Our Team

About Us

Toddlertime is owned and operated by Barbara Davis and Carolyn Williams, two New Canaan moms and businesswomen who were lucky to get the opportunity to trade in their brief cases to educate children. We are passionate about providing children with the best early childhood education possible. We invite you and your child to come experience our program, talk with our staff, and ask every question you have. Call 203.972.3111 to schedule a visit or click here to contact us.

We have creative and highly qualified staff members who plan, implement and evaluate the classroom curriculum to provide your child with the highest quality of early childhood education. The activities planned for the children, the way the environment is organized, the selection of toys and materials, the flow of the daily schedule and the interactions with the children are all designed to accomplish the goals of Toddlertime’s curriculum.

Marnie Augustine

Marnie has lived in New Canaan for over 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.

Patricia Benington

Patricia brings her warm smile and Texas charm to every room she is in! She has a bachelor’s in business and had a former career as a commodity trader. We are thrilled that Patricia is now exploring her passion for nurturing children. While New Canaan has been Patricia’s home for over two decades, her husband and two sons are New Canaan natives. When she has free time, you will find her walking the trails of Waveny and Irwin with her Cockapoo named Lulu or on the tennis, paddle, or pickle ball courts.

Stefania Bopp

Stefania lives in New Canaan with her husband, three children and yellow lab named Lucy. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Lafayette College and a Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Education from NYU. Prior to having children, Stefania taught third grade in the Bronx. Stefania is no stranger to Toddlertime as two of her three children attended Toddlertime, and she worked here for a few years before staying home with her children for a bit. Now that they are older, Stefania is back to doing what she loves-teaching! She also loves to cook, read and spend time at the beach. She also is an active volunteer at St. Aloysius Church, Meals on Wheels and the New Canaan High School.

Emily Bova

Emily lives in New Canaan with her husband and three young children. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology, a Master’s Degree in Forensic Psychology, and a Certificate in Early Childhood Education. When Emily is not teaching, she is busy taking care of her many pets, including 2 cats, a cockatiel, a ball python, a leopard gecko, a tarantula, tadpoles/frogs and hermit crabs. Fun fact – She has been skydiving four times!

Jen Burns

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 is outdoors running, playing golf, tennis, and paddle. She has a sport for every season, and she excels at them all!

Diane Coleman

Having worked at Toddlertime since 1980, 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!

Maura Craig

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.

Michelle DiPanni

Michelle joins Toddlertime with 20+ years of experience supporting people with disabilities at STAR, Inc. and 7 years at West School as a Special Education Teaching Assistant. Born and raised in Greenwich, CT, she now lives in New Canaan with her husband, who is a New Canaan Fire Fighter, three grown children and her sweet Doodle named Bella. Self-described as “very competitive”, Michelle enjoys tennis and more recently playing bocce ball. Blessed to have lifelong girlfriends since kindergarten, she’s enjoys taking girls trips including one to Iceland where she went snowmobiling on a glacier. When not at the fire house, traveling, walking Bella at Irwin, or playing bocce, she enjoys cooking, gardening, and riding on the back of her husband’s Harley Davidson!

Nancy Ferullo

Nancy is the lead teacher in our 5’s program. She holds an Early Childhood Credential and a 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!

Lauren Guzda

Lauren lives in Norwalk with her twin boys, Zach and Tyler, and her husband. She studied elementary education at Sacred Heart University and has a passion for early learning. Lauren loves seeing a child’s face light up when they learn something new. Her philosophy is that each child is unique, learning at their own pace. On the weekends Lauren, her husband, Tim, and their boys can usually be found at their cabin in Vermont…. but, fun fact, she’s never been on skis! Lauren is also a big fan of Orange Theory and working out.

Pam Hollis

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 and flown, she started teaching at a preschool. 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.

Jackie Marini

Jackie Marini was born and raised in Norwalk where she still resides with her high school sweetheart, three children, and a dog named Brinley. After work, you can find Jackie driving her children to sports and cheering them on from the sidelines. When she isn’t being their biggest fan, she enjoys the beach (especially in Naples), making memories with family and friends, and anything to do with holidays. Jackie also enjoys volunteering and, in fact, it was volunteering at her children’s school that made her realize that she wanted to be a preschool teacher. We are thrilled that Jackie decided to follow her heart and become a teacher.

Lily McDonough

Lily, a native of New Canaan and proud Toddler-Time alum, now resides in Norwalk with her two beloved rescued cats. With a passion for art in all its forms—painting, drawing, and watercolor—she brings creativity to every classroom she enters. Lily has joyfully worked with children of all ages at Toddler Time, cherishing the unique qualities of each developmental stage. During summers, her happy place is Nantucket’s beaches, where she can often be found immersed in a good book.

Marnie Miller

Marnie 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. After moving to New Canaan with her husband and three daughters in 2007, Marnie decided it was time to get back into the classroom. In the summer she likes to hide away on an island off Maine.

Gretchen Russell

Gretchen grew up in New Canaan and returned to her hometown in 2005 to raise her family, which includes a Toddlertime alum. She graduated from St. Lawrence University with a B.A. in English Literature and embarked on a career as a marketing communications professional in NYC, where she met her Australian husband on his first day of work in the U.S. Gretchen is a dedicated mother to two grown boys and spent many years as a tireless NCPS volunteer, from PTC president to PFA Board Member and many positions in between, all while teaching CCD at St. Aloysius for nearly 15 years. Now an empty nester, Gretchen rejoined the Toddlertime family where she is known for her energy, creativity and humor. In her spare time, Gretchen loves to cook, spend time with her family and watch a good Rom-Com.

Kendall Smith

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.

Kate Stimpson

Kate and her husband John moved to New Canaan in 2008. She is mom to two boys, one girl, and two dogs: Dudley a black lab and Louie a golden retriever! She started her teaching career by subbing in different schools including Toddlertime and then joined us full time in 2021. Prior to teaching, Kate was a corporate lawyer in a China Practice Group and lived in Hong Kong and the People’s Republic of China for 13 years. She has a B.S. in Mandarin Chinese from Georgetown and a J.D. from Fordham University School of Law. In her spare time, she loves to read, ski, and play paddle!

Rachel Whitcomb

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.

We asked our teachers what makes Toddlertime different and this is what they said:

I feel that our curriculum is what differentiates Toddlertime from other schools. It’s dynamic, progressive, detailed, developmentally spot on, current yet rich in the history of early childhood education, incorporates up to date ELDS and CT Standards, creative and solidly built. I also feel that Toddlertime is different because of its parent friendly and flexible environment with multiple options and a willingness to try and meet a family need as it rises. I’d recommend Toddlertime for the curriculum and out of the box feel. I’d suggest to someone looking for a forward thinking, creative and developmentally on target educational experience for their child.

Nancy Ferullo, 5’s teacher, 10+ years at TTNS

One of the most unique things we do at Toddlertime is the student directed lesson planning. We follow what the children are interested in and go above and beyond planning lessons that are relevant and engaging.

Jen Burns, 3’s teacher, 5+ years at TTNS

One thing different about Toddlertime is that we document each standard for every child three times a year. Another difference is planning and outlining lesson plans every week in a very detailed way.

Cornelia Marder, 3’s teacher, 5+ years at TTNS

Toddlertime offers a truly rich learning experience with a very comprehensive and modern curriculum. We have a very professional staff who all work hard in weekly planning sessions. I also appreciate the focus on professional development. The sessions are always informative and I enjoy the experience of working as a team with my co-workers.

Amy Hopkins, 4+ years at TTNS

Our curriculum is guided by the Connecticut Early Learning and Development Standards. We encourage the children to use a higher order of thinking through topic investigations that interest them. We are proud to express that we work to develop the whole child- cognitive, social and emotional.

Diane Coleman, 2’s teacher, 35+ years at TTNS

The mission of Toddlertime’s educational program is to provide a foundation for success in life. With this goal in mind, we have been inspired by leaders of education, business, and health fields to create an educational program that not only prepares children for later success in school but also develops key skills which will serve children throughout life.

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23 Park Street
(In the Congregational Church)
New Canaan, CT 06840

(203) 972-3111 Phone

[email protected]