PYC STAFF

Heather graduated from George Mason University with a BS in Early Education and a minor in psychology. She then continued her education at Shenandoah University with 30+ credits towards a Master's in Education. For 12 years, Heather taught Kindergarten and then First Grade in VA before moving to England for five years with her young family. While in England, she partnered with a local British Primary School to learn about and study their system of Play Based Learning for young children. In 2008, her family moved back to the US to Illinois. 

Heather joined PYC in 2012 as the PreK Lead Teacher and established the STEAM prorgram with the assistance of awesome co-teachers. Her love of learning continues in taking online courses and seminars on topics she can share with her colleagues and incorporate in her classroom. 

Kristin has an Early Childhood Education degree with a minor in psychology and a Special Education endorsement from the University of Illinois. She also has completed master’s classes in Project Construct/Project Approach and Autism.

She taught PreK/Inclusion in the public school system for three years. At PYC and Faith Lutheran Church, she has taken on many roles. She has been the Nursery Manager for Faith Lutheran Church since 2008, facilitated Playgroups from 2009-2020, been a Parent Educator for PAT from 2009-2016, BabyTalk Family Support Specialist from 2016- present, and teacher of the Enrichment Program from 2011- present.

Stephanie started her teaching career at PYC in  2019. She first started in our Two Day Preschool Class as an Assistant Teacher and then transitioned to assisting in the PreK Enrichment class. She is extremely excited to be returning to preschool and becoming the lead teacher for this class! She loves working with children of all ages and enjoys seeing them grow into their wonderful personalities each school year. Stephanie loves spending her free time reading or doing fun family activities with her husband, Chris, and her children, Olivia and Auggie. 

Fun fact - Ms. Stephanie is Ms. Susan's granddaughter. PYC teaching runs in the family! :)

Penny graduated from Springfield College with an Associate Arts degree and a diploma in nursing from St. John’s Hospital School of Nursing. Upon graduation she and her husband Dave moved to St. Louis where she worked at St. Louis Children’s Hospital for several years before starting a family, moving to O’Fallon and becoming a member of Faith Lutheran Church.  

When PYC opened in 2002, she enrolled her youngest daughter Madelyn and loved the play-based, nurturing environment that PYC provided. This prompted her to begin her journey at PYC in 2004 as a teacher’s assistant in the PreK classroom where she taught for many years before transitioning to the preschool classroom as a teacher’s assistant and eventually a teacher in 2018. Though she has taken a non-traditional route to become a preschool teacher, her background in pediatric nursing and many years of experience in the classroom have shaped her love for teaching and being a source of comfort for children,
and she couldn’t be happier to be at PYC.  

Kelly has a degree in Elementary Education from St. Louis University. Over the years, she's taught Pre-K through 4th grades in Illinois, Missouri, and Tennessee, including five years in St. Louis City schools. 

She feels incredibly blessed to be a part of the PYC Family - first as a PYC parent and then jumping on board as a staff member. Kelly and her husband have two children and an energetic pup named Cosmo. 

She's active in church and loves to cook, hike, walk, and read in her spare time.     

Gretchen graduated from SIUE in 2002 with her Bachelor's Degree in Special Education. She worked for a few years in the local area, and then got married and moved overseas. She first moved to England where she spent time as a lead teacher at the Child Development Center before transitioning to the DoDDS schools on based. From there her family pressed on to Germany for two years, where she taught at a couple more DoDDS schools. She has taught in a variety of classrooms spanning from kindergarten to 8th grade. She paused her career as her family grew, but then joined PYC in 2023! 

Outside of school, she is a volunteer extraordinaire, helping in the library at her children's schools, leading a Girl Scout Troop and assisting with the Service Unit, and leading catechism classes at
Holy Trinity. 

Kaitlin is excited to be a Co-Lead in Toddler Time on Tuesdays and in the Preschool classroom at the end of the week.  

Kaitlin graduated with her Master's Degree in Speech-Language Pathology.  She worked in the school setting and also in the home setting as an early interventionist.  

She and her husband love doing fun adventures with their family on the weekends - their newest activities include camping and paddleboarding.  They have two daughters (Finley & Maeve), who both attend(ed) PYC, and she truly believes there is no better place for kiddos to be while they learn through play!

Ally graduated from Truman State University in 2010 with a Master of Arts degree in Elementary Education. Over the next six years, she taught fourth grade, fifth grade, and middle school science in Parkway School District. She earned a Master of Arts degree in Instructional Design and worked in higher education before taking time to stay home with her sons Jack and Gryffin. 

Once she became a part of the wonderful Faith Lutheran community, she could not wait to join the teaching team in the Toddler Time classroom! Ally enjoys reading, writing, corny jokes, and making up silly games and stories with her kids.  

Lauren has a bachelor's degree in Christian Ministry from Ozark Christian College and an Associate’s in Child Development. She has taught or assisted in preschool, PreK or kindergarten classes for 6 years. She is thrilled to be joining Ms. Heather and Ms. Kelly for STEAM Mondays!

Lauren is married to her best friend, Patrick and they have 3 beautiful daughters, Lyla, Sadie, and Eden. Lyla and Sadie both attended PreK here at PYC and they just loves the play-based learning, friendships and adventures that PYC has brought to our family!

Lauren and her family live in Shiloh and go to Cornerstone Christian Church. 

She is excited for all the learning, exploring discovering, experimenting, and playing we will get to experience on STEAM Mondays!

Susan has been teaching at PYC since it first opened in 2002. Over the years, she's served in various roles including Preschool, Toddler Time, and PreK Enrichment Assistant. She is now our Godly Play facilitator, teaching our Preschool and PreK students Bible stories using manipulatives and storytelling techniques. 

Susan is married to her husband Elmer and together, they have four children, seven grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.  Susan enjoys reading by the fire, gardening, birds, butterflies, and baking.  Most of all, she loves to have fun and laugh.

Vickie and her husband Dan have lived in O'Fallon since 2005.  They are the proud parents of Devin (Purdue University) and Gianna (OTHS). Her past professional experiences include working for the American Heart Association planning fundraising events, teaching preschool, and supporting the band through various volunteer roles - go Marching Panthers!

She is blessed to be a part of the PYC family and enjoys working with our remarkable community of teachers, students, and parents!