Megan is really excited about her second year at Reade Street Prep! Originally from Pennsylvania, Megan grew up drawing, reading, and baking – she loves anything chocolate! Megan graduated from Lafayette College with a double major in Economics and Art and also studied abroad in Rome, Italy. Upon graduation, Megan moved to NYC and worked in the fast-paced world of fashion until she discovered her true passion for education. For 10+ years, Megan was an assistant art teacher supporting the Artist-in-Residence at an uptown elementary public school. In addition, Megan was a lead content creator for a renowned EdTech literacy platform located in NYC that is dedicated to turning students everywhere into readers. Most recently, Megan was an assistant Pre-K teacher who loved to fill the mornings with creative art-inspired projects and finish the day with thought provoking science experiments. Megan lives in Manhattan with her husband and two children.

Kristina is excited for her ninth year at Reade Street Prep as the Lead Spanish Discoverers teacher and to continue her role as an Educational Mentor. Growing up in Puerto Rico, Kristina was provided with the opportunity of being immersed in Latin culture and the Spanish language. Kristina has always had a passion for working and educating children, whether it be volunteering to read to and tutor younger students while in school or for caring for her own nieces and nephews. Before moving to New York, Kristina earned a Bachelor of Arts in English for Elementary Education and worked as a first grade English teacher in her native island of Puerto Rico. English is the second language on her island, a fact that allowed her to gain vast experience working with foreign language learners. Once in New York, Kristina pursued higher education and earned a Master of Sciences in Early Childhood Education. Kristina is a strong believer that young minds have no limits in exploring, learning, and creating. She has observed, time and again, children’s innate ability to acquire a second language – when provided with the correct environment. Kristina believes that unique, multi-sensory, engaging, and appropriately challenging lessons will help foster a love for learning and language. Through play, exploration, music, art, and culture, Kristina has cultivated a dynamic experience in her classrooms, ensuring that fun and learning are going hand-in-hand. Kristina is excited to kick-off the new year and is looking forward to seeing all the new and returning faces in the classroom!

Layla is so excited to continue her journey with Reade Street Prep as a Lead Discoverers Teacher!  Layla holds a master’s degree in Early Childhood Special Education, from SUNY Buffalo State College. While obtaining her masters degree in Buffalo, Layla worked as a kindergarten special education teacher. Prior to completing her master’s degree, Layla received her bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education from SUNY Fredonia. Layla is committed to individualizing instruction to each learner in order to reach every student and their needs. While prioritizing developmentally appropriate instruction, Layla strives to make education a fun, engaging, and enjoyable experience. Layla helps children meet their fullest potential by providing a safe, risk-taking, and welcoming environment. Her goal is to create continuous learners who take pride in their education! For the last nine summers, Layla has been working at Future Stars Southampton Summer Camp, most currently as the Little Stars Director. Layla is a devoted and diligent educator who believes in maximizing the potentials of each child she works with. She is looking forward to an amazing year at Reade Street Prep!

Quinn is ecstatic to return to Reade Street Prep for her third year! Quinn joined the Reade Street team as a classroom assistant and is eager for another year as an Associate Teacher. Quinn is a 2021 graduate from the University of California, Santa Barbara with a B.A in Sociology and minor in Educational Studies. Quinn has previously worked in childcare with experience in culturally responsive literacy enrichment and after school care in Santa Barbara, and nannying upon her move to New York City. She has studied early childhood and primary education extensively in her research work discussing curriculum design and the rejection of deficit thinking in progressive education. She aspires to study the education field in ways that inspire and motivate positive change for the institution and for its most vulnerable students. Her love for primary education and enthusiastic students drives her passion for child and student development and working in classrooms. Quinn hopes to soon pursue her Masters and begin lead teaching in the early childhood space.

Grace can't wait for her second year at RSP! She graduated with a B.A. from Brown University, where she majored in Psychology and Dance. She was a member of the all-student dance troupe Fusion throughout college. She’s taught dance to children aged 4-10 and is interested in further study in the field of Child Psychology. She’s very excited for another wonderful year being a part of the Reade Street Prep community.

Jess is thrilled to join the Reade Street Prep community as a Lead Explorers Teacher! After receiving her B.S. in Environmental Science and Health from the University of Vermont, Jess found her true passion to help guide, empower and teach young minds. She then graduated with an MSEd dual Childhood and Special Education degree from CUNY Hunter College. Jess has worked in classrooms ranging in abilities and ages (2 to 10-year-olds). She enjoys nurturing relationships with her students while building a community within her classroom. With extensive experience in special education classrooms and teaching students with learning challenges, she specializes in creating individualized learning experiences for students who approach learning and growing in unique ways. She is excited to begin this new journey at Reade Street Prep and get to know each of her student’s unique ways of viewing the world. Together with the fantastic Reade Street Prep community, she looks forward to ensuring educational, emotional, and social success!

Sandhya Kilambi is a recent graduate of NYU, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in Music Education. She has a passion for working with children, and especially enjoys sharing her love of music in educational settings. During her time at NYU, she gave piano lessons to elementary school students through the organization Musical Mentors Collaborative, and worked as a Teaching Artist with the organization Confident Voices, where she led songwriting sessions for children who stutter. She discovered her passion for early childhood education through her preschool student teaching experiences, during which she was naturally able to form warm, intimate and highly mutual bonds with her students. In addition to her musical pursuits, Sandhya is a dancer, trained in classical Indian dance, and has taught in a variety of camp and school settings. She always enjoys integrating movement, yoga and storytelling elements into her music curricula. Sandhya is beyond excited to share her love for the performing arts with the Reade Street Prep community!

Doris is excited to join the Reade Street Prep community. She completed her undergraduate studies at NYU. She also holds a master's degree in Early Childhood Education from NYU and a second master's in Childhood Education from Hunter College. Doris has a range of experience working with children as young as 5 months old to 5th grade. Her most recent experience was teaching Pre-K at Columbia Grammar & Prep School, Kuei Luck Early Childhood Center, and Camp Léman. Doris enjoys working with this age group because young children are curious about the world around them, and they soak up new information like sponges. She believes that early childhood is an important time to build a solid foundation of academic, social, and life skills. She finds it rewarding to witness how much growth every student goes through each year.

Ally is so thrilled for her first year at Reade Street Prep! After graduating from Binghamton University with a degree in psychology, Ally decided to make the jump into the education field. She hopes to continue her own education through graduate school by working towards a masters degree in Early Childhood Education.   Ally has always known she wanted to work with children. Whether she was babysitting, volunteering or working at various summer camps, Ally has gained a plethora of experience working with kids. With her high-energy and positive attitude, Ally encourages a love for learning in all her students. She believes that after safety, providing a warm and caring environment is among the most important philosophies in the classroom. She hopes to cultivate a happy and exciting learning environment for all.   Ally is ecstatic to join the RSP family and is so looking forward to the upcoming year.   

Kristen is excited to return for her sixth year at Reade Street Prep as an Associate Teacher in the Discoverers classroom. Kristen graduated from The University at Buffalo with a Bachelors degree in Health and Human Services with a concentration in Early Childhood Education. She is planning to further her education and begin working towards her Master’s degree in Early Childhood and Special Education. Kristen has always had a passion for working with children from a young age and always knew she wanted to become a teacher. She believes that one of the greatest parts of being an educator is to be able to make an impact on the lives of students each day. It motivates her to develop and implement inclusive strategies that engage her students in the best way possible. Her goal as a teacher is to create an enjoyable learning environment where her students feel safe to explore, initiate learning, and feel free to express themselves. Students learn best when they feel welcomed, comfortable, and safe. To her, each and every child is unique and special in their own way. Everybody learns differently and Kristen takes this in account while lesson planning and teaching. Kristen believes that the most important thing children gain from their early childhood education experience is the foundation of a love of learning. She is looking forward to another amazing year at Reade Street Prep!

Cindy is beyond excited to return for her fifth year at Reade Street Prep as an Associate Spanish Teacher! She received a dual Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood, Bilingual and Special Education from Brooklyn College. Her journey at Reade Street Prep began in the Fall of 2018. She started off as a substitute teacher and a floater, where she was able to build and maintain a trusting and positive relationship with all of the students at RSP. For her everyday coming to work was a learning experience. Working with her peers on a daily basis and listening to her students, has expanded her teaching styles and techniques which continue to evolve daily. It is her belief that every child has the ability to learn, but it takes a teacher with passion and patience to be able to bring this ability out. She has the genuine heart and love to teach and will be more than willing to share that passion with the students. In her classroom she understands that every child has different strengths and weaknesses in their learning process. Therefore, she is devoted to having differentiated instruction in the classroom with a variety of opportunities for the children to achieve their goals. Most importantly of all, having fun is what ties everything together. Cindy is thrilled to be a part of the RSP family and is looking forward to another wonderful year!

Claudia is excited to join the Reade Street Prep community this year as an Associate Teacher with the English/Spanish Explorers. Claudia was born in Los Angeles and most recently graduated from Washington University in St. Louis with a bachelor’s degree in Art History, Political Science, and Children’s Education. Coming from two generations of school teachers, Claudia felt a natural draw to early education and began teaching last fall at a Montessori preschool in St. Louis, Missouri. Claudia grew up trilingual, speaking Catalan and Spanish at home and learning English in school. She is eager to contribute, build connections with families, and learn from the community as the year moves forward.  

Guillermina is really excited for her second year at Reade Street Prep as an Explorers associate teacher. Born in the Dominican Republic, Guillermina came to the United States when she was 4 years old and has lived here ever since. Guillermina graduated with an associates degree in public health and also obtained an associates in child development. She has worked with preschool age children in various schools since 2014 and has also worked with other aged groups. Guillermina loves being a teacher and spending time with the little ones. Her favorite part of being a teacher is learning together and sharing joyful moments with her class. She is so happy and excited to continue her journey with the Reade Street Prep family!

Sophia is delighted to be joining Reade Street Prep for her first year as a Lead Teacher! With a passionate drive for child-wellbeing, Sophia has extensively studied child development and socio-emotional learning. She holds a B.A from Sarah Lawrence College, and an M.A in Developmental Psychology from Teachers College, Columbia University. She has previously taught in classrooms in Hong Kong, Denmark, and her hometown of Sleepy Hollow, NY. Additionally, she has worked on curriculum programming for non-profits focused on humanitarian issues and sustainability. Overall, her experiences have contributed to a holistic and compassionate teaching skill set. Sophia is devoted to ensuring her students thrive in her classroom, leaving each day feeling confident, positive, and ready for the next adventure. Outside of school, you may find Sophia practicing yoga, reading a good book, or attempting a new craft.

Johanna is very excited to return for another year with Reade Street Prep. Johanna started working as an Associate Teacher in the Preschool Prep and Explorers classroom in 2015 and she became a Head Teacher in 2020. Johanna is native to the Republic of Colombia. She graduated from Colombia University in 2013 and holds a bachelor's degree in Primary Education with minors in Spanish, English, and Humanities. In Colombia, Johanna worked in various schools with children ages 2-10 years old. After her graduation in 2013, she moved to New York and studied English as a second language at Columbia University’s Teachers College where she earned her Master's degree. Johanna has always loved working with children and enjoys learning from their daily adventures. She is so happy to be a part of the Reade Street Prep family!

Sharon (Shuyuan) is excited to return to Reade Street Prep for her fourth year. Sharon earned her Master’s degree in Teaching English to the Speaker of Other Languages (TESOL) from Teachers College, Columbia University and has been working in Pre-K-12 bilingual education in New York City ever since. She believes in creating immersive and culturally responsive learning environments and approaches her instruction with that in mind. Born and raised in the beautiful city Chongqing, China, Sharon grew up speaking Mandarin and a few Chinese dialects. She received her dual Bachelor’s degrees in Journalism and English Literature from Southwest University, and found her passion and talents in linguistics and education. After coming to New York, she has brought the knowledge and skills of arts and journalism into teaching and integrated her cultural background into lesson planning. She looks forward to contributing to Reade Street Prep by applying her passion for education and linguistics to her work in the classrooms.

With 10 years of experience in teaching children, Claire has honed her skills in bilingual and immersion programs. Notably, she spent three years as a teacher in a Chinese language immersion program for Kindergarteners at Avenues: The World School. Additionally, Claire held the position of After-School Program Coordinator and Lead Instructor at international schools in Shanghai, China, for six years. While Claire greatly cherished her time at Avenues, her passion for exploring different teaching models and age groups motivated her to seek new opportunities. This is why Claire was particularly drawn to Reade Street Prep, as it provides an opportunity to immerse herself in a full immersion teaching model and work with preschool-aged children. To continue her education and capabilities in this role, Claire is currently pursuing a master's degree in Curriculum and Design at the University of Illinois in Champaign Urbana. When Claire is not teaching, she finds joy in spending quality time with her family. Outside of the classroom, you will often find Claire bustling around, picking up and dropping off her children at various after-school activities. One of her family's favorite shared passions is traveling, and they embrace all types of transportation methods to explore new places and create lasting memories.