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Michelle Vorndran (1 year old room)
Michelle is our newest teacher this year, but this is not her first time at Parents’ Place. She moved to Morgantown eight years ago and upon recommendation she joined our preschool with her two daughters. For the past eight years she has spent her time raising her daughters and ten years before this she was an elementary school teacher. In the last year she has been a substitute teacher for area preschools, including Parents’ Place and volunteering at the Cheat Lake Library. We want to welcome Michelle back and are excited to have her as a teacher.
Ruth Stockwell (18 month to2 year old room)
Teaching children has been an important part of my life for over fifteen years. Although my formal training was not in education, I have been actively involved with teaching Sunday School and Vacation Bible School at the First Christian Church since 1975, where I taught 2, 3 and 4 year olds, kindergarten and first graders. While raising my three daughters, I kept busy volunteering with the Public School System. I organized a read aloud program among other activities. I've taught children's classes for MAC and have been teaching Parents' Place for 15 years. My most important experience with children, however, is in raising our now grown daughters.
All of this experience in working with children will enable me to better provide your child with a place where they will feel comfortable to socialize and learn. All of my activities are very flexible and geared to the 1 and 2 year olds. We will have fun playing together, reading stories, singing action songs and making something special every day. Our theme will vary from day to day, however, I will maintain a somewhat routine schedule.
Yumiko
Wilson (2 to 3 year old room)
I will provide opportunities for your children to explore! I studied
Children's Education at Toyoko Seitoku College and received a Teaching
Degree. I then taught kindergarten in Toyoko, Japan. I also taught
kindergarten as a teacher's aide in Washington State. While I was
living in Houston, Texas, I taught the 2 and 3 year olds at church
school for a few years. When I moved to Morgantown, I enrolled in the
Early Education Program at WVU and studied for an additional year and a
half. For the past few years, I have been involved in the development
and preparation of a Japanese Language Program for elementary schools
in Monongalia County. I have also been teaching with the WVU's Special
Education Summer Program, Summer Fest. My association with Parents'
Place began as a member (mother of three) and this will be my 15th year
on the teaching staff.
In class, I try to provide a secure and loving environment where children can enjoy new experiences and their associations with others. Some time each day is spent with structured activities involving art, music, story or movement. The children are encouraged to become involved with these activities, however, I believe free-play activity is still of great value to children this age.
Heather Swanger (3 to 4 year old room)Heather has been a stay-at-home mom to her daughter for the past six years. During that time, she and her daughter attended a parent/child program that has similarities to Parents' Place. She has a masters degree in social work and hopes to pursue a masters degree in special education part-time in the evenings. Now that her daughter is in school, she is excited to be teaching at Parents' Place. She brings a lot of great ideas for fun times in the 3 to 4 year old room.
Kris Kilwein (4 to 5 year old room)
This is my second year formally teaching at Parents' Place. I grew up in Bethel Park, PA, and moved to Morgantown in 1991 when my husband accepted a teaching position at WVU. I am a mother of five children and attended Parents' Place as a member of the board for sixteen years. I have been a frequent substitute teacher for all the classrooms and have also provided daycare in my home for several families.
I look forward to providing your children with the same wonderful and fun, learning environment that my children experienced when they attended Parents' Place. At this age, I would like to emphasize pre-K skills, such as number and letter recognition, name writing and beginning sounds. I also believe that children at this age need plenty of opportunities for free play and creativity.
Phone: 304-225-1145
Address: PO Box 1307, Morgantown, WV. 26507
Email: [email protected]