Our Team

Marnie spent the first 35 years of her life in NYC before heading to New Canaan with her husband and three girls. They soon added a crazy golden retriever Daisy to their family and haven’t looked back. She jumped right in to New Canaan volunteering at South, Saxe and the Garden Club. Marnie has her bachelor’s in Elementary Education from Ohio Wesleyan and a Master’s of Science in Education from Bank Street College in NYC. She taught at the Brearley School for 7 years and 8 years in their admissions department. She loves to read and may someday be a co-author.

Sarah and her family have lived in New Canaan for 20 years. She has her MA in Elementary Education from Columbia’s Teachers College and taught in NYC and Greenwich. All her girls (teenagers now) attended Toddlertime. She is glad to be back in the classroom especially at Toddlertime and we are thrilled to have her. She enjoys many sports especially skiing, sailing and golf.

Jen is always ready to run a school program, join a gym game or participate in a sports match- exceling at them all. After subbing and teaching in our enrichment programs we talked her into joining the permanent Toddlertime team. Jen is a longtime resident of New Canaan, even graduating from NCHS. She raised her 2 boys here and believe it or not her oldest is now in college. When she’s not spending time with family and friends she will be outdoors running, playing golf and is an avid tennis and paddle player. She has a sport for every season.

Brought her smile and enthusiasm to Toddlertimes enrichment programs last year, where she was adored. This year we were thrilled when she agreed to work in the classroom full time. She is originally from Texas and attended college there. She still loves the energy from a packed stadium. She enjoys, skiing, walking, hiking – anything outdoors and of course music (boot stompin is the best). When not at Toddlertime you will find her putting her creativity to work at cupcake decorating parties. Her youngest son was at Toddlertime and is a teenager now, and, he still has his Toddlertime friends.

You may recognize the last name – or pass it on the shelves at the grocery store, yes that is her families business –tomato products, jelly, olive oil etc. all imported from Italy – manga. Gabby grew up in New Canaan, went to the University of Connecticut then received her masters from Fairfield. When not in the classroom or working with the After’s enrichment programs you may find her doing cross fit.

When not showing real estate or rubbing elbows with politicians she is at Toddlertime where she has seamlessly joined the team. She received her Bachelor’s degree from Catholic University and a masters from Fordham and is the proud mother of 3. In her few minutes of spare time she enjoys walking, reading, cooking and is the consummate fashionista.

Having been at Toddlertime for over 25 years, Diane is one of Toddlertimes favorite matriarchs. 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 for over 20 years. She has three children, two sons and a daughter – and several phenomenal grandchildren!

Creativity is a passion with Amy; she even worked as an interior designer for 3 years. Now she prefers teaching and exploring with her students, where her magic in the classroom is obvious. Amy minored in education in undergrad and took additional courses at the Bank Street School in NYC. She loves any outdoor challenge and has participated in NOLS and Outward Bound so it’s not surprising that her favorite activities are running, yoga, skiing and tennis.

Lily has her degree from Purchase in New York, and knew a long time ago that she wanted to teach. Lily hasn’t had a job that didn’t involve educating or working with children – ever! When not at Toddlertime, which isn’t often, she enjoys taking her two dogs for long hikes. If you see someone under a Yankees hat it probably is Lily- an avid supporter and lifelong fan. Lily also enjoys baking and is the best aunt as she takes treats to all the Cub Scout meetings and school functions.

Lead 5’s
A NCHS alumni, Nancy came to Toddlertime as a teacher and now is our summer camp director too. She has an education degree and over 20 years of classroom experience. Nancy brings a tireless passion for creative and innovative teaching. She’s an avid blogger and pinner and stays up to date on everything new. Nancy has instilled in her life and classroom a “can do” attitude that is contagious to all children. When she isn’t teaching preschool, enrichment or running our summer camp, she is on the beach or in NYC exploring with friends. Fun fact about Nancy-she loves gorillas!

Sheila walks to work every day bringing warmth and enthusiasm to the classroom. On the weekends you may hear her cheering on her grandchildren from the sidelines of various sporting events. She is an avid antique collector with a degree from the Academy of Fine Arts in Chicago.

Lead 2’s
Cindy has her Master’s Degree in Early Education from Manhattanville. She lives in New Canaan with her husband and two children, both Toddlertime graduates. Cindy has taught all our age groups and is excellent in them all. She enjoys baking, reading, needlepoint and travel. If you’re lucky, you may get to sample one of her homemade pretzel clusters- delicious! And, if you have seen a jar label from Cinderella Jams that is Cindy’s new business she makes the best homemade jams, all unique and fabulous, just like her.

Lead 3’s

Cindy comes to us from the great white north with her husband and 2 very active young men. Originally a Canadian citizen, she became a dual citizen of the USA several years ago lucky for us. She has her degree in Early Childhood Education and has taught for over 10 years. Cindy loves to spend her free time biking and walking all over Wilton (mostly at insanely early hours).

Lead 2’s

Judy is always on the go and loves being in the classroom, working with your children. She is a twenty year resident of New Canaan and has four children who are all Toddlertime alumni. Judy has her Masters of Education from Fairfield University and was an Enrichment teacher before happily stepping into a Toddlertime classroom. When she isn’t at Toddlertime she loves to exercise and play sports, you may even see her on the roads during one of her long runs.

Lead 4’s
Mary’s desire for education is obvious. She has a Master’s in Education and was on the New Canaan Board of Education for many years. Mary also enjoys spending time with her husband and two children, gardening, swimming and traveling to South Carolina in the summer. If you frequent the Farmers’ Market you may recognize Mary and her children at your dog’s favorite stop, they sell homemade dog biscuits!

Heidi brings her warmth and charisma to Toddlertime. She is a long time New Canaan resident and mother of 2. She recently moved to an in-town location so you may see her walking with her 2 dogs on the weekends. She also enjoys hiking and everything outside.

Lead 3’s

Cornelia has more than 12 years of teaching experience. She received her undergraduate education in Germany and then came to the states where she went back to school and received her teaching degree. Cornelia joined Toddlertime sharing her imagination, inspiration and experience with your children. Though soft spoken, she can tell you what to do in 3 different languages. She loves to paint with acrylic as her medium, play tennis or curl up with a good book.

Lead 3’s

Leah is known for her constant smile! She came to Toddertime as a parent, became a substitute teacher and then worked in the enrichment program. While Leah’s children were in school, Leah went to get her teaching degree. Now that her children have graduated from Toddlertime, she is here full time. In her few moments of down time, you may find her walking the dog, running or reading. She enjoys cooking, and loves having dinner with her family.

We are glad Mercedes came east when she left Mexico. There she taught elementary school English and math. Her ease in the classroom and years of experience with children is evident. She is currently working on her early childhood certificate. She enjoys assisting in all our programs, especially enrichment Spanish, her native language. When not studying she enjoys reading, spending time with her children, cooking, especially baking – one of her specialties is flan. Bienvenido.