Llama House Team (Ages 3 -5 years)

Alissa grew up in Shaker Heights, Ohio. She has a BA from Tufts University and a MSW from Boston University School of Social Work. She and her husband moved to Oak Park in 1993 and have two sons (22 and 19) and a daughter (16) . Alissa worked as a Family Support Specialist at Parc Early Intervention Program serving children ages 0-3 years with developmental delays/disabilities and their families. She was lead teacher for 6 years in the 2-year-old classroom at Pilgrim Community Nursery School. She joined OP Friends School in 2017.  Alissa has also interned/volunteered in a variety of settings with children including a music therapy program, Sunday school, a Waldorfschule in Germany, Tufts University's Educational Day Care Center, a children's rehabilitation hospital, and a therapeutic day school. In her free time, Alissa loves to read, knit, sew, play piano and travel the world.

Kathy grew up right here in Oak Park! Her educational background is in Early Childhood Education and Therapeutic Recreation. She has over 20 years experience working in a variety of early childhood settings including Maryville’s Crisis Nursery, Parenthesis (now part of New Moms), and, most recently, for 8 years at Pilgrim Community Nursery School where she worked in a number of different classrooms with children ages 2-6 years. Kathy joined OP Friends in 2019. Her Early Childhood philosophy is to meet children where they are at cognitively, emotionally, and socially. She feels it is vital that each child and family sees themselves reflected in the classroom. Being part of a multi-racial family herself has made Kathy feel even more passionately about this. Kathy lives in Forest Park with her husband and 4 grown-ish children. In her free time, she enjoys reading, crafts, and watching movies.