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Sue O’Donnell
Director
Phone: 860.231.5561
Email: [email protected]
Sue O’Donnell is the Director of The School for Young Children. Sue has a B.S. in Human Development and Family Studies and a Master’s in Early Childhood Education. She has worked at SYC since 1999. During this time, Sue has served many roles at SYC. She was in the classroom for 13 years and also held the position of Lab School Coordinator. She has also organized annual workshop events attended by early childhood educators around the state. As a result, our program has become recognized for high-quality training opportunities. She is an adjunct instructor at Manchester Community College. She also provides curriculum training to a variety of organizations/schools during the year. Sue enjoys searching for antiques, gardening, and cooking.
Little known fact: In another life, Sue would like to write for the New York Times travel section.
Deidre Horan
Assistant Director
Phone: 860.231.5562
Email: [email protected]
Deidre Horan is the Assistant Director of the School for Young Children. She has a B.S. in Human Development and Family Relations/Early Childhood Education. Deidre has worked in the Early Childhood field for over 20 years as a toddler teacher, childcare center director, education consultant, and family resource center coordinator. Deidre resides in West Hartford with her husband Jim and their 3 children.
Little known fact: Deidre would like to live at the beach someday.
Kharisha Mae Laroco
Administrative Assistant
Phone: 860.231.5564
Email: [email protected]
Kharisha Laroco is the Administrative Assistant of the School for Young Children. She has a B.A. in Psychology at the College of the Holy Cross. She is currently in the School Counseling graduate program at the University of Saint Joseph. She hopes to be a school counselor to help students succeed in and out of school. She enjoys baking, eating and trying out different kinds of food at least once, and spending time with family and friends.
Little known fact: Kharisha loves to make DIY arts and crafts.
Jamie Albright
Teacher
Phone: 860.231.5560
Email: [email protected]
Jamie Albright is the teacher in Room 6. She has a B.S. in Psychology with a concentration in Early Childhood Education, as well as a graduate certificate in Autism Spectrum Disorders. Prior to joining the SYC staff in 2006, she spent seven years teaching preschool and kindergarten children. Jamie likes the outdoors and loves to take long walks with her son Jacob and dog Coal.
Little known fact: Jamie loves to go kayaking. She has kayaked alongside a glacier in Alaska!
Pamela Hosek
Teacher
Phone: 860.231.5560
Email: [email protected]
Pamela Hosek is a teacher in Room 1. She has worked at SYC since 1999. She holds a B.A. in Early Childhood Education. Pam has worked for many years in the early childhood field and has recently gone back to graduate school at USJ. Pam is working toward her Autism Spectrum Disorder certification. She is a busy mother of three children: Charlie, Tommy, and Julia. Pam enjoys gardening and home improvement projects.
Little known fact: Pam was a competitive swimmer and captain of her college rugby team.
Allison O’Hara
Teacher
Phone: 860.231.5560
E-mail: [email protected]
Allison O’Hara is the teacher in Room 4 three days a week. She has her B.S. in Human Development with a concentration in Early Childhood Education. She also has her M.A. in Elementary Education. Allison has had a decade of experience working with preschool children and elementary-aged children. She lives with her husband, two children, and a dog named Penny. She loves to cook and go to the beach.
Little known fact: Allison’s dog is a rescue from Arkansas.
Linda Rushlow
Teacher
Phone: 860.231.5560
E-mail: [email protected]
Linda Rushlow is a teacher in Room 2. She has worked in the Early Care and Education field for over twenty years. Linda has an M.A. in Early/Childhood Special Education. She is certified to teach grades Preschool to 3rd. Linda lives in Bristol where she was born and raised. She has two grown children and a beautiful granddaughter. Linda is so happy to be a part of the SYC family and look forward to learning and laughing with your child.
Little known fact: Linda would love to go on an African safari!
Jacqueline Sanderson
Teacher/Laboratory School Coordinator
Phone: 860.231.5569
E-mail: [email protected]
Jackie Sanderson is a teacher in Room 7 and has a B.A. in Early Childhood Education. She has been teaching at The School for Young Children since 2000 and has presented at the Keefe-Bruyette Symposium. Jackie also serves as the Lab School Coordinator on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Jackie enjoys attending a variety of her children’s sporting events. Nick and Molly are both SYC alum!
Little known fact: Jackie is #6 of 7 children in her family.
Rebekah Seaton
Teacher
Phone: 860.231.5560
E-mail: [email protected]
Rebekah Seaton is a teacher in Room 5. She has a Master’s degree in Early Childhood Development & Education from Loyola University Chicago. She also has CT certification to teach Pre-K to 3rd grade. She has taught in Brussels, Chicago, and San Francisco. She lives in West Hartford with her husband, daughter Quinn, and twin sons Will & Miles. She loves running, photography and traveling.
Little known fact: Rebekah grew up in Kansas.
Ilyse Wells
Teacher
Phone: 860.231.5560
E-mail: [email protected]
Ilyse Wells is a teacher in Room 3. She has a Master’s degree in Early Childhood Education from the University of Hartford and is a CT certified teacher. She has experience working with kindergarten, first grade, and preschool children. She has spent the last five years teaching preschool in Colchester where she resides with her three children and Goldendoodle, George. She loves the outdoors and gets lots of joy connecting children to nature!
Little known fact: Ilyse used to live in a redwood forest in Northern California!
Phyllis Winer
Teacher
Phone: 860.231.5560
E-mail: [email protected]
Phyllis Winer is a teacher in Room 4. She holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Early Childhood Education. Phyllis has been teaching at SYC since 1996 and also teaches at Roaring Brook Nature Center. Phyllis has presented at local, state, and national conferences on a variety of early childhood topics, including science and nature. She loves bird, butterfly and dragonfly watching, going to the beach, and listening to classical and jazz music.
Little known fact: Phyllis rescues and takes care of baby animals!
Jenn Baker
Teacher Assistant
Phone: 860.231.5560
E-mail: [email protected]
Jenn Baker is the teacher assistant in Room 4. She has taught in a Montessori school for many years, both as a classroom teacher and the Environmental Education Coordinator before focusing on Early Childhood education. Jenn holds a B.A. in Anthropology. She received a certificate in Early Childhood Education and Environmental Education. She can be found gardening, biking, taking a walk, or baking sourdough bread.
Little known fact: Jenn intends to bike to work almost every day.
Stacey Batchelder
Teacher Assistant
Phone: 860.231.5560
E-mail: [email protected]
Stacey Batchelder is a teacher assistant in Room 5. She has a B.A. in Human Development and Family Studies. Prior to joining the SYC staff, Stacey worked in the Vernon Head Start program for five years. She enjoys cooking, baking, and dancing.
Little known fact: Stacey can do a headstand!
Margaret Byrne
Teacher Assistant
Phone: 860.231.5560
E-mail: [email protected]
Margaret Byrne is a teacher assistant in Room 3 and is a member of SYC’s Backpack staff. Margaret has been teaching at SYC since 1995 and holds an Associate’s degree. She is the proud mother of two sons, Torrie and Kevin, and a daughter, Stevi. Margaret enjoys spending time at the beach and gardening.
Little known fact: Margaret is trying to learn to juggle and loves roller coasters!
Evelyn Echegoyen
Teacher Assistant
Phone: 860.231.5560
E-mail: [email protected]
Evelyn Echegoyen is a teacher assistant in Room 1. She holds an Associate’s degree in Early Childhood Education. She enjoys working with children and has worked in the early childhood field for more than 11 years. She is also a mother of two children: Melissa and Erika. She is fluent in Spanish and has taught her children how to read and write in her native language.
Little known fact: Evelyn is currently learning how to play the guitar and knit in her free time!
Michelle Kallen
Teacher Assistant
Phone: 860.231.5560
E-mail: [email protected]
Michelle Kallen is a teacher assistant in Room 6. She earned her Associate degree in Early Childhood Education in 2016 and began working at the School for Young Children in 2017. Michelle loves to read and spend time outdoors. She enjoys biking and hiking with her husband and two sons, Oliver and Benny.
Little known fact: One of Michelle’s personal goals is to visit each of our country’s major National Parks. She once took a helicopter ride over the Hoover Dam to the bottom of the Grand Canyon for a nice picnic!
Katie Nelson
Teacher Assistant
Phone: 860.231.5560
E-mail: [email protected]
Katie Nelson is the teacher assistant in Room 2. She has a B.S. in Psychology with a concentration in Behavior Analysis from Eastern Connecticut State University. Katie lives in Andover, CT and enjoys exploring local parks and hiking trails during her free time.
Little known fact: Katie loves playing mini-golf!
