Toddler Faculty

During her training at Chestnut Hill College for her Primary Certification, Lauren was introduced to Gladwyne Montessori. She observed how embracing and alive the classroom environments were and how the school was filled with many happy children. This, in combination with a talented and engaging teaching staff and administration, made joining Gladwyne Montessori an easy decision. Lauren enjoys participating in fitness classes, walking her dog on nature trails, socializing with friends, and enjoying the company of her large extended family.

As a child, Janey attended Gladwyne Montessori, loving it so much that she decided to come back and teach in order to provide the same great learning experience she received. She believes that Montessori education for toddlers is the perfect start to a healthy love of learning that will last a lifetime. Janey has been a head teacher in the Sprouts classroom for eight years and department coordinator of the Toddler Program. With three siblings who also attended Gladwyne Montessori, Janey feels that in receiving this education, it helped to shape them all into kind, respectful, well-rounded individuals. In addition to the Montessori education, the life lessons learned at Gladwyne Montessori have been invaluable; she hopes to pass that along to her students daily. Janey recently married in March 2018.

Elizabeth grew up in New Jersey and always knew she wanted to teach young children. Elizabeth taught kindergarten in Maryland before staying home to raise her three sons. She joined Gladwyne Montessori as a parent and has worked as the assistant in the Parent/Toddler program since 2016. She is currently working towards her Infant Toddler credential at the Princeton Center for Teacher Education. In her free time, Elizabeth enjoys being active outside, especially hiking, playing baseball, and bike riding with her family.

Donna was first introduced to Gladwyne Montessori as a parent. All four of her children attended the school over the span of 14 years. Donna began working at Gladwyne Montessori in 2008 and has served in the Primary, Toddler, and La Casa programs. In addition to these years of experience, Donna completed an assistant training program in the summer of 2018 at the Princeton Montessori Training Center. When Donna is not in the classroom, she enjoys spending time with her family, going to the beach in Margate, New Jersey for the summer, traveling, cooking, reading, and sports.

Bella joined the Gladwyne Montessori family because she believes in its encouraging and open environment that truly fosters the importance of children's education and wellbeing. She joined the Gladwyne Montessori community in the 2017-2018 school year, and looks forward to continuing her journey at this special school! She spent the summer of 2018 working towards her Infant/Toddler Montessori certification in Princeton, NJ. In her free time, Bella enjoys practicing yoga, socializing with friends, traveling, and spending time at the Jersey Shore.

In 2000, while helping her parents with their restaurant as she tried to figure out her career path, Anna met a sweet lady at a party hosted at her parent's restaurant who introduced Anna to Montessori. From there, Anna reached out to Gladwyne Montessori where she began as a substitute. Substituting turned into working with La Casa and the toddler program. Anna likes to spend her free time with her daughters and husband. They love outdoor activities: swimming, biking, hiking, and kayaking. Her favorite activity is Sunday Funday which usually entails finding a new restaurant to dine in. In her alone "free time," Anna loves going to Pure Barre classes. "It's so much fun and such a great workout."

Despite many years as an Infant Teacher, Brandy was not formally introduced to Montessori Education until her two middle children began attending Gladwyne Montessori! Their happiness and growth at Gladwyne Montessori was infectious and motivated her to investigate more about the Montessori method and how it is practiced with infants and toddlers. After her fortunate opportunity to be a stay-at-home mom for three years, Brandy returned to the classroom to become a Gladwyne Montessori teacher! With a husband and four children at home, Brandy judiciously uses her “free time” enjoying traveling with her family, being a foodie, watching documentaries and listening to a variety of music genres.

Before joining Gladwyne as an Assistant Teacher in the toddler department, Taahirah was a Lead Teacher for The Culinary Literacy Center at the Free Library of Philadelphia where she helped to foster lifelong learning, advancement of literacy, and a commitment to health through cooking classes. She taught a diverse group of pre-K through high school students in private, parochial, and public schools across Philadelphia (both regular and special education). As a certified health coach, she works with families and children on holistic health and food. Taahirah completed the Montessori Toddler Assistant Teacher Training at Princeton Center for Teacher Education and looks forward to growing and learning with the children and families of Gladwyne Montessori. In her free time she loves teaching health and wellness, cooking, exercising, spreading the love of all things plant-based, camping, caring for her cats and singing in the car with her sister.

Mimi heard many friends and acquaintances rave about the care their children received at Gladwyne Montessori. She finally had the opportunity to experience the classroom atmosphere herself through "Special Friend's Day". Ever since then, Mimi has dreamed about working at the school. Luckily, her dream came true! She likes to cook, read and spend time with her husband when she is not in the classroom. She also enjoys running when she has the time.