Birch Team (Ages 3 -4years)

Crystal is currently attending school to obtain her Associates in Early Childhood
Education. Crystal’s experience with children includes volunteering as a tutor for 6–10-year-old
children, she also worked with toddlers at a Montessori school as an assistant. Crystal has been at OPFS since January 2021 and is loving her time here so far. Crystal loves doing arts and crafts with the children and reading books. In her free time Crystal likes gardening, reading and learning about different cultures and languages.

Hi everyone! I recently moved to Oak Park from Champaign where I attended the University of Illinois and earned my bachelor’s degree in Human Development and Family Studies. During my time in school, I learned so much about child development and I even had the opportunity to work as a student assistant in a preschool classroom which is where my passion for early childhood education blossomed. Now, I couldn’t see myself doing anything else! In my free time, I like to go on nature walks, watch movies, and spend time with my friends and family. I am so excited to start my adventure here at OPFS and so excited to get to know the kiddos (and all of you)! 

 I was born and raised in Chicago in a bilingual (French and English) and artistic household. I attended a French international school in that allowed me to travel to many places around the world! I moved to Oak Park in 2017 to attend Concordia University Chicago, I graduated in 2023 with a degree in Sociology and a minor in Psychology. I have worked in childcare for the past 9 years and have grown and learned so much from it.

Ursula joined OPFS in the Spring of 2021. She has been working in early childhood education since 2018, with children from six weeks to five years old. Ursula has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and holds a deep interest in prevention-based mental health care for children. Her teaching philosophy includes applying this to play-based education practices. In her free time, Ursula enjoys creating art and spending time in nature. She is very happy to be a part of the OPFS community!

Matt has been working at Oak Park Friends since the summer of 2017 in the afterschool program. He most recently has been working as a teacher with the OPFS Kindergarten. He enjoys playing basketball, hanging out with friends and family, as well as working out in his free time. In May of 2022 he earned his Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education from Concordia University Chicago.