 Lead Infant Teacher - Shirley Figaro
Shirley Figaro is the type of person everyone dreams of taking care of their newborn. Her eye for detail and desire to meet the needs of others is unbelievable. Shirley will greet you with a smile every morning and be ready to meet the needs of your infant. Shirley is originally from Trinidad where she raised her family. After visiting her daughter here in Atlanta in 1997 she fell in love and decided to stay. She started working in a preschool setting in 1998 where she quickly formed the belief that children especially infants need to be in a loving and caring environment. She also believes that every child’s needs should be adequately met if they are to reach their developmental goals. Shirley continually attends training relating to the development of infants and toddlers. Shirley is married and has two daughters. She enjoys reading, cooking and traveling in her spare time. |
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 Infant Teacher - B.J. Dickerson
Brenda Dickerson or B.J. as she is known at Kids R Kids has been working in preschool for over twenty five years. Her love for infants is amazing to see. B.J. enjoys being part of every child’s life. She loves watching them develop and grow. B.J. spends time with the infant’s everyday reading with them and exposing them to many different forms of language by implementing the CITA accredited Kids R Kids curriculum. B.J. also works with her co-teachers and parents to make sure the needs of each individual infant is being met socially, emotionally, and physically. We love having B.J. as part of our infant room staff and could not imagine the room running as smoothly if she were not with us. While not at work B.J. enjoys traveling, curling up with a good book, and shopping. |
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 Infant Teacher - Laxmi Kodurs
Laxmi Kodurs joined Kids R Kids in March of 2009. Prior to joining us Laxmi worked at a local preschool for three years and ran her own in home preschool teaching infants-three year olds. Laxmi grew up in India where she attended school and earned her Bachelor’s degree in Commerce. Upon arriving in the states Laxmi started to help a friend with her children. During this time she realized she loved watching children grow and learn. Laxmi also realized that there is a need for loving, caring teachers no matter where you are. Laxmi believes that a child should feel safe, loved, and respected in their environment and when they do, they have some of the greatest opportunities to grow and develop. In our infant room Laxmi adds peace of mind to new parents helping them to feel safe and respected. She listens to the parents and informs them daily of the development of their child. Laxmi works great as a team with Shirley and BJ by implementing the CITA accredited Kids R Kids curriculum. Laxmi loves to see the children accomplish milestones in their development and takes pride in the fact that she was part of the accomplishment. In her spare time Laxmi loves to garden sew and travel to her home in India. |
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 Infant 2 Teacher - Nicole Axlen
Nicole Axlen joined our team here at Kids R Kids in January of 2009. Nicole started her career in preschool in 2004 working part time at a local preschool. Upon completing High School Nicole realized her love of children and the positive impact she could make on their lives would be to important to ignore. Nicole’s goal would be to earn her degree in Early Childhood Education and to become a Kindergarten teacher. Until then she feels rewarded caring and teaching in our infant classroom. Nicole works alongside Hend planning activities and learning opportunities using Kids R Kids curriculum. Nicole believes children learn best through hands on experiences and positive peer and teacher interactions. Nicole would rather be on the floor reading, singing and talking with the children. Away from work Nicole plays basketball, walks for three dogs, or hangs out with family and friends. |
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 Lead Toddler Teacher - Kenya Williams
Kenya Williams has been teaching children since 1995. Her experience ranges from toddlers to Pre-K. Kenya joined our team in the fall of 2006. Her love for toddlers showed immediately. Her eye for detail and commitment to the parents is outstanding. Kenya has gained a wealth of knowledge in our toddler classroom working with the Kids R Kids curriculum and now applies this in our two year old classroom. Kenya feels strongly about the importance of learning at an early age and strives daily to challenge the children in her care. Ms. Kenya still believes that toddlers and two year olds need to build their vocabulary skills by socializing with others. She helps them to learn these skills by allowing the children to explore new topics of interest and the world around them. Kenya is constantly talking and interacting with the children to promote language development. She will ask them several questions and encourage them to answer by pointing and using their new words. When not at work, Kenya loves to play with her son Mycheal, reading or just relaxing
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 Toddler Teacher - Vanessa Robinson
Vanessa Robinson joined the Kids R Kids team in the winter 2007 where she assisted all age groups. In the fall of 2007 Vanessa became one of our toddler 1 teachers. In 2008, Vanessa completed her certified medical assistants’ degree. With her background in medicine and understanding of child development Vanessa makes a strong toddler teacher. She is committed to the children in her care and believes children should have fun while learning. Vanessa loves being on the floor interacting and teaching the children. Vanessa’s favorite activity is circle time for she enjoys singing, reading stories and building the children’s vocabulary. Together, Vanessa and Kenya implement the Kids R Kids curriculum exposing the toddlers to all forms of language through literature, sign language, music, and vocabulary. Outside of work Vanessa loves traveling with her husband, scrapbooking, and socializing with family and friends. |
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 Lead Toddler 2 Teacher - Beverly Smith
Beverly Smith has been working with children since 1981. Beverly has had the privilege to work with several age groups ranging from infants to three year olds. Before joining the staff here at Kids R Kids, Beverly enjoyed working at an in-home daycare and a church pre-school program. Both these programs were rewarding and taught her a lot about how children learn and develop. Beverly realized the most important skill you can offer to any age child that will help them to flourish is love. When a child feels they are loved and appreciated they will be willing to try new things for they feel safe and secure in their surroundings. Beverly applies this philosophy will implementing the Kids R Kids curriculum that promotes learning through real world experiences. Beverly loves to interact with the children at their level. There is not a day that goes by you don’t see her on the floor singing, reading and socializing with the class. Beverly is very active outside of work where she enjoys volunteering at her church, spending time with her children and grandchildren, and relaxing while doing puzzles and crosswords. |
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 Two Year Old Lead Teacher - Debi Judge
Debi Judge began working with children in 1996. Debi loved working with two year olds for five years. When her daughter started elementary school she decided to seek a profession in the real estate field. This allowed her to be availability for her daughter flexible schedule. Recently Debi realized that her happiest time was when she was working with children. Debi started with Kids R Kids in September of 2009. Debi has made a wonderful addition to our two year old classroom. Debi believes that each child has their own level of learning. By listening and observing each child you are able to adapt lesson plans to meet individual needs. Debi loves to be down at the children’s levels. You will find Debi in circle dressed in silly hats, using different voices and surrounded by children. Debi also works closely with each parent in regards to potty training. She uses positive motivation, songs and games to help the children understand the importance of becoming potty trained. Debi favorite past time when not at work is photography. Debi also has daughter who is involved in volleyball and a husband that loves football. Debi can be found on the weekend at some of the local sporting events. |
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 Two Year Old Lead Teacher - Yasmin Lodhi
Yasmin Lodhi has been teaching children since 1987. Yasmin started her career in Pakistan. While living in Pakistan, Yasmin also received her Bachelor in Philosophy. In 1992 Yasmin moved to the United States where she took time off to raise her children and grandchildren. In 2001 she was employed at another local preschool. During this time she ran a two year old classroom and effectively helped the school become NAEYC accredited. Yasmin now brings this knowledge of teaching to Kids R Kids. Yasmin’s hands-on approach with the children is an asset to our program for it allows the children to explore the world around them. Yasmin believes the children deserve to be loved and treated with honesty for this helps them to grow into independent thinkers. Yasmin says that she is very fortunate to be able to nurture the future of our nation. Outside of work Yasmin enjoys reading, scrapbooking and spending time with her grandchildren. |
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 Two Year Old Teacher - Johanna Diaz
Johanna Diaz has been caring for children since 1999. Her experience ranges with children 6 months – 6 years. Teaching has always been a desire of Johanna’s. She is currently working on her Early Childhood Education associates (CDA) and will graduate in December 2009. Johanna is specializing in the infant/toddler with a minor in special education. Johanna believes that children learn best through play. As an educator she implements age appropriate materials that interest the children. Johanna is quick to adjust for each child’s needs. She states what works for one child might not interest another. Being able to meet each child individually is what it is all about. Johanna enjoys talking with the children hearing how they see the world and listens to their needs. Outside of work Johanna enjoys photography and working on cars. |
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 Lead Preschool Teacher - Precious White
Precious White has been teaching preschool since 2003. She joined our team in August 2007. Precious’ daily responsibilities in our three year old classroom consist of effectively running the Kids R Kids Curriculum. Precious enjoys exposing the children in her care to new topics through hands on exploration. The children enjoy interacting with Mrs. Precious for she treats the children with respect and love. Precious enjoys being creative with the children you could find her paint a mural, making play dough or helping the children use their imagination to understand the world around them. Precious communicates with the parents on a daily basis face to face and through written communication. She plans to return to school to further her education. When not at work Precious enjoys spending quality time with her son. She believes close family bonds are important in a child’s life. |
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 Lead Preschool Teacher - Ann Randolph
Ann Randolph has been teaching in a preschool setting since 1992. Ann has received her Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Education from the University of Georgia. This degree has provided Ann the skills needed to prepare children for a successful time in school. Mrs. Ann is a mother of two grown children and a grandmother of three wonderful grandchildren. Ann took time off to raise her children and to be actively involved in their education. As they got older, she realized the importance of having quality teachers teaching our children. At that time she decided to return to her calling and joined the Kids R Kids family. She thinks that her philosophy about teaching is simple, learning should be fun and exciting children learn best through play and repetition. Mrs. Ann is devoted to the children and spends much of her free time preparing for the next activity. One of the activities that you might see Mrs. Ann teaching on the playground is about the planets. She will draw with chalk a life size orbit for each planet around the sun. Then have the children pretend to be the planets. She will teach them how fast they move and in what direction. She will also introduce specific facts about each planet. The children love this game for it gets them up and involved in the learning process. When not thinking about her classroom Ann enjoys playing tennis, gardening, jigsaw puzzles and visiting with her grandchildren. |
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 Lead Private Pre-Kindergarten Teacher - Melan Blaize
Melan Blaize attended Hunter College where she received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Sociology and Early Childhood Education. We are very fortunate to have Melan as part of our team here at Kids R Kids for she brings consistency and compassion to our Private Pre-Kindergarten Program. After graduating, Melan taught pre-kindergarten in Pennsylvania where she gained the knowledge that children develop cognitively, socially and emotionally. Melan believes if she provides a loving, nurturing environment where children are playing and interacting with their peers, their developmental need will be adequately met. Melan is rewarded by the presence of happy faces and children’s eagerness to learn and blossom into independent, well rounded individuals. When Melan is not at work, she enjoys spending time with her loving husband and children, decorating her home, and traveling to new places. |
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