Meet the Staff

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 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.

Renee Bryan

Assistant Director of the School for Young Children

Phone: 860.231.5562
Email: [email protected]

Renee Bryan is the Assistant Director of the School for Young Children. She has a B.S. in Sociology /Early Childhood Education. Renee has been working with children and families since her first job during high school in a toddler room. Prior to joining the SYC staff she was a School Readiness Liaison & Family Resource Center Director. Renee lives in South Windsor with her husband Brett and their four children.

Little known fact: Renee used to be a labor & post-partum doula

Dawn Tourville

Administrative Assistant
Email: [email protected]

Dawn Tourville is the Administrative Assistant at the School for Young Children. She has a degree in Human Service/Business Administration. Dawn spent much of her career supporting and advocating for people with disabilities and their families. In 2016, she became an assistant teacher in special education. Dawn loves hiking, kayaking, camping with her family, and any excuse to get outside and explore! Dawn lives with her husband in Mansfield, along with their dog Ellie and six cats: Daisy, Mommy, Whitey, Peanut, Kitten, and Little One.

Little known fact: She won her high school flag-design contest and had her photo taken with the governor of Connecticut!

Jacqueline Sanderson

Teacher/Laboratory School Coordinator
Phone: 860.231.5569
Email: [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.

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
Email: [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.

Ilyse Wells

Teacher
Phone: 860.231.5560
Email: [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!

Kelly Farina

Teacher
Phone: 860.231.5560
Email: [email protected]

Kelly Farina is the teacher in Room 4. She began working with children as an undergraduate student at the University of Connecticut. She has a degree in Early Childhood Development and Education, and completed her first student teaching practicums. Kelly has spent six years as an early childhood teacher, she earned her Master’s degree in Education from the University of Colorado. Kelly lives in Suffield with her partner and two sweet cats.

Little known fact: Kelly loves to take her cat Felix out on walks wearing a harness and leash.

Megan Barrilleaux

Teacher
Phone: 860.231.5560
Email: [email protected]

Megan Barrilleaux is a teacher in Room 1. She has a B.A. in Early Childhood Education from Louisiana State University, and taught kindergarten in Texas prior to relocating to Connecticut this year. She lives in West Hartford, and enjoys cooking, spending time with family, and exercising. Megan is so happy to be a part of the SYC family!

Little known fact: Megan has never seen snow! She is very excited to experience first winter in CT.