My name is Caroline Smith and my Husband, Cole, and I are the owners of the school. We are from from Edisto Beach, South Carolina. I have a Bachelors Degree in Early Childhood Education and a Masters degree in Divergent Learning, both from Columbia College. I have 10 years of teaching experience in Pre-K, Kindergarten and 1st grade. Cole and I also spent two years serving in the Peace Corps on the small island nation of Vanuatu where I taught in grades 1-5 and he did community development work. Cole now works for Continental Tire here in Fort Mill. I started out as the Education Director here at our school in 2019, became the on site owner in 2020 and Cole and I officially purchased the school in May of 2022. We are so thrilled to be here and to be a part of your child's learning and growth! We love to travel and to spend time with our two children, Ann and Brantley, who are students here at Goddard!

Hello! My name is Kisa Alexander and I am the Operations Director. I have a certificate and a diploma in Early Childhood Education from York Technical College. I also, have my Associate’s Degree in Public Service Early Care and Education from York Technical College. I have 29 years of experience in the care and development of young children. My personal philosophy is: to instill good morals and values in all children; respect all children and their families’ cultures, ethnicities, race, beliefs, and structure; treat each child fairly to ensure that all children feel equally special; have families, communities, and educators work as one; remain a lifelong advocator of children; and to maintain a constant fun, loving, safe, and positive environment for each child. It is a philosophy such as the one I have set forth that will encourage all families to feel welcomed, all children to feel loved, and everyone to want to work together as one in order to aid in a child’s optimal development. I love and enjoy spending time with my wonderful daughters Anessia, Kalise and Malaya. We attend Boyd Hill Baptist Church, where we are very active. I am currently the Director of a choir with fifteen members. In my spare time I enjoy reading, listening to a variety of music and spending time with my extended family and friends.

Hello! My name is LeeAnn Holland and I am the Education Director. I am originally from Lexington, South Carolina. I have a Bachelor of Arts degree in Early Childhood Education from The University of South Carolina. I have 10 years of teaching experience, and have taught preschool, Pre-K, Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd. I started my time at the Goddard School teaching preschool, and I am excited about my new role! In my spare time I enjoy traveling, going to the beach, and spending time with family and friends. I feel very blessed to be a part of the Goddard Family.

Hello! My name is Julie and I am the Assistant Director. I earned my Bachelors degree from Winthrop University in Early Childhood Education as well as my Master of Business Administration from Grand Canyon University. Before coming to Goddard, I spent one year teaching first grade and was also a program coordinator for the Charleston County School District for an after school program. I started my time at The Goddard School teaching in Junior Kindergarten and have taught in just about every classroom in the building. I left our school for a couple years to open a successful business with my husband, David, but later returned to the school as my passion is in education. I currently reside in Fort Mill with my husband and daughter, Scarlett.

Hello, my name is Kelly and I am a co-teacher in the Toddler Fish classroom. I was born and raised in California, and lived in the San Diego area for 30 years before moving to Fort Mill, SC in 2001. I have worked in childcare for over 24 years. I hold a BS in Elementary Education, and a Master of Early Childhood Education from Grand Canyon University. I’m currently working on a 2nd Masters in Special Education. I have experience with all preschool ages; however, I love the Toddlers best! I love to get down on the floor and be silly with the children in my room. I am like a kid myself! I believe that if you make learning fun and exciting, the children will naturally want to learn. Outside of school I love photography and have taken portraits for many of our families here at school. It is one of my passions! I also love spending time cooking with my husband, playing softball, and spending time with my three children.

Ms. Allison is so excited to be here with you at Goddard! Her love for working with children began at Nation Ford High School, where she took classes in Early Childhood Development. She received her E.C. Education degree from Winthrop University in 2018. Her career began in Title 1 elementary teaching, where she learned that each student grows best when you teach to their specific interests and needs. She has taught 2nd, 1st and kindergarten ages but discovered her love of PreK when teaching with her church preschool during COVID. Her passion for "getting ready for kindergarten" shows in her instruction of foundational reading, writing, communication, personal independence and mathematics skills. Outside of school, she loves hiking, gardening and home-improvement with her fiance' and two tiny pups. She is grateful for the opportunity to learn and grow with you this year as you get your Whos ready for the next step in their educational careers.

Hello, my name is Amarilis and I am a co-lead teacher in the Infant Classroom. I have been working in childcare for 10 years. I have bachelor’s degree in Elementary and Secondary Education. I am also certified in SIDS, first aid, and infant/child CPR. I was born in Brazil and lived in Germany before moving here to The Carolinas, so I can speak Portuguese, German and am also familiar with Spanish. My philosophy for learning is that each child is unique, and each child learns in a different way. I believe in hands-on experiences, learning creatively and learning though play. I am looking forward to engaging your child into a nice, quiet, safe and pleasant environment where we will be working on stimulation, caring, and affection. My goal is to help infants develop and grow emotionally and socially and to allow them the opportunity to enhance their development. I am immensely proud to be a part of The Goddard School team and looking forward to helping your child grow and learn.

My name is Amelia Hamlet, I have worked in child care for about 3 years. In addition to working with young children, I also work with the youth in my church. With me being a mother myself, I take pride with working with children, and making sure that they have a great development in their education. I have skill and experience with working with infant to teenagers of the age of 13. I also continue to educate my knowledge and skills in early childhood development. I am happy to be a part of the Goddard family and to help your child grow and develop their education.

Hello! My name is Ms. Anna. I am a co-lead teacher in Octopi. I grew up in Long Island, New York, and I currently live in Charlotte, North Carolina. In 2012 I received my certificate in Early Childhood Education from Western Suffolk Boces in Long Island, New York. I am still currently working towards my associates degree in Early Childhood Education. After obtaining my associates, I plan to get my bachelors degree in Early Childhood Education. I started my Early Childhood Education career in 2019. In my spare time, I like to hike, listen to music, read, and spend time with family and friends. I am very passionate about children, and I love watching them learn and grow. I am so excited to be a part of your child’s early childhood education!

Hey y’all! I’m Ashley Pinedo. I’m a teacher in the Dolphins classroom. I am so excited to be able to be a part of the Goddard family. The best part of being a part of this family is being able to see through the eyes of children, and learn how they work and learn. I hope to one day teach kindergarten through fifth grade! I’m currently working towards my Bachelors in Education Studies at Wilmington University in Delaware. On weekends I love to hang out with friends and my family. Some fun facts about me are that I love traveling, and love going hiking! I hope that one day I am able to travel the whole world and explore many new places!

Hi, I am Ashley A! I recently graduated from Winthrop University in December 2019! I have a B.S. in Nutrition with a concentration in disease prevention where I mainly focused on maternal and infant/child health! I enjoy working with children so much that I decided to come to The Goddard School! I am so excited to be a part of the First Steps - Snails classroom! I can't wait to interact with all the children and get to know them! I am truly excited to watch them grow in many ways as well. In my free time, I love to shop, spend time with loved ones, eat at new restaurants and cook/bake! Some fun facts about me: I LOVE learning about other cultures and languages! I do know Spanish actually! Along with that, I enjoy eating other cultures' foods and I will try a lot of different things. Lastly, I enjoy traveling!! My travel dream is to one day go to most of the countries in South America.

Hi! My name is Derricia, or Miss Dee for short, and I am the co-teacher in Infants! I am from Rock Hill, SC and I am a spring 2020 graduate from Winthrop University. I received my B.S in Human Development and Family studies, and during my time at my university, I discovered my love for working with children and families! One of my favorite things to experience when working with children is to get to know each child, and watch them grow and develop into the best they can be and more. I have been with Goddard since July 2020 and during my time at Goddard, I have enjoyed teaching and watching the children learn more each day! Now as the co- teacher in infants, I love caring for and watching each of the babies get stronger developmentally in different aspects. Outside of work I love to spend time with family and friends, having self-care days, reading, and trying ut different types of foods (I’m a huge foodie)!

I’m thrilled to be a part of the development and education of each explorer in the Whos Junior Kindergarten class! Empowering children and equipping families to be respectful global citizens is my passion. After earning my Bachelors in Elementary Education from North Central University in 2009, I taught three and four year olds at Life Spring Preschool in Central California for two years. I spent 2013 and 2014 teaching third and fourth graders at Ukarumpa International School in Papua New Guinea. Living and teaching cross culturally was challenging and an immense joy. Prior to joining the Goddard staff, I was part of the Learning and Development Team at JAARS in Waxhaw, NC. One of my roles was to prepare families for cross cultural living. Helping kids, ages zero to sixteen, to learn and practice transition skills, multicultural sensitivity, and emotional resilience was an honor and I hope to share those skills with your family.

My name is Haley and I am very excited to be the new co teacher in the crabs class. A few of my favorite things to do inside the class room include arts and crafts, story time, singing songs, and building a one on one relationship with each one of my students as well as their parents. I will strive to help create a nurturing and loving environment while laughing and learning at the same time. I started my early childhood career over three and a half years ago at a local childcare center and was lucky to have the opportunity to join the amazing team at The Goddard School. When I am not with our friends in the crabs class, I am at home with my two little girls, Lillian and Isabella who are ages two and four. We love to explore outside, go to the zoo and spend lots of time with our family. Both of my girls happily attend The Goddard School. I have a passion for teaching and working with young children, I love being able to help them learn and watch them grow. I feel very fortunate to work alongside such dedicated and welcoming teachers.

Hi there! My name is Ms. Jordan and I am so thrilled to be a Get Set teacher at The Goddard School! This will begin my second year in Early Childhood Development and 5th year as an intellectual and developmental specialist student. I received my Bachelor's Degree in Psychology and I am currently receiving my Masters Degree in Special Education with an Applied Behavior Analysis concentration. I am very excited to get to know you and your child and be a part of their growth!

Hi, My name is Kenya Bankhead. I am one of the co-teachers in the Octopus Room! I received my Associates Degree from Midlands Tech in Columbia SC. I am currently attending Winthrop University for Bachelors Degree in Mass Communications. Working with children is one of my passions. I have over 13 years of experience working with children. I’ve gained so many different techniques on how to engage and teach children during these past years. I like to think outside of the box in order to engage the children and bring new forms of teaching. My favorite quote is “Every child you encounter is a divine appointment.” by Wess Stafford. My goal as a teacher is not only give them a great education, but also teach them the qualities they can carry with them throughout the rest of their life.

My name is Laurie. I am originally from Canada. I have over 17 years of experience working with children in preschool. I am certified in Montessori and love to blend the Montessori approach to the curriculum. I have a great passion for children. Before I started teaching in preschool, I was a cosmetologist. I have always loved being around children and have a passion to teach young children. I love working with the little ones and watching them learn and grow. I love making learning fund and bringing new techniques and fun ways for the children to learn. I am married and have a son. Family time means everything to me. I love spending my free time with family, home DIY projects, exercising and decorating!

Hello, My name is Layla as we all have our own stories I’m gonna tell you about mine. I recently moved here from Maryland as a Teacher at the Goddard School. I was there for 2 years and decided to move to this beautiful place with my son Leo who is 3 years old. I have always had a passion to work with children as I come from a BIG family and a lot of siblings. Children are such a blessing and I love to make a difference in their lives and help as much as I can. I love to see their little smiles and just knowing that I can provide a fun and loving teaching atmosphere makes my job so rewarding.

Hey ya'll! My name is Maggie and I'm a teacher here at Goddard of Fort Mill. I graduated with a Bachelor's of Psychology from Winthrop University in December of 2020. I have many years of experience working with children from infants through teens, and feel so passionately about working with young minds. I love being able to watch and help kids grow into the amazing people they're going to be. In my free time, I love to cook and bake new recipes, spend time outdoors, and spend time with my friends and family, and my cat, Freddie. I am so excited to be a part of the Goddard family, and I look forward to the opportunity to help your kids learn and watch them shine!

Hello to you! I am Susan and I co-teach in the junior kindergarten sneetches classroom! I am originally from Tennessee but moved to the Carolinas in 1997. I have 22 years of experience teaching early childhood education. I obtained my Associates in Applied Science and Early Childhood Education from Stanley Community College. I believe there is always a teachable moment so, we should make every moment count.

Hello, my name is Tracy Passmore. I will be teaching in the Sneetches room, partnering with you to prepare your child for Kindergarten. I received my Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education from Lipscomb University. I taught in the public schools for six years in various ages before taking a break to prepare my two children for their futures. During that time, I also taught two to four year old children in my church's Sunday school. In my spare time, I enjoy running my sewing/embroidery/vinyl business and keeping up with my kids who are now college-age. My teaching philosophy is that every child is a masterpiece still being painted. In my classroom, I hope not only to nurture and teach your child in a wide variety of subject areas, but to prepare them for the next step as they move on to Kindergarten. I look forward to helping your child grow and learn.

Hey! My name is Audrey and I graduated from Nation Ford High School in 2021. I plan to go to York Technical College to pursue a degree in Early Childhood Education. Working with children of all ages is my passion in life. As I continue to get to know the children and their parents, I hope to gain long lasting relationships. In my free time, I love to shop, eat at all my favorite restaurants and spend time with friends. A fun fact about me is that I teach swim lessons!

Hey!! I am Armani King. I’m a floater here at the Goddard School. I am so excited to be able to watch these kiddos learn and grow. Working with kids has been a passion of mine for a very long time. I am currently enrolled at York Technical College studying to get my degree in Business Administration. Some fun facts about me is that I love to spend time at the park with my wife and dogs. I love traveling and hope to one day be able to say I went all around the world.

I am Marletta Page and I am thoroughly enjoying being a part of the Goddard team! I moved to Fort Mill from Mount Airy, NC but am originally from Texas. I have worked in defense contracts and property management as well as having served as director of a business school, bank auditor, and loan officer. I retired after thirteen years in elementary public education. I have a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration and Management and a Teaching Certificate as a Reading Specialist for first through eighth grades. My favorite “things” to do are, of course, spending time with my 12- and 13-year old grandchildren, cuddling my toy poodle, thanking God for richly blessing me, not taking myself too seriously, and laughing.

Hello, my name is Kylie Hollis. I graduated from Winthrop University with my Bachelor’s Degree in social work back in December 2021. I worked as a Teacher in first steps at the Goddard School in Rock Hill. I then went to be a behavioral technician to get more experience in a different field/environment. I love to be able to watch and teach children of all ages to build skills in fun ways. In my spare time I enjoy doing crafts, spending time with family, listening to music, and cuddling my dog Sophia, cat Palmetto, and bearded dragon Brixton. I am so happy to be a part of the Goddard Family and I cannot wait to meet everyone!

Hi!! My name is Ms. MJ. I recently graduated from Winthrop University with a degree in Human Development and Family Studies. I am currently working towards my Master of Education in Counseling and Development. I have worked in childcare for over two years and love being part of the Goddard team. I enjoy reading in the classroom and exploring through play. I am passionate about working with children and providing a loving and caring environment. Outside of school, I spend time with friends and family and also explore new places. A few of my favorite things are coffee, coloring, and listening to music.

Hello my name is Nycolle. I am very excited to be joining the Goddard School here in Fort Mill, SC. I am originally from Virginia and that's where I obtained my Associated Degree in Occupational Science in Medical Assistance. I am also certified in CPR and SIDS. I have always loved being around kids just to nourish and watch them grow. I am blessed to be a mother myself of two beautiful kids 1 girl and 1 boy. I am happy to be apart of the Goddard Family and ready to meet new friends and family.

Hi! My name is Shaila and I am from Bangladesh. I have my Bachelors Degree in Business Administration. I have been working in childcare for 4 years in the United States. Before that, I worked as a music teacher for school aged children in my country. This is my first year at the Goddard School and I am excited to be a part of this wonderful team. I genuinely enjoy nurturing and caring for preschoolers. I love kids and it fills my heart with joy to watch them grow. My philosophy is that each child is unique, therefore they thrive and learn at their own pace. I feel very fortunate to work alongside such dedicated and warm hearted teachers. I love spending time with my family and friends, crafting, cooking, singing and listening to music!