Our Staff
Amanda
Amanda is a teacher for the Two’s classroom. She has experience working in child care centers and as a nanny. She loves watching children have fun while learning. Her favorite time of the day is watching the children run and play together outdoors.
Amanda’s favorite children’s book: “The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear”.
Andrea
Ms. Andrea is the Toddler II Lead Teacher. She is also a mother of four amazing kids. She has been an educator for over 20 years! During her career, she has had the pleasure of working with children of all ages in private early childcare settings as well as public-school sectors. Ms. Andrea has earned an Associate’s Degree in Social Science and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Political Science. Currently, she is working on her Technical Certificate of Credit (TCC). She believes that teaching little ones is a true labor of love. Her favorite part of teaching is helping children discover that they are able to accomplish things they previously doubted they could. Her ultimate classroom goal is to make learning fun and to make the classroom an extension of home for every child.
If you have time, please stop by her room where you may find her on the carpet reading her favorite children’s book, “Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?” by Bill Martin Jr.
Anita
My name is Anita. I am very excited to join the Mt. Elizabeth team as a teacher in the infant room. I have always had a passion and love for children since my teenage years. I was the babysitter of my hometown, helper in the church nursery, 2 year old teacher/Supervisor in a daycare center after college and I had a Childcare business in my home for 20 years. All children are special to me and deserve to have a safe educational environment to learn and grow in. I have a degree in Child Development from UGA. My hobbies include designing jewelry, arts & crafts, scrapbooking, mentoring ones diagnosed with cancer
(Praise God I am blessed to be a 15-year Survivor) and college football!
My favorite children’s book is, “Goodnight Moon” by Margaret Wise Brown.
Cara
Ms. Cara is our Private Pre-K teacher. She was a lead Pre-K teacher in Tuscaloosa, Alabama and is currently a Youth Pastor. While she will continue her role as a youth pastor, she has truly missed the classroom and is extremely excited to be back teaching Pre-K! SheI loves all of the exploring, learning and fun that Pre-K brings to the kids. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Child Development from the University of Alabama. She was also a summer camp counselor growing up and she was the Director of a summer camp for 3 years. She loves helping her KG friends become explorers and take you on new learning adventures.
She grew up in Birmingham, Alabama and she loves to go back and visit her family often. Her mom and younger sister, Caitlyn, still live there.
Cassidy
Ms. Cassidy is a Floater/Teacher and she has been working in childcare for five years. She has had the pleasure of working with children of all ages and this has helped her grow as a teacher. She loves working with children, using creative teaching methods, and forming special bonds with them.Ms. Cassidy attended Georgia Highlands College for a year. She will be returning in the fall and will be majoring in Early Childhood Education.
Her favorite children’s book is “Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?” by Bill Martin Jr.
Cecile
Cecile is a teacher in the Younger Infants (6 weeks-6 months) classroom. She has been an Early Childhood Educator for almost 20 years. She loves to watch the babies’ rapid transformation in all areas of development within the first year of their lives. Her favorite time of the day is during Sensory/Science activities. Born and raised in France, Cecile enjoys cooking plant-based dishes for her family and friends. She also loves to teach others about the Bible.
Cecile’s favorite children’s book: “The Earth Book”.
Chanara
Ms. Chanara so excited to be a new Toddler She Leads Teacher here at Mt. Elizabeth Academy. She has a TCC in Early Childhood Education and She has taught children ages one to four for about four years. She also has a beautiful daughter of my own. Her preschool teacher left such an impact on her life that she is one of the reasons that she has chosen to work with younger children. Not only are they adorable, but Ms. Chanara yearns to share the same love that was given to her daily at school. She believes that the most important years of a child are when they are beginning to learn about the world and everything in it. She has found that during children’s preschool years they learn and retain more than we could ever imagine. With that in mind, She believes that her role as a parent and an educator is to help shape and mold children’s lives while guiding them according to their individual interests and abilities.
Her favorite children’s book is “Chicka Chicka Boom Boom” by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault.
Chloé
Ms. Chloé is a Teacher Assistant. She is grateful and excited for the opportunity to work with your children and watch them grow. She enjoys helping children learn at their own pace and seeing them reach their greatest potential. She believes that each child is unique in his/her own way.
Her hobbies are photography and music. She has played cello for over 7 years. She is also a vegetarian.
Her favorite children’s book is Shel Silverstein’s “The Giving Tree” and her favorite author is Eric Carle.
Dree
Ms. Dree has been interested in teaching since she was in elementary school. She had some really great teachers throughout her education and she believes that their positive influence helped mold her into the person she is today. Her philosophy as an educator is that who a child is should be just as important as what they learn. She believes that children gain confidence through curiosity and education. With this in mind, she decided to pursue a career in education. Ms. Dree studies at Kennesaw State University. While majoring in education, she has gained valuable experience through field experiences. Because of this, she has had the pleasure of working with a variety of age groups in multiple settings. She has worked at summer camps, elementary schools, middle schools, and even high schools. However, she has come to realize that younger children are her passion. She also has experience working in childcare assisting with all ages. She is gaining experience and learning constantly through work and online childcare training courses.
Her favorite children’s book is “Oh, The Places You’ll Go!” by Dr. Seuss.
Jennifer
Jennifer is excited to be joining the Mt. Elizabeth team. She is originally from Pennsylvania, and has lived in Georgia for the past 22 years. She is married and has two grown boys. Jen has always had a great passion for the caring and nurturing of young children. Her background experience is in the medical field. She has also been a personal nanny to several families over the years. Being a mother herself, she understands the importance of a safe, happy and loving environment in which children can grow and develop successfully and to their full potential.
Two of her favorite childhood books are “Love you Forever” and “The Giving Tree.”
Jessica
Ms. Jessica was born and raised in Albany, Georgia and moved to the Atlanta area in 2012. She has one son who will be turning five next year.
She has worked in childcare for over 11 years. She started working with children at a very young age by babysitting for family members and volunteering at her church nursery at the age of 14. She has worked with all age groups and finds that infants are her favorite age group to work with. She enjoys reading and singing to the children and loves watching them as they discover and learn new things.
Ms. Jessica has a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management and now she is on the exciting journey of pursuing her Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Education and Early Childhood Special Education. She also has her CDA. Her teaching philosophy is that “Every child is different so learning should be the same way.”
Her favorite children’s book is “I’ll Always Love You” by Paeony Lewis.
Jessica
Ms. Jessica is a Georgia Pre-K lead teacher. She has worked as a Children’s Director and did her student teaching in a fifth-grade classroom. She has spent the past six years teaching Pre-K in Alpharetta.
She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Education from Kennesaw State University. She loves to find new and inventive ways to make sure your students are engaged, learning and growing in the classroom. She believes that students learn best when they are active participants in the classroom community.
When she is not teaching, you can find her spending time with her family, reading a good book, or watching the Braves play baseball.
Her favorite children’s book is “The Giving Tree” by Shel Silverstein
Kate
Ms. Kate Ettinger is a Pre-school teacher. She is originally from the state of Utah but moved to Georgia six years ago. In her free time she enjoys reading a good book or being outdoors with her dog, Khaleesi. She also just began volunteering at a therapy horse farm and she is really enjoying her time there as well.
She has always had a huge heart for children and the joy they bring into the lives of those around them. She began regularly babysitting when she was just 13 years old and from then on she knew that she wanted to become an Early Childhood Educator. Two years ago, she began her professional journey as a toddler teacher and absolutely fell in love with the age group. She is very excited to continue to teach the little ones at Mt Elizabeth.
She graduated from Kell High School and hopes to pursue a college degree in Early Childhood Education.
Her favorite children’s book is “You are Special”, by Max Lucado.
Kathy
Ms. Kathy is the Morning Receptionist. She is married and has been blessed with three wonderful children; twin sons and a daughter. They are currently attending college.
She graduated from the University of Delaware where she earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Educational Studies, a Bachelor of Science Degree in Elementary Teacher Education, and also earned 28 graduate credits toward a Master of Instruction Degree. These degrees prepared me for teaching in a business setting and over ten years of teaching special education at the elementary school level. I believe that every child can learn and education offers each child the opportunity to reach his or her potential.
Successful educators creatively nurture students’ social, emotional, spiritual, and academic development.
One of her favorite children’s books is “Guess How Much I Love You” by Sam McBratney. It is a sweet story that exemplifies the immeasurable love between a parent and a child.
Krista
Ms. Krista is a Georgia Pre-K Teaching Assistant here at Mt. Elizabeth Academy. She has enjoyed many roles during her seven years working within the childcare setting. These included; Lead Teacher of two- and three-year-olds, Pre-K Assistant, Manager, Bus Driver, and even a Back-Up Cook when needed. Prior to this, she worked for both Cobb County School District and Marietta City Schools as a Special Needs Paraprofessional. Before that, she lived in California where she was an In-Home Behavior Specialist for six years. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with an emphasis in Counseling and has found that this really helps when working with children and their families. She has two wonderful boys of her own, one still in elementary school and one starting middle school.
She is an avid reader, and although her own children have outgrown the children’s book generation, she has not. Although Dr. Suess books are always at the top of her list of favorites, “Pete the Cat” books by Eric Litwin are her current fascination. She shares that she is a lot like Eric, he likes to teach, but he keeps it fun, and a little funky along the way
Melissa
Ms. Melissa is the Assistant Teacher in the GA Pre-K classroom. She has over ten years of experience teaching preschool and she loves it. She earned her CDA several years ago and she is currently taking classes to earn her degree in Early Childhood Education. She thinks teaching young children is wonderful because it gives her the opportunity to be an important part of children’s lives and make a positive impact on them during their early years. She believes that children have so much to say, and she stresses that teachers need to really listen to each child and base their teaching on the individual needs of each student.
Her favorite children’s book is “Ms. Spider’s Tea Party” by David Kirk. She says it shows children that things are not always as they seem, and you can’t judge a book by its cover.
Michelle
I am the Lead Teacher in the young toddler classroom. I have been working in childcare for almost six years now. I have gained valuable experience working in classrooms with children of different ages. I love working with toddlers and being able to see them grow right in front of my eyes.
I earned my TCC in Early Childhood Education. I believe every classroom should feel like home. I enjoy using my classroom in creative ways and allowing the children to explore with me while I lead them.
My favorite children’s book is, “Oh, The Places You’ll Go!” by Dr. Seuss.
Nicole
Ms. Nicole is so glad to be back at Mt. Elizabeth Academy working with all her little friends and assisting the amazing teachers.
She has a son named Jack. One of her favorite things to do with him is dancing to fun music. They also enjoy creating art projects together.
She is currently working on her CDA and is looking forward to furthering her education in Early Childhood.
Her favorite children’s book is “What Do You Do With An Idea?” by Kobi Yamada.
Olivia
Ms. Olivia works at Mt. Elizabeth Academy as an After School Program teacher.
Ms. Olivia officially began working in childcare after high school when she was nineteen years old. She was caring for children from 3 months to 12 years, however, she has loved working with little ones for as long as she can remember.
She has attended numerous training events in the child care field and hopes to continue learning new ways to cultivate children’s natural spark for life and learning. She believes that every child has unique and special abilities that need the chance to flourish.
Her absolute favorite children’s book has to be “I Like Myself” by Koren Beaumont
Shequila
Ms. Shequila is from Wisconsin and enjoys teaching awesome little learners. She has been teaching for over five years. Ms. Shequila has been the lead teacher in toddler classrooms and she loves this age group. Being able to watch children grow and development in so many different ways is a pleasure of hers. She feels that helping to nurture and guide children as they transition each day is rewarding as a caregiver, mom and teacher. In addition, Ms. Shequila loves to be creative in the way she teaches while she introduces new concepts to toddlers. She is currently studying early education and has formerly studied at Marian University of Wisconsin. She has obtained her CDA.
Shequila’s favorite children’s book: “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie”
Sierra
Ms. Sierra is a college student at Georgia State University and she is studying Early Childhood Education. She has worked in childcare for over six years and it is her passion! Being able to see the progression and growth of children as well as being able to build relationships with them has been so fulfilling for her. Working with children is a big passion of hers and another passion of hers is art. She loves to draw, paint and design. She also enjoys going to art galleries and creating things of her own. She is so excited to be a part of the Mt. Elizabeth team!
One of her favorite children’s books is “If You Take A Mouse To School” by Laura Numeroff.
Stephanie
Ms. Stephanie has lived in the metro-Atlanta area for more than 25 years, but she is originally from Arkansas where she graduated from the University of Central Arkansas with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mass Communication.
After working for years in television production, her life changed in a good way when her son was born. It was then that she fell in love with early childhood development and decided to make a career change. She is married, and her son is now a senior at the University of West Georgia in Carrollton.
For the past 20 years, her goal as a teacher has been to help children develop and mature in their own unique ways which has been a rewarding experience.
She does not have one favorite children’s book. However, she does have fond memories of her mom reading nursery rhymes to her and her four siblings.
Sydney
Sydney is our ‘floater’. She goes into the classrooms when teachers need help so she gets the pleasure of working with and spending time with all the children here at Mt. Elizabeth! She has been involved in childcare since she was 13. She spent every Sunday in the child care department of her father’s church in Dallas called Westridge Church. Because of Westridge, she also spent every Wednesday for a year loving on all the special needs boys and girls at her church. She believes that every child has at least one thing he/she is amazing at (counting, dancing, art, etc.). She likes to help children use what they love to help them overcome their weaknesses (like using dancing to help with math). This helps children have fun while learning all the things they need to succeed.
One of her favorite children’s books is “The Wonkey Donkey” by Craig Smith.
Terre
Ms. Terre grew up in Woodstock, GA and graduated magna cum laude from Kennesaw State University in 2010 with a Bachelor’s degree. While at KSU, she earned eighteen Early Childhood Education credit hours and spent one semester interning as a teaching assistant in a First Grade classroom. After working for six years as a Financial Analyst, she chose to pursue her passion for early childhood education and has now been teaching for two years. In November 2017, Ms. Terre and her husband welcomed their sweet baby boy Grayson. This past year, Ms. Terre has earned 37.5 credit hours of training from the Rollins Center for Language & Literacy and the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning. She believes that all children are unique and have something special that they can bring to their own education.
One of her favorite children’s books is “Giraffes Can’t Dance” by Giles Andreae.
Whitnee
Ms. Whitnee is the Lead Toddler I teacher. She is a college student at Chattahoochee Tech where she is earning her Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Education. Ms. Whitnee’s experience in childcare started at North Cobb High School where she realized that she loved making children smile and laugh. She has several years of experience in childcare. Nothing brings her more joy than seeing children’s faces light up when they accomplish something new. It is very rewarding for her to play an important role in her students’ growth. In addition to working with children, she also enjoys baking and reading. She says there is no better feeling than smelling peach pie in the oven while reading one of her favorite novels.
Her favorite children’s book is “Please, Baby, Please” by Spike Lee and Tonya Lewis Lee.
Amanda
Ms. Amanda is a Nutritionist. She is married and has three children; a daughter who is 16, and two sons ages 12 and 3. She loves children and has a lot of experience since she took care of her 13 siblings!
She feels very blessed to be a part of the Mt. Elizabeth team. She loves working here and she enjoys every minute of the day.
Her favorite children’s book is “Go, Dog. Go!” by P. D. Eastman.