Our Team

Assistant Social Butterflies

Marnie has lived in New Canaan for 20 years with her husband and three children. Marnie has Bachelor of Art in Philosophy and pursued her Master of Divinity at Andover Newton and Harvard Divinity School. She is, aside from teaching, most notably a “hockey mom” spending most of her weekends driving to mediocre hotels and freezing in rinks. She has worked with children most of her life and is thrilled to be working with yours.

Assistant 3’s

Jen grew up in New Canaan graduating from NCHS. She met her husband while earning a Bachelor of Art in English at Lake Forest College. Together they raised their two boys in New Canaan close to her parents. When she’s not spending time with family and friends she will be outdoors running, playing golf, tennis and paddle. She has a sport for every season, and she excels at them all!

Lead Social Butterflies

Having been at Toddlertime for over 36 years, Diane is Toddlertime’s favorite matriarch. Diane has taught some of our teachers and our parents. The wisdom she hands down to all of us is priceless! There is no doubt about it – Diane loves babies (she even collects baby dolls). Her other passion is dogs and she has bred Labrador Retrievers most of her life. Diane has three children and six phenomenal grandchildren!

Assistant 4’s

We are thrilled that Maura loved being a parent of three Toddlertime students so much that she came back to teach for us.  A tireless volunteer, Maura has given her time to the New Canaan Public Schools, New Canaan Cares, Girl Scouts and the National Charity League.  After earning her Bachelor of Art from Hamilton College and giving Wall Street a shot, she taught at The Collegiate School in NYC while pursuing her masters at Bank Street College of Education. While her children were young, she and her husband spent two years as expats living in Tokyo and traveling throughout Asia. 

Lead 5’s
Nancy is both our lead 5’s teacher and our summer camp program director! She holds an Early Childhood Credential and BS in Education with 30 years of teaching experience! Nancy brings a tireless passion for creative “out of the box” teaching and exemplifies a “can do” attitude that is contagious to all! She continues to learn about early childhood education and even teaches others by presenting workshops at the CTAEYC (CT Association for the Education of Young Children). When Nancy isn’t teaching in the classroom or one of her enrichment/creative/alumni workshops, she is off exploring! From beaches to cities, nature to art, she loves it all! Fun facts about Nancy – she loves gorillas, beaches, cooking, art and pranking friends and co-workers!

Assistant 3’s

Kristen has lived in New Canaan with her husband, 3 children and 2 dogs for the last 8 1/2 years.  She earned her degree in Elementary and Special Education from Providence College and a Master’s in Special Education from Fairfield University.  She put her education to good use teaching Elementary and Special Education in the Stamford Public Schools for 8 years before starting a family. She volunteers at her church and her children’s schools. Kristen loves to spend time with her family watching all their sporting events and enjoys being at the beach whenever she can.

Office Manager

You’d never know that Molly is new to Toddlertime. She jumped into the role of office manager in June 2019 and immediately it felt like she’d always been here. Molly taught for 10 years at another preschool before deciding to return to administration, so she understands the classroom from both inside and out. Molly lives with her husband, two daughters and their dog Rosie. A 20-year resident of New Canaan, Molly has served on the board of the Newcomers, National Charity League, PTC and Girl Scouts. If you need a laugh, just ask Molly to say a tongue twister-it’s her hidden talent!

Lead 4’s

Pam is a friendly, energetic and funny educator with over 20 years’ experience. Being born into a family day camp business that she went on to direct, Pam has been around children her whole life. She received her Bachelor of Art in Communication and Marketing from Plattsburgh State College. When Pam’s three children were grown, she started teaching at a preschool in Darien before we brought her over to the bright side. When she is not traveling, you can find her taking her therapy dog Coco to visit patients at various facilities, helping friends with interior decorating and spending time at the beach.

Lead 3’s

Cornelia grew up in Germany where she received her undergraduate degree in business. She moved to the United States in her late twenties for a two-year expat position in NYC where she met her husband. After moving to New Canaan to raise her two daughters, she returned to school to pursue early childhood education. With over 20 years teaching experience, Cornelia joined Toddlertime sharing her creativity and kindness with our children. She is soft spoken but commands the love and attention of the children in her class. In her free time, she loves to paint with acrylics, play tennis and curl up with a good book.

Assistant 4’s

Stephanie has lived in Darien for over twenty years with her husband and four children. She received a Bachelor of Art from Dickinson College. She has a lot of volunteer and work experience in the Darien schools including Saint Luke’s Parish School.  One thing you may not know about Stephanie is that she is an Army brat, living all over the country and abroad as a child. She loves making new friends, walking, hiking and reading.

Assistant 4’s

Tiffany grew up in Texas, attended UT in Austin like the rest of her family and loves the energy of a packed football stadium. When she and her husband moved their three children to New Canaan, her youngest son attended Toddlertime where Tiffany made her first friendships. She enjoys skiing, walking, being outdoors and of course country music. On the side, Tiffany runs cupcake decorating and woodworking workshops.

Lead 2’s

Judy is a twenty-five-year resident of New Canaan and has four children who all attended Toddlertime. Judy holds a Master of Education from Fairfield University.  Judy’s hidden talent is that she can make a song up about any topic and is known for singing all day long. Judy loves to be outside and always wins the prize for getting her class out more than any other class at school. When she isn’t at Toddlertime she loves to exercise, play racquet sports and go on long runs. Judy loves to travel; never turning down an opportunity for adventure.

Lead 3’s

Marnie is a ray of sunshine that lights up any classroom she’s in. She loves children’s literature and math games and adores the toddler age group. She holds a Bachelors in Elementary Education from Ohio Wesleyan and a Master of Science from the Bank Street Graduate School of Education.  Marnie taught elementary school at the Brearley School in NYC before having babies and then transitioned into admissions. She moved to New Canaan with her husband and three daughters. In the summer she likes to hide away on an island off Maine.

Assistant 2’s

When not showing real estate or rubbing elbows with politicians as the wife of a State Representative, she is at Toddlertime playing with the 2’s. She earned a Bachelor of Arts from Catholic University and a Master of Social Work from Fordham. Kerry is the mom of three athletic children. When not working or on the sports fields cheering on her children, she enjoys walking, reading and cooking.

Assistant 3’s

Mercedes was born in the United States but spent ten years during her childhood in Mexico. Mercedes is currently working on her early childhood certificate. She enjoys assisting in all our programs, especially our after-school Spanish. When not studying she enjoys reading, spending time with her two children, cooking, and especially baking – one of her specialties is flan.

Lead 2’s

Gabbie grew up in New Canaan, went to the University of Connecticut and then received a Masters of Family Studies from Fairfield University. Rather than choose her family business of tomato products and olive oil, she followed her passion into teaching. Gabbie worked in several of our age groups before finding her fit with the 2’s. She is most notably the youngest person we have ever given a lead role to! She somehow gets our 2’s to do things nobody else has. When not in the classroom, you can find her at the gym doing CrossFit.

Assistant 2’s and 3’s

Kendall holds a degree in Art History from Smith College.  Art is her passion and the messier the better. She sews, paints and can be found prowling the halls of any and all museums. She is the mom of three sons and two adorable Pugs. She came to Toddlertime through our enrichment program, but we quickly figured out that we needed her creativity and warmth to play a bigger role at Toddlertime.

Lead 2’s

Alexandra was born and raised in New Canaan and attended Toddlertime as a child! She received her Bachelor of Art from Tulane University and started pursuing her Master’s in Early Childhood and Special Education. By night she is an aspiring children’s book author as well as a gluten-free baker and photographer, running a creative media business. On weekends she is usually in Vermont, where she can be found on a mountain – hiking in the summer with her rescued Dingo or skiing in the winter.

Assistant 2’s

Rachel is our school nurse who decided that monthly rounds wasn’t enough time around the little ones, so she decided to join a classroom. Rachel earned her Registered Nurse degree from St. Vincent’s College of Nursing. She and her husband moved to New Canaan over 20 years where they are raising their five children. When not at Toddlertime or busy with her family, Rachel can be found cooking, reading and practicing yoga.