need to maintain ratio and to support the teachers. Ms. Noel is licensed in cosmetology from Empire Beauty School. She enjoys being with young children and she thinks that children are amazing and surprising. Ms. Noel wants to be a teacher who ensures that her students needs are met. She likes to get know each child as individuals as each one is unique and special in their own way. While getting to know each child, she then can help them to learn in the way that best fits their personality. She likes to join in the fun learning experiences that the teachers create to support her students as they explore through play.

TEACHER RESOURCE- Ms. Xylie joined our Goddard family in the spring of 2024. Ms. Xylie is a teacher resource working where there is a need to maintain ratio and to support the teachers. Ms. Xylie graduated with her AA in Early Children Education from RACC in May of 2024. She has worked as an assistant teacher for two years in a child care center. Ms. Xylie believes that children are fantastic and an inspiration as they are always exploring and learning new things. She believes that her most important job is to support her students and encourage them to try new things. Ms, Xylie wants to know each student as an individual so she can ensure that her teaching methods meet their needs. She enjoys creating and implementing fun learning experiences for her students.