Kiddie Academy of Springfield

Alanah Riley

Lead Teacher

Hello! My name is Alanah Riley. I am a recent graduate from Abraham Clark High School. I have taken classes at my community college, studying marketing and sports management. I also coach competetive cheer. I work at Kiddie Academy becayse of the loving, safe, and very welcoming environment. I love children and want to articipate in broadening their young minds. I love being creative and making the best of situations while maintaining a positive outlook on life. My hope is that every day I make someone's day just a little bit better and leave a positive mark on the world.

Cierra Rose

Assistant Teacher

Hi, my name is Cierra Rose, but you can call me Rose. I am the eldest of 10 children. I have worked in the childcare field for over 6 years. In my spare time, I record podcasts with my friends. I love to read, and I want to share that passion with children. I want them to understand the importance of reading as well! I work at Kiddie Academy because... who wouldnt?!

Janada Lovett

Assistant Teacher

My name is Janada and I attend Bryant Stratton College pursuing my degree in Early Childhood Education. I believe that God has made me to change children's lives for the better. I run a mentoring program fr teens and adults. In the program we discuss real life situations and give them skills needed to navigate life. I am a single mom of 2. I strive to be the best mom I can be, they are my everything. I am happy to join the KA team so I can expand my hands-on knowledge as an educator. My passion for children runs deep- I want to be a proper role model because I didn't have a lot of that growing up, and I know how formative and important it is. Our future is the youth, and I will never stop fighting for them!

Paula DeSousa

Assistant Teacher

I love working with children! I have worked with children for over 2  years. My last position was in Newark at a public school , I worked iwth 4th and 5th graders! I can't wait to learn all about my new students and help them grow.

Sandra Ferreira

Center Director

I have been working with children in the early education field for over 20 years. I received my Bachelor's degree from Frostburg State University. My first job at 16 years old was as an aftercare counselor. I was blessed with a beautiful boy which redirected my path in life and led me to be being a preschool teacher for over 10 years. Afterwards, that path developed into a leadership role. As a parent and educator, I believe bringing up children is the most complex job you will ever have. I love being in and creating a caring and supportive environment that promotes optimal early childhood development.

Stephanie Darias

Lead Teacher

Hi! My name is Stephanie. I am a wife and mother of 2. I have worked with preschool age children for over 9 years. I also have my CDA Certification. Most recently, I was a stay-at-home mom, but I am excited to get back into the teaching field and return to Kiddie Academy of Springfield!

Valery Manzano

Lead Teacher

Hi I'm Valery. I was born in Spain and grew up in Colombia. I moved to New Jersey when I was 9 years old. I am currently a college student. I attend Kean Universty in Union, NJ. My major is Early Childhood Education. One of my future goals are to travel the world. I am an animal lover and love the outdoors. I am very creative and I love to paint and draw. I am excited to bring my creativity to the classroom!

Zahirah Sharif

Assistant Director

Hello my name is Zahirah. I have always had a passion for teaching. My favorite pastime as a child was to play school with my cousins and I would always be the teacher. I have a Bachelor of Arts in English from Montclair State University. I also minored in American Sign Language. I have over 18 years experience in the education field. I have worked with children age ranging from 18 months- 16 years old. I am a proud mom of a beautiful baby girl named Aubrey Blu. I love art and creating masterpieces. My years in classrooms lead me to different leadership roles in childcare. I want to bestow my knowledge of classroom management and strategic teaching methods onto teachers so I can have an impact on not only children, but teachers as well. I am very excited to join the Kiddie Academy family because of its diversity in staff as well as students.

Kaila Davila

Office Assistant

Hello! My name is Kaila, I am currently a student at Union College of UCNJ finishing my degree in Journalism and PR. I am in the process of editing and publishing my first children's books, as well as a few other projects I have up my sleeve. I've worked in education for the past 7 years as a floater, assistant teacher, and lead teacher for infants and toddlers- though most of my experience is with children between 12-24 months. I have worked my way from the bottom up, and have thoroughly enjoyed the experiences I have had along the way. Administration is a challenge I am happy to take on. I am a painter, avid book reader, gardener, and community helper! I love working at Kiddie Academy as it gives me the opportunity to broaden my understanding of childcare and the ins and outs of how to maintain a center!

Ada Murado

Food Service Manager

I have been working in the Early Childhood Education field for several years. It has always been a pleasure to work with all different ages of children. It makes me so happy to see the progress a child makes throughout the school year. I take pleasure in maintaining a relationship with families and being able to provide them with the best possible care for their child. I will always do my very best for the children as well as their families.

Katty Mendez

Lead Teacher

I would like to take the opportunity to thank Kiddie Academy for letting me be a part of such a great team. I worked in the financial service business for 12 years. I have always involved myself in my childrens' school. I was a part of the PTA, advisory board, I helped as a lunch aid and even worked part time in aftercare. I helped the school raise funds and also helped with registration for upcoming school years. I haver 4 children. My oldest son is now an adult, and I also have triplets. I was blessed with the hard task of premature babies and although it was a tough road it has also been a beautifulone as well.

Ruth Ramos

Teacher

I would like to welcome everyone as the Lead Teacher to the Ducklings Waddler class! I was born and raised around educators and moved to New Jersey in 1989. I am a mom of 3 children and 3 grandchildren. After being a stay home mom for a few years, and once my youngest daughter entered Elementary school, I decided to go back to working with children. I have over 10 years of experience caring for children in a professional setting. I love art and crafts and capturing that perfect learning moment in every child. I look forward with working with your children and being a part of their everyday learning experiences!

Drew Richardson

Teacher

I am an Early Childhood Education major from Kean University. As a child, I always wanted pursue nursing but upon entering my major and given the opportunity to work with children I think I found my passion for what I really wanted to do! I had the opportunity to work at a jumpstart program where they go to inner city schools and the teachers and members get to interact with children of ages 3-4 year olds. We help the children throughout the day with curriculum based age appropriate activities. Working with children is what I love to do and being given the opportunity to work at Kiddie Academy is like a dream come true!

Deshea Stewart

Lead Teacher

Hi my name is Deshea. I am a mother of 2 wonderful children. My daughter's name is Bella and my son's name is Jahmir. I have known I wanted to be a teacher since I was younger playing with my sisters.  I love and enjoy being around children. My favorite color is blue. My favorite football team is the 49ers. My favorite food is pizza. I have a certificate in health car, and am also soro certified. In my spare time I love to read and spend time with my family. I am grateful to be a part of the Kiddie Academy team and I look forwad to getting to know each one of you!

Sajayah Marshall

Lead Teacher

My name is Sajayah Marshall. I am very outgoing, patient, kind, and fun! I love to read and educate others. I am currently pursuing my degree in education and have had the pleasure to work with children of all ages. Kiddie Academy is the perfect fit for adventures, learning, and fun. It is a place for new beginnings and spreading knowledge to the little faces of the world!

Shaquerra Sheffield

Lead Teacher

My name is Shaquerra Sheffield and I am a loving mother to 3 children. I graduated from UCNJ with my degree in social services. I would like to further my education to allow myself to be the best version of myself as a person, mother, and educator. I have 10 years of childcare experience with my passion for watching children grow and develop. I love being a part of the process of learning, and watching children's faces light up when they achieve a goal, or learn how to do something they couldn't before. I know and value that every child is unique and special, and that some require a different approach to learning and expressing themselves. Coming from a family of 7 children, I know firsthand how indivdual each child and their needs can be. I provide a safe, fun, and exciting way of learning that encourages children to be whoever and whatever they want to be in life. I feel as long as a child learns something from me that helps their development, that I have made an impact on them for the better. A little process each day adds up to big, wonderful results. 

Janae Smith

Lead Teacher

I would like to introduce myself; my name is Janae Smith. I am currently a rising senior at Montclair State University. I am studying computer science. My goal is to become a coding teacher and to own my own business building websites and apps. I am excited to join the Kiddie Academy staff. I believe this center will be a great start on my career path!

Cindy Quito

Assistant Teacher

Currently I am a student at Kean University majoring in Early childhood Education. I have always known that I would work with children because of my little cousins. I have one younger sibling and he also is the reason I decided to become a teacher. My family is from Ecuador and we usually try to go every summer to see them. On my free time I enjoy listening to music, watching movies and series. One of my biggest dreams is to teach in a different country!

Nia Marshall

Assistant Teacher

My name is Nia Marshall, I am a sophmore at Montclair State University. I am there to recievemy degree in Psychology, with a fcus in child/adolescents study. I began owrking with children at age 14 and since then, I was always drawn to working in a school environment with many different ages. I developed my enjoyment to work with children as I am an older sister to 3 of my siblings. I want to work at Kiddie Academy to gain knowledge and memories in the childcare settting.

Suhavi Singh

Support Teacher

Hello, my name is Suhavi. I am a nursing major at Kean University. My love for children comes from having a large family and always being around children. I chose to work here because I love working with children and hope this directs me towards my career interest. My goal here is to care for and love the children, and keep a positive and healthy environment.