The Itty-Bitty Bookworm Team
Tara Rison has a Master’s Degree in Early Childhood and Elementary Education and a Bachelor’s Degree in Developmental Psychology. She has taught in a variety of settings, including public and private schools, child development centers, and a community college. She has served as an assistant director, a teacher mentor, a curriculum and training specialist, and an adjunct faculty member in a Early Childhood program. Currently, Tara is continuing to develop The Itty-Bitty Bookworm Curriculum. She is also the Director of Education at a NAEYC- accreditated, Four Star center. Tara and her husband John reside in Philadelphia, PA with their three children Samantha, Gracen, and Weslyn.
Kathy Kackley has a Bachelor’s Degree in special and early childhood education. After many years of teaching preschool special education, she began assessing preschoolers with special needs for Charleston County School District. During this time she served as the case manager for the preschool special education referrals, assessing preschoolers, and working with a team to develop appropriate individualized education plans. Kathy currently works as a field assessor for the Pre-Elementary Education Longitudinal Study (PEELS), sponsored by the United States Department of Education. Kathy and her husband R.J. live in Charleston, South Carolina with their three boys Jackson, Hunter and Camden.
Karen Cox has a Bachelor's Degree in Early Childhood and Elementary Education from Valdosta State University. She has taught in the Georgia Lottery funded pre-k program and currently teaches at a private school in Albany, GA. In her spare time, Karen enjoys working on her website (www.prekinders.com) and photography.
Early Childhood Education is a passion for Allison McDonald, who began teaching preschool recreation programs while still in high school. From then on, she has taught everything from parent and tot arts and crafts to an after school drama program for 6th graders. Along the way she completed two degrees in History and Education focusing on early literacy. She spent the last few years as a preschool teacher and director, before making the leap to stay home with her son. Now you can find Allison online sharing her knowledge with other moms and teachers at www.notimeforflashcards.com.
From the time Shannon Griffin was a kindergartener, she wanted to be a preschool or kindergarten teacher (Thanks to the best kindergarten teacher ever!). In high school, she took every child development class available. Upon completion, she got a job at the local YWCA as a classroom assistant and began taking early childhood education courses. She took classes in Children's Literature, Art for Early Childhood Education, and Montessori Education. She was promoted to Lead Teacher and taught for 11 years. After having her first child, almost nine years ago, Shannon decided to become a SAHM. However, that has not stopped her from being a teacher. She has been teaching her two daughters preschool at home. Shannon also has a blog where she writes about the adventures of Teaching My Little Bookworm!
Lori St. Amand has a Bachelor's Degree from Brock Universitey in Ontario. She went on to attend the Teacher's College of D'Youville in Buffalo, New York. Lori holds a specialist degree in Special Education and Reading. She currently teaches Junior/Senior Kindergarten for the Wentworth Hamilton School District in Ontario. She is a new teacher mentor, a presenter, and a newsletter contributor for her school district. Lori loves networking with teachers all over the world via the internet. When she is not teaching she enjoys spending time with her cat at her home in Ontario.