Because families are young children’s first and most important teachers, my work at RVCP is grounded in collaboration and close observation. This allows me to better understand each child’s inner world and to thoughtfully support their first experiences of belonging, independence, and relationship beyond home.

I am deeply committed to creating a classroom environment where children feel safe to be fully themselves — their joyful, curious, playful selves, as well as their fearful, frustrated, and uncertain selves. It is within this sense of safety and connection that children practice essential life skills: attuning to their own feelings and needs, navigating relationships, solving problems with others, and learning how to participate in a community with care and responsibility.

The roles of parent and educator have both been humbling for me. I know firsthand that growth rarely looks linear. I stumble, lurch, and occasionally glide along in those roles, and I am continually reminded that challenges are opportunities for reflection, deeper understanding, and connection. Being part of a thoughtful, caring community has reinforced my belief that when children and adults feel seen, supported, and valued, meaningful learning naturally follows.

No one thought it was strange at all that she wouldn’t talk to an adult for the first year. Her need to get comfortable at her own pace was recognized and supported not just by the teachers but by every adult in the classroom. And that’s where my love and passion for RVCP began. I love that every child gets to be their own true self. Even though when I started as a parent I had no idea how it would work, I love that we don’t make kids share or say they’re sorry. I love that being at our preschool has made me a better parent. Now, as a teacher at our preschool, I am loving how our low child to adult ratio lets me get to know each child and build a relationship with them. I am loving that I get the opportunity to discover what challenges each child, what engages them, what makes them light up. I love that moment when a child does something unexpected or has a breakthrough of some kind and I catch another grown-up’s eye (Julie’s, Lauren’s, or a working grown-up’s) and yeah, they saw it, too! We have something pretty darn special going on here at RVCP and I am grateful to be a part of it.

I want RVCP to be a place where all children and their families feel a deep sense of belonging and emotional safety—where every child can explore, make mistakes, and feel their full feelings, and where families feel that their child's growth and differences are welcomed and supported. I believe that emotional safety is the foundation of learning, and that feeling known and accepted is what allows us to take risks, solve problems, and grow. I've experienced how this environment can be a place for grown-ups also to arrive with their anxieties and uncertainties and begin to see their children (and themselves) as okay, just as they are, and start to reach out to their community. That kind of transformation feels deeply hopeful—one that supports a new generation as they grow into the world with courage, compassion, and connection.

As a teacher in the classroom, I strive to build a genuine connection with each child—I want to know what lights them up, what feels challenging to them, and who and what matter most to them. I love when children feel safe enough to listen to and express their big feelings, as well as when children and grown-ups alike get a chance to delight in each other across the community. I hope to show up with care and curiosity, creating a classroom where children and their families can feel known, supported, and safe to grow.