Kiddie Academy^® of Henderson

We can't wait to meet you

• Brittany Kendall, Academy Director

  

  Brittany started with Kiddie Academy as the Infant Room Teacher when the academy first opened its doors is 2015. She is a...   Read More

  Brittany Kendall, Academy Director

  Brittany started with Kiddie Academy as the Infant Room Teacher when the academy first opened its doors is 2015. She is a mother of three girls, is engaged to her best friend of 20 years, and has been working in Child Care since she was 17 years old. Brittany's passion and enthusiasm helped her to grow within the company. Instead of staying inside the box, she chose to branch out and make connections with all our families. She emphasizes her beliefs of the importance of creating a safe and loving environment, so our students feel as if they are visiting their "home away from home." She is currently finishing her Bachelor’s degree in Educational Studies and plans to pursue her Master’s degree in Early Childhood Education following her graduation. Aside from her devotion to early education and development, she also enjoys creative hobbies. Her favorite past-times are reading, crochet and fashion merchandising and design which she also has a diploma in. While she has an extensive background in childcare and education, she believes that her journey at Kiddie Academy is what truly ignited her passion for the Early Childhood Education field. The beauty of truly meeting the students in their development and helping them to grow and learn by the power of their own choices inspired her to train in multiple areas of center-based curriculum. Her journey with Kiddie Academy has consisted of teaching, coaching, curriculum planning, and even training other team members on the quality standards of NAEYC as well as how to meet and maintain those expectations in their classroom. After taking a brief break to focus on school, she is ecstatic to be back home at Kiddie Academy and cannot wait to see what surprises are in store and where her journey will take her as she continues to grow and build lasting connections with everyone, family, student, and staff at Kiddie Academy of Henderson. A fun fact about her is that she is a HUGE Harry Potter fan and still enjoys the books and movies.

• Elesa Griffith, Assistant Director

  

  Hello, My name is Elesa. I’m 31 years old. I’m happily married and have a 5 year old daughter. I grew up...   Read More

  Elesa Griffith, Assistant Director

  Hello, My name is Elesa. I’m 31 years old. I’m happily married and have a 5 year old daughter. I grew up in the Green Valley area of Henderson, Nevada. I have lived in the Las Vegas valley for 18 years with my family. I have worked in the early childhood field since 2014. My experience comes from being an assistant teacher, resource teacher, and lead teacher. I began my career as a two’s assistant teacher and from there I became a lead toddler teacher and worked my way up to a PreK lead teacher. Working with children has always been a passion of mine. Watching them develop everyday and learn new skills brings me so much joy and happiness. As an educator, you can never stop learning. Some of my favorites include Mexican food, Thai food, and Raising Canes. One fun fact about me is that I was born in Hawaii. I love any kind of iced coffee and Diet Dr. Pepper. My favorite color is purple. I enjoy watching the food network channel and anything 90’s related. Some of my hobbies include baking, hiking, photography and podcasting. I’m excited to join the Kiddie Academy family and look forward to working with everyone!

• Michelle Wennerberg, Regional Director

  

  Michelle Wennerberg earned her bachelor’s degree in social science with a concentration on education, and is working on her master’s in special...   Read More

  Michelle Wennerberg, Regional Director

  Michelle Wennerberg earned her bachelor’s degree in social science with a concentration on education, and is working on her master’s in special education. She has worked in childcare for twelve years, and held the position as Director at the Kiddie Academy of Glendora. A native of Miami, Florida, she now lives in Las Vegas with her husband and two sons. She is passionate about education and is excited to connect with Henderson families and help foster a lifelong love for learning in the local community.

• Cecelia Brennen, Culinary Expert

  

    Cecilia has been working in a kitchen for childcare facilities for twenty years.  Her favorite thing about working for Kiddie Academy...   Read More

  Cecelia Brennen, Culinary Expert

    Cecilia has been working in a kitchen for childcare facilities for twenty years.  Her favorite thing about working for Kiddie Academy is cooking for the children and hearing that the children are excited to eat when she walks in with the prepared meals. She also loves to hear each of the children tell her stories.  Cecilia loves to spend her free time with her two children, Richard and Adrianna.  Her favorite color is red and loves to eat shrimp cocktails, Chinese food, pizza, Mexican food, and Filipino food.  

• Nannette “Nettie” Barba, Kangaroos Teacher

  

    Nettie has worked in childcare for over twenty years from home daycare to center based learning facility.  She loves teaching toddlers...   Read More

  Nannette “Nettie” Barba, Kangaroos Teacher

    Nettie has worked in childcare for over twenty years from home daycare to center based learning facility.  She loves teaching toddlers and watching them learn new things, and watching their eyes light up.  Nettie enjoys working for Kiddie Academy because of the awesome teamwork and positive work environment.  On her own time, she enjoys hiking, crafts, baking, and spending time with her family. Nettie has three sons of her own, and one black lab named Luke. She likes to eat salads, Mexican, Asian, and Italian food.  Something you may not know about her is she is a patient, passionate, and caring person. She also has a very big family on her mom’s side. (Over 80 plus cousins and counting).  

• Maribelle Manankil, Classroom Coordinator

  

  My name is Ms. Maribelle. I grew up in the Philippines, and matriculated to the United States in 1986. I attended college...   Read More

  Maribelle Manankil, Classroom Coordinator

  My name is Ms. Maribelle. I grew up in the Philippines, and matriculated to the United States in 1986. I attended college in California in the medical field. I am married with three awesome children and one adorable grandson. I have been working with children, mostly infant and toddlers, since 2012, as a Lead teacher. My favorite part of teaching is getting to know each child by making meaningful connections. I am currently working at Kiddie Academy of Henderson and it has been a pleasure to work with my director, assistant director, co-teachers, and the owners. I encourage all of our families to be an integral part of the learning experience in our classrooms, here at Kiddie Academy!

• Chelsey Mcnees, Academy Floor Manager

  

    Chelsey has earned her Bachelor’s in Business and Music and is currently working on a degree in Early Childhood Education.  Chelsey...   Read More

  Chelsey Mcnees, Academy Floor Manager

    Chelsey has earned her Bachelor’s in Business and Music and is currently working on a degree in Early Childhood Education.  Chelsey has been employed with Kiddie Academy since 2016 and has flourished as a teacher, coach, and curricular advisor. Kiddie Academy was her first working experience in a childcare facility, but Chelsey has been babysitting for ten years. She has shown a consistent passion for creating a nuturing environment conducive to learning , not only for our students but for our staff and families. She is an esteemed member of our team and we are so proud of her growth and commitment to our academy and all of our families, students, and staff.   Her favorite thing about working at Kiddie Academy is the fact that it’s never boring. There is always something new to learn and her outgoing personality is a direct reflection of this.Chelsey is also an animal lover! She has a dog named Charlie and a cat named Greyson.  Her favorite color is green and her favorite food is burgers, pizza, and chocolate.  Something you may not know about her is she is from Kalamazoo, MI.  

• Elizabeth Vanderploeg, Zoo Classroom

  

    Liz has Early Childhood Education college credits from a California junior college. She started working with children at the age of...   Read More

  Elizabeth Vanderploeg, Zoo Classroom

    Liz has Early Childhood Education college credits from a California junior college. She started working with children at the age of nineteen, and has also worked as a swim instructor for children.  Liz loves working for Kiddie Academy, because she is passionate about inspiring children to learn and grow, and likes to see their faces light up when they are excited about something.  When she is not working with children, Liz likes to workout, watch TV shows, and go shopping.  She has two daughters of her own, three cats, and one dog.  Her favorite colors are blue, white, brown and black.  Veggie burgers, tater tots, fish, rice, veggies, and fruit are her favorite foods.  Liz’s guilty pleasure is Starbucks. Something you may not know about her, is she use to be a competitive swimmer since the age of thirteen.  Also, Liz loves cats and to volunteer at Pet smart.  

• Brittney Semana, Monkeys Classroom

  

    Ms. Brittney has four years of experience working in childcare and is pursuing a degree in psychology. She loves to implement...   Read More

  Brittney Semana, Monkeys Classroom

    Ms. Brittney has four years of experience working in childcare and is pursuing a degree in psychology. She loves to implement curriculum and takes pride in guiding children to success. She always goes above and beyond to connect to her students on an individual level. Her passion and commitment to making each student feel safe and loved has set the standard for our strongest value of community. The connections that she has made throughout her tenure at Kiddie Acadmy inspire us all to go the extra mile to create a welcoming atmosphere where everyone can feel like family. For fun Brittney loves photography, walking her two dogs, and also enjoys reading and writing.  Her favorite color is turquoise and loves Italian food.  Something you may not know about her is she is learning ASL.