Staff & Teachers

Amanda Aceto

Amanda has been working with Friend Center’s I/T teams since 2014. She came to FCfC after graduating from Hamden Transitions Academy at Southern Connecticut State University. She is an accomplished equestrian and a 22-year member of the High Hopes Training Academy in Old Lyme. The beginning of the school year is most exciting for Amanda, as she loves seeing all the new faces and getting to know the children. Art projects are a favorite activity, and she is looking forward to continuing her collaboration with teachers in planning art curriculum.

Kayla “Andy” Anderson

Kayla A. (Andy) was born and raised in New York City, and moved to Connecticut three years ago. Andy has been working with kids since she was 16 years old and where she has found her passion. She loves to see kids smile, watch them grow into their individual selves, and be creative through art and storytelling. A fun thing Andy loves to do on weekends is build legos. Now, she is working on her goal to be a Program/Afterschool Director to have a place for advocacy and support for families in which she is excited to learn and grow within the FCfC community. 

Rondraya Barron

Rondraya Barron had the pleasure of being raised in both Jamaica and America. The passing of a young sibling in Jamaica has inspired and motivated Rondraya to pursue a career involving working with children. Currently residing in Bridgeport CT, Rondraya attended Bullard Havens Technical High-school taking up the Early Childcare Education trade. There Rondraya had her first interaction working with children in a classroom, gaining experience and developing a passion to help and put a smile on children’s and their families faces. Rondraya previously worked at Bright Horizons of Orange starting as a center support then becoming a toddler teacher. Wanting to reinforce her commitment to early childcare education she took a course earning her CDA(the Child Development Associate) credentials while working at BH. Recently Rondraya has worked as a paraprofessional with special needs children in public schools in the Bridgeport, Ansonia area. Building positive relationships with children, families and staff along with being open to new opportunities has resulted in Rondraya a part of the FCfC family.

Ken Beeman

Ken’s path to Facilities Management at Friends Center for Children has been long and varied. He is a Connecticut native but spent his post college years in the investment profession in Michigan and the Information Technology industry in Missouri. 20 years ago he came back to his home State to lead a family owned construction business. His vast experiences seem to have prepared him perfectly for Friends Center. He is excited for the opportunity to build and organize all physical and IT infrastructure aspects of this growing community. Outside of work, you can find Ken working with high schoolers as a Boy’s Varsity Basketball Coach, a passion for the sport he developed as a college player himself, spending time with his rambunctious new dog and enjoying time with his partner and her two college aged children.

Yolanda Belton

Yolanda Belton was born and raised in New Haven, CT. She has a Bachelor’s Degree from Eastern Connecticut State University. She has been working in the Early Childhood Education field for over 18 years. She comes from Yale New Haven Health Child Care Center. She started there as a Teacher Assistant and furthered her career into a Head Teacher. She’s very passionate and dedicated to being a part of children’s growth and development in every aspect. In Yolanda’s free time she enjoys traveling to gain new experiences, spending time with family and friends and reading.

Kristen Calderon

Kristen Calderon lives in New Haven and has a certificate from Gateway Community College in Community Health Work. She has several years of experience in a daycare setting, as well as working as a caseworker at a local non-profit. Kristen’s job as a caseworker inspired her to obtain  her associate’s degree in Early Childhood Education which she is still working towards. She strongly believes that strengthening our community and assisting vulnerable populations must start with children in these first few crucial years of their lives. She first discovered Friends Center as a parent 4 years ago, and was impressed with the focus on the whole child and emergent curriculum. Kristen has been working as a substitute and classroom support in all the classrooms since March 2018. During her free time, Kristen enjoys being in nature, spending time with her son, and playing with their pets.  She feels very honored to be able to continue to get to know the friends at FCFC.

Jan Childs

Jan Childs is an assistant teacher at Friends Center with more than 30 years of experience with infants and toddlers. Jan cared for children in her own home daycare for 27 years before she joined the Friends Center team in 2015. She is married and has two adult children, a son Cory and a daughter Abby. In her free time, she enjoys losing herself in a great book!

Johanna Colon Davila

Johanna is from Puerto Rico and has been in early childhood since 2017. Johanna holds a bachelor’s in Business Administration from Post University and is enrolled in a Master of Education program at Post University. Prior to joining Friend Center for Children, she worked at several established centers, including serving as Center Director of an accredited early childhood center in Connecticut. Johanna is the proud mother of two daughters who are the inspiration to continue providing the best service and care to all our children. Her hobbies are traveling and gardening. She feels so fortunate to be able to work with young children and their families. It has been an amazing journey! She finds it a blessing and a privilege to spend her days with all her children.

She believes children are our future, they deserve the best education and care and she would not change working with them for the world!

Aurora Coon

Aurora has always loved working with young children. As a teenager, her first job was babysitting, and she has continued to work at least part-time as a childcare provider ever since (18 years and counting!). Aurora earned her B.A. and Elementary Teaching certification from Dartmouth College, and her Master’s of Public Administration from the University of Pennsylvania. She has worked in diverse roles in education in Vermont, Philadelphia and New Haven, including teaching elementary school, leading nutrition education at multiple schools, directing after school and summer programs, and managing development and communications at an education-focused nonprofit. Aurora is thrilled to bring her passion and experience to FCfC’s amazing community! Outside of work, Aurora loves spending time with her family, friends and cats, being outside, making art, and trying new foods.

Justin Cross

 Justin Cross grew up in New Haven, CT. Going through the New Haven school system inspired him to give back to his community. When he attended college, Justin decided to pursue a degree in family therapy as it afforded him the opportunity to work with many different demographics. Justin joined the FCfC community with enthusiasm to explore the minds of children and develop communication and teaching skills with them. Justin is also pursuing a MS degree in Counseling and Human Services and looks forward to amassing more knowledge and experience through his studies and his time and Friends Center.

Fanya Cutler

Fanya Cutler has been an Early Childhood teacher of Pre-K/K for over 30 years in an inclusive school setting. She worked at a small emergent play-based nursery school for all of her years teaching. She currently holds a master’s degree in early childhood education from Mercy College.

Over the years, Fanya has designed and implemented emergent curriculum based on the interests and needs of her students. She has worked cooperatively with other teachers to create projects and lessons incorporating many forms of art-making, literacy, and STEM projects. She went to art school for her undergraduate degree. She believes that arts should be incorporated into the curriculum in the classroom because it is an important part of exploration and expression for children.

Fanya made the move from New York City to Connecticut recently to be closer to family.

Fanya is looking forward to living and teaching in New Haven, and is excited to begin her journey at Friends Center for Children!

Melody Davis

Melody Davis was born and raised in Waterbury, Ct. She has been in the ECE field for 11 years. She received her associates degree in Early Childhood Education from Naugatuck Valley Community College in 2015. She also has her head teachers certificate for ages birth-5 years old. Currently, she is going into her last semester at Charter Oak State College to obtain her bachelor’s degree in Child Studies. During her 11 years of teaching, she has been told that she does great with any ages, but she has grown a soft spot for infants and toddlers. Being a child’s first teacher is very rewarding. She loves watching how much infants/toddlers grow so quickly and knows that she helps them throughout the most important learning stages of their lives. Besides teaching, she has a passion for crafts and technology. She loves finding a cool DIY project to do during the weekends. She has a daughter named McKenzie, who has been with her at every center she has worked in since she was 6 weeks old. She will be going into 1st grade without her for the very first time. Melody hopes to make an impact on her students, their families, staff, and anyone else that she crosses paths with.

Patrick Doyle

Patrick is excited to gain experience working with the children of Friends Center as a Support Assistant volunteer in the Infant/Toddler classrooms. Additionally he will  assist with inventory needs. When he is not volunteering, Patrick enjoys serving as a Student Ambassador at Chapel Haven Schleifer Center. He also likes to travel.

Eleni Filintarakis

Eleni has worked in childcare since 2008. After receiving her associates degree in Early childhood education, she knew the next step would be her bachelor degree, which she completed in 2023. She has recently taken on crocheting in her spare time. She has been a head teacher for the last 8 years and is excited to bring her love, passion, and joy for early childcare to Friends Center!

Katherine Flores

Katherine Flores received her bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education from Charter Oak State College in 2016 and has accumulated 12 years of experience. During her childhood, Katherine lived with her mother and father in Honduras, and at 11 years old, moved to Connecticut. Coming from a foreign country, she developed a sense of community appreciation for education. Her experience began as a volunteer at her younger brother’s preschool, St. Francis and St. Rose of Lima. Her bilingual skills and her natural gifts for teaching earned her a promotion as an assistant teacher. In 2015, Katherine began her work at Friends Center for Children as a head teacher. Throughout her time at FCfC, Katherine has proven to be an efficient worker and determined to do her part in serving her community, all while developing a more deep-rooted passion for teaching. In 2020, Katherine expanded her role in supporting her community further as site director for FCfC’s Blake St. location. This year, Katherine is excited to join the Flint St. team and share her time in the classroom and the community as Infant Toddler Program Manager. Throughout her time at FCfC, Katherine shares with us her love of books, her love for her family, and her uplifting, humorous personality.

Monique Ford

Monique is a New Haven native and a Fair Haven resident all her life. She has more than 25 years experience in Early Childhood. She has held positions as a Teacher Assistant, a Teacher, a Head teacher, and most recently as a manger, who supported classrooms and managed infant/toddler teachers at YNHH Early Childhood Learning Center GS in New Haven, CT for 7 years before coming to Friends Center on Grand Avenue.

Monique has experience working in both the preschool and the infant/toddler classrooms. She began her career in Early Childhood Education while studying as an undergraduate at Marist College. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and majored in Social Work. Monique enjoys spending time with her sons, husband, and family watching movies, traveling when she can, and reading daily scriptures and affirmations. Two of her favorite Maya Angelou quotes that she lives by are, “At our best, we are teachers,” and “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.”

Crystal Gethers

Crystal Gethers was born and raised in New Haven, CT and grew up in daycare, as she grew older she realized she never talked about doing anything else other than working with children. Crystal has worked in the child care field with children of all ages for over 5 years at the very daycare she grew up in and loved it. Over the course of life Crystal left working in child care to pursue a different career and became unhappy. She realized  her true PASSION and PURPOSE is working with children. Crystal has finally decided to step out  to join the Early Childhood field and further her career. Crystal loves painting, skating, bowling, going to the movies and spending time with her friends and family during her free time. Crystal is excited and honored to be part of the Friends Center educators and prepare the young minds of the next generation.

Eric Gil

Eric Gil comes from Brooklyn, NY and grew up in the Dominican Republic. After 17 years away, he returned to the US at 18. His first language is Spanish, and he learned English through ESL programs. Right now, he’s studying at Southern Connecticut State University for his Bachelor’s degree in Bilingual Elementary Education. He is very excited to be part of the FCfC family. Eric enjoys sports, music, and spending time with friends and family. As a teacher, he wants to make learning fun and exciting for kids while helping them be nice and curious. He also aims to create a friendly classroom where each child feels joyful, safe, and ready to learn. After he finishes school, he hopes to use his language skills and love for teaching to make a good difference in the classroom.

Marianne Godfrey

Marianne came to Friends Center through her co-op role for her oldest granddaughter in 2009. She continued doing co-op for the next four years and then became a full-time employee when the program expanded in 2013. During the past seven years of working at Friends Center, Marianne has been involved with administrative support, admissions, office management and many financial responsibilities of the center. With a background in real estate and administrative service, Marianne brings a wide variety of skills to the administrative team. She is best known for her knitting projects and her love of her grandchildren. Marianne is excited to watch Friends Center continue to grow and see many more families experience the exceptional program where both her grandchildren thrived.

Patrice Harrison

Yeon Young Jeong

Yeong Young Jeong was born and spent her early childhood in South Korea. At the age of 13, she moved to the United States as an international student and has lived in various cities including Tyrone, PA, Chicago, IL, and New Haven, CT. With a passion for art, she pursued a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, with emphasis on Photography. Amidst her artistic pursuits, Yeon discovered a profound desire to impact young children through education. Now, she is transitioning her focus to early childhood education, driven by her love for children and a belief in the power of learning. Beyond her professional aspirations, Yeon finds peace in nature, often spending her free time camping, fishing, and hiking with her family.

Miriam Johnson Sutton

Miriam has a wealth of experience in the fields of education, mental health, and human services. She holds an Associate Degree in Early Childhood Education from Gateway Community College, as well as a Bachelor and Master Degree in Human Services from Albertus Magnus College. During her time at Clifford Beers Clinic, she gained critical knowledge of infant mental health and the understanding of how effective early intervention can be. This inspired her to seek an opportunity to serve the social/emotional needs of young children.

Miriam has 20 plus years of experience serving children and families throughout New Haven in various capacities. She is committed to providing high-quality services to children and families. As a former FCfC preschool parent, she is intimately familiar with our program. She loves contributing her professional and personal experiences to her role as Head of Programs. Miriam also enjoys gathering and spending time with family.

Valerie Laplume

Valerie Laplume was born in Westerly, Rhode Island but later moved to Groton, Connecticut, where she grew up. Five years ago, she moved to New Haven, CT. She’s grown to love the culture of the city and everything it has to offer. While in high school, Valerie played basketball and was the captain of her school’s field hockey team. She graduated from Gateway Community College with her associates in early childhood education, having taken courses such as “Health and Safety,” “Child, Family, School, and Community,” “Math and Science for Children,” and “Children’s Growth and Development.” These courses have helped to shape and show the love and appreciation she has for early education. While at Gateway, Valerie also took classes for exceptional learners. From these classes, she has learned how to interpret children’s feelings and how to create the positive school environment that children need. She is currently in the process of getting her Bachelors degree at Charter Oak Early Education Center. She loves teaching because she wants to make a difference by giving children a place to feel safe and loved, watch them grow and experience new things. She also can’t wait to share new information that she had learned. In addition, Valerie is also always looking for ways to improve her teaching. Outside of teaching, Valerie enjoys Arts and Crafts, Cooking, and Shopping. When she can, she also loves to spend time with her family, with whom she is very close.

Shantol Lee

Shantol L. was born and raised in Jamaica, and moved to the United States in 2016 as an international student, majoring in nursing. She has always had a passion for helping others and taking care of children. Shantol loves seeing children learn new things and the excitement that it brings. In the fall, she plans to enroll in Southern Connecticut State University’s nursing program. In her spare time, she loves listening to music, reading and spending time with her family. She is thrilled to be part of the FCFC community and feels it is a gift to help children explore the world around them.

Jessica Legere

In 2004, Jessica “Jessie” Legere graduated from the University of Connecticut with her Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education, and again in 2005 with her Master’s degree in Education. From there, she worked as a Kindergarten substitute before becoming a first-grade teacher! However, Jessie soon found out that teaching at the elementary level, while incredibly rewarding, wasn’t her true passion. Teaching preschool, however, was, and it was at that moment in 2006 that she began her journey in the field of early childhood education. Jessie has been both a preschool teacher and program Director, sharing her love for this field with countless fellow educators and families. During these years, she came to realize that what she valued most are programs that celebrate human connection, that support learning through play, creativity, and kindness, and that commit to on-going growth and professional development! Jessie believes in starting each day with positivity and mindfulness, in treating each interaction she has with others with respect and the intention to understand, and in learning something new each day. In her spare time, she enjoys hopping on her bike for a spin class, hiking and being around lots of trees, shopping for anything vintage, listening to music and attending concerts, reading- especially poetry, and spending time with her nephew, Bruin, eating peanut butter and having dance parties.

David Loosemore

Therese Luetzgendorf

Therese Luetzgendorf began working for Friends Center in 2013 as an assistant teacher with infants and toddlers. She obtained her bachelor’s degree in Social Work from Southern Connecticut State University and completed her master’s degree in Human Services from Albertus Magnus College in 2016. She then joined the Early Childhood RULER team as a research assistant at the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence. In 2018 she re-joined Friends Center as one of the Emotional Wellbeing Coordinators. Therese’s passion is to apply innovative and creative ways to support children and connect and build an empathetic community. In her free time, Therese enjoys hiking and traveling.

Puja Mansaram

Puja graduated with an Associate Degree in Early Childhood Education from Naugatuck Valley Community College, and is continuing her early childhood education at Southern Connecticut State University. Puja has a passion and love for working and teaching young children. She has 3 years of experience working with toddlers and preschoolers. In her spare time Puja enjoys yoga, hiking and spending time with her family and friends.

Puja believes, “Teaching kids to count is fine, but to teach kids what counts is best” – bob talbert

Kenshell Mitchell

Kenshell M. was born and raised in New Haven, CT and graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in psychology from Southern Connecticut State University. After several years of contemplating what career field she wanted to go in, she became a toddler teacher and working with children became a passion of hers. She loves teaching and molding the children in her care to become confident and kind. Nothing is better to her than knowing that her care, dedication, and interactions with your children will play a huge role in who they become. She is super excited to be a part of the FCfC community.

Melissa Pearson

Melissa was born and raised in New Haven, CT. Her desire to understand people for who they are led to her Bachelor’s of Psychology from the University of New Haven. After college, Melissa ran a successful licensed home daycare in Hamden and has also spent time as a teacher in a daycare center. Melissa found her true purpose in life is being able to encourage, motivate, and inspire others to be the best version of themselves.  She is excited to mesh both of her passions for providing quality child care to all children as well as supporting teachers and giving them a voice in her new role here at Friends Center. 

Leah Pepe

Leah P. was born and raised in Hamden, CT and has been part of the New Haven community her entire life. After a period working in corporate development and start ups, she started a small design business that allowed her creative side to flourish. Leah is thrilled to join the FCfc community where she looks forward to focusing on growth, development, events, and community collaboration. On the weekends Leah can usually be found needlepointing or out walking her dog!

Keila Perez

Keila Perez brings over 10 years of experience in early childhood education to her role as assistant teacher at Friends Center.  Her daughter Alexa attended Friends Center for preschool and has moved on to Kindergarten.  She was born and raised in New York and attended Borough Manhattan Community College where she graduated with an Associate Degree in Early Childhood Education. During her time in college, she worked for organizations, such as Boys Scouts of America and Children’s Aid, where she developed leadership skills as she helped young adults and young children build character.  She is currently pursuing a Bachelor Degree in Early Childhood Education.  Keila has a passion for children and education, especially the individual learning process of each child.

Paris Pierce

Paris joined Friends Center’s preschool program as a support teacher in January of 2019.  Previously, she worked in early childhood for two years and developed a deep passion for it. Paris enjoys helping children learn in new ways and being a part of breakthroughs in their development. She recently moved back to Connecticut from Ohio, where she started her childcare journey. She has two beautiful children, Londyn and Ryan who keep her on her toes at all times.  Ryan attends Friends Center and will be entering our preschool classroom this year.

Zaima Ramirez

Zaima Ramirez was born and raised in Puerto Rico and moved to Connecticut at the age of 21. She has been working in the early childhood field for 20 years. She currently holds a Bachelor’s degree in early childhood education. Zaima has one daughter and one son. She and her husband own a food truck where they sell Puerto Rican street food. Zaima loves traveling to Puerto Rico to see her family and friends. She enjoys teaching and watching children learn and grow. Zaima is excited to be a part of Friends Center for Children.

Karina Rojas

Karina came to our beautiful country in 2015 with her husband and son. Karina was born in Maracay-Venezuela and obtained a degree in Administration and Accounting in her country. Karina left the numbers and calculators to dedicate herself to doing what she likes to do with her vocation, and that is working with children. Five years ago Karina began this adventure of preparing herself at a professional level to give the best of  herself  to children, at the same time she started as a volunteer and quickly became employed in centers accredited by NAEYC. Karina obtained her CDA in 2016 and is currently studying for her Bachelor of Early Childhood Education. Proudly Hispanic, Karina enjoys offering children an additional foundation in a second language. In Karinas free time photography is her passion, she likes to capture the best angle of the places she visits.

Allyx Schiavone

Allyx Schiavone is the driving force behind Friends Center for Children’s rapid growth and innovation. Under her leadership as Executive Director since 2009, Friends Center has grown to three locations across New Haven and serves as a national model for what is possible in transforming a national childcare system that is underfunded and overburdened. Allyx is a passionate advocate for access and equity in early care and education, committed to advancing educators’ compensation and well-being. 

To address the childcare crisis, Allyx has developed several initiatives at Friends Center that serve as a model to the early care and education industry nationwide. Under her leadership, the organization has established programs to supplement teacher salaries and provide holistic support to staff, parents, and children. In 2014, Friends Center launched its Emotional Wellbeing Program which prioritizes the wellbeing of the adults caring for the community’s children. Under Allyx’s leadership, Friends Center established its Teacher Leadership Program, a paid professional learning opportunity for its educators, designed to disrupt systems of marginalization by creating space for educators to nurture their leadership abilities and prepare them to advance to the role of head teacher.

In the midst of the pandemic in 2020, Allyx launched Friends Center’s innovative Free Teacher Housing Initiative, a first-of-its-kind program that offers eligible teachers free housing as a salaried benefit to help them build financial security. The program has been featured by The New York Times, CBS Sunday Morning and Univision. Allyx partnered with the Yale School of Architecture’s Jim Vlock First Year Building Project to design and build family homes for the initiative. 

As an expert in early childhood development and elementary education, Allyx is an experienced author of curricula for preschool, elementary and high school students with an emphasis on multidisciplinary studies. She has served as a teacher and administrator in Connecticut and New York schools.

A third-generation New Haven native, Allyx has 25 years of experience in mixed-use commercial and residential development and management. She is responsible for founding six successful businesses and four non-profit entities to date, including two summer programs for children in New York.

Allyx serves as co-chair of Child Care for Connecticut’s Future, a non-partisan coalition representing parents, providers, business leaders, advocates, and community leaders who want to transform how early care and education is funded in Connecticut. In that role, in 2020, she helped launch the now annual Morning Without Child Care across the state, which inspired an annual national Day Without Child Care. 

She currently serves as a member of the National Ideal Learning Roundtable, a group of early childhood education experts who work collectively toward equitable expansion of ideal learning for underserved young children, families, and communities; the mayoral-appointed New Haven Early Childhood Council; and the External Stakeholders Steering Committee for the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood (OEC), to which she was appointed by OEC Commissioner Beth Bye. She is a recipient of the Bank Street College of Education Alumni Association Recognition Award, presented annually to Bank Street graduates honoring outstanding career accomplishments in the field of education that exemplify the spirit and philosophy of Bank Street College; the Southern Black Nurses Association Community Service Award; the Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce’s Nonprofit Stars Align Award; the Amity Club Distinguished Italian-American Lifetime Achievement Award; Exchange Magazine’s Master Leader award; and the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence’s Marvin Maurer Spotlight Award. Under Allyx’s leadership, Friends Center for Children was recognized with the 2024 Yale University Seton Elm-Ivy Award.

Allyx is a member of the National Association for the Education of Young Children and is a former board member of Connecticut Voices for Children; appointee to the Mayor’s Blue Ribbon Commission on Reading; leader of the William Caspar Graustein Memorial Fund Community Leadership Program; and co-founder of the Quinnipiac River Community Group. She holds dual Master’s degrees from Bank Street College of Education in Early Childhood Development and Elementary Education and a Bachelor’s degree from Union College. 

Allyx is the mother of two amazing adult children and lives in New Haven with her partner and their dog, Tuck.

Mara Schick

Mara was born and raised here in Connecticut.  She is currently a resident of New Haven where she has lived for the past 10 years.  She received her undergraduate degree in Elementary education and her master’s degree in Special Education at Assumption College in Worcester, MA.  She has been a special education teacher in Bridgeport working with students with Autism.  She found FCfC when looking for a place for her son to learn and develop while at work.  She was a part of the FCfC team last summer as an intern and is thrilled to be able to have a more permanent place with the community for the upcoming year!

Virginia Sharene

Virginia Sharene has been an assistant teacher at Friends Center since 2015.  In August of 2020, Virginia moved into the role of Infant/Toddler Co-Head Teacher.  She is a graduate of Gateway Community College, where she earned her associate’s degree in Early Childhood Education, earning High Honors in Academic Achievement and induction into Phi Theta Kappa. While attending school, Virginia worked at the Early Learning Center at Gateway as a classroom assistant. Virginia’s love of teaching stems from encouraging her own three children to explore, create and have fun in learning. Virginia enjoys spending time with her husband and children, especially in performing music, culinary arts, games, nature and photography. Virginia is very humbled and proud to be a member of the Friends Center family.

Valerie Shaw

Val Shaw has been a part of the Friends Center community since 2013. Val has attended Charter Oak college for early childhood education, and has been working in the early childhood education field for over 20 years. She was inspired to open and operate her own home daycare for 15 years. Her passion in teaching young children is evident, in her calm and nurturing interactions with children. Through research, Val discovered the benefits of incorporating American Sign Language in the classroom environment. She is certified in ASL and her goal is to become a certified interpreter in ASL.

Val is delighted to be a part of the community, where she continues to help our youngest friends at Friends Center flourish!

Tanya Shively

Tanya Shively comes to Friends Center from a diverse international background. Born in Hong Kong, where she received her primary school education, Tanya attended secondary school in England, before settling in the United States as a young adult. She has also lived in Australia and Canada, and feels most at home among an international group. Partially for that reason, she manages a group of au pairs and families in Trumbull, Connecticut, where she resides with her husband and two children. Tanya holds a Bachelor of Music in Composition from the University of the Pacific and a Master of Music from the Hartt School, University of Hartford. Although not actively performing, she stays involved with musical organizations in the area through administration and arranges musical scores on a regular basis. Classical music continues to be her deepest passion. Tanya owned and operated a gourmet sandwich shop and caterer called The Sandwich Maestro that has a classical musical theme located in Stamford for 20 years which she sold in December 2017. She considers herself a foodie. Cooking, entertaining and going to different restaurants are some of her favorite pastimes.

Rachel Sotland

Rachel has been at Friends Center for one year serving as a flexible Support Assistant to both infant/toddler and preschool. She previously spent 3 years working with preschoolers and helping them to learn their primary skills. Rachel has completed all of her CDA education and training (Child Development Associate).  She is very intuitive towards children’s feelings and has a special ability to understand and connect with them. Working at Friends Center for Children has allowed her to continue to work with them on their development. Her hobbies include Tae Kwon Do, bowling, puzzles and running Spartan races.

Aundrea Tabbs-Smith

Aundrea attended Temple University where she obtained a bachelor’s in Early and Elementary Education and later earned her master’s in Special Education from Bank Street College of Education in Manhattan. Reflecting on her experiences in middle and high school, as the only or one of a handful of students of color, she published her first book in 2018, learning that even though others may not see our value we have a purpose. Aundrea wrote “For the Quiet Black Girl Trying to Find Her Voice in a Predominately White Space” for little girls like her who needed the reminder that they matter. Her second book is a picture book published in May of 2024 titled, “Never Too Much”, which highlights the importance of self-confidence while taking a look at the words people say that may make us question ourselves.

Aundrea was a classroom teacher at Rye Country Day School for 12 years — teaching 1st, 3rd, and 4th grade and was the Lower School Diversity Coordinator and a member of the Social Justice Committee. Throughout her teaching career, it has been her mission to not only educate the minds of her students but also enrich their souls. After leaving the classroom she was Director of Admissions for an independent school in Stamford, CT for two years. Aundrea enjoys being a part of the Emotional Well-being team, working together to liberate and empower families, educators and children.

Rathana Touch

Rathana was born in Cambodia and moved to the USA in 1992. She has lived in Bridgeport for the majority of the time, but recently moved to East Haven. She has been in the early childhood field for 14 years and has been in the education field for 17 years. Rathana loves working with children and watching them get excited about learning and playing. She currently holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology. Rathana loves spending time with her family, especially her nephew, Jace, and being outdoors.

Kristina Valente

Kristina joined the Friends Center community in August of 2018 and brought with her 10 years of experience working with children ages preschool through 5th grade. Preschool has become her favorite age group to work with because of the ages’ significant potential for growth and development. Kristina holds a bachelor’s degree in English and a master’s degree in Education from Southern Connecticut State University.

Kristina loves gardening, cooking with her husband, Michael, and playing with their dogs Poppy, Tasha, Pippa, Rosie, Marley and Taco.