DIRECTOR

Angela McLean has worked with children in a variety of capacities for over 20 years. She has her bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education and is currently studying for her master’s degree in ECE. She is especially passionate about telling stories with children through literature, folklore, mythology, yoga, art, theater and other creative methods. She believes that each child has a story to tell and is honored to be a part of this process. Outside of the classroom she enjoys hiking with friends and family, playing the flute, going to the climbing gym, practicing yoga and reading.

EDUCATION DIRECTOR

Paige Bailey has worked with young children for the last 13 years, and this is her first year in Leadership as the Education Director. She received her Master of Arts in Education and Human Development and has been inspired by the Reggio Emilia Philosophy ever since. She believes that young children are competent members of our community, and she adores working with children, families and her fellow teachers. She recently moved back to Colorado from Los Angeles with her husband, Tim, to start their family! They now have a new baby named Oliver. Paige enjoys rock climbing, going to see concerts and having a glass of wine with her friends and family.

GIRAFFES LEAD

GIRAFFES SUPPORT

Lulu Salazar has worked with young children for the past year, and her son, Nico, is in the Giraffes classroom. She earned her PhD in Social Anthropology in 2016 and is deeply fascinated by language development in two-year-old children, as well as the rich imagination they bring to play. She loves observing how animals, dinosaurs, cars, and blocks become tools for storytelling—and how a banana can turn into a phone, or a cardboard box into a small house or a rocket ship. Lulu moved to Colorado in 2022 and enjoys visiting museums.

FROGS LEAD

Adri has worked with children for three years, has her ECC, and is working towards her Bachelors in Early Childhood Education. Her favorite thing about teaching is helping children feel seen, loved, and supported. Outside of school she enjoys hiking and spending quality time with her family.

FROGS SUPPORT

Rachel has worked with children for 7 years. She loves teaching young children and is inspired by see the light bulb moments in children. Outside of school, she spends her time with her new husband, Jordan! She also has three children: Leilani, Charlie and Rowan, and has three dogs: Moose, Mocha and Chicken Nugget!

LADYBUGS LEAD

Ashley is so excited to be the Ladybug teacher this year! She has several years of experience working with young children, including time as a toddler teacher, preschool teacher and gymnastics coach. She is passionate about helping children learn through play, exploration, and creativity. Her goal is to create a welcoming, nurturing environment where every child feels safe, supported, and excited to learn each day. Outside of the classroom, She enjoys creating art and music with her husband as well as taking care of her two rescue animals: her cat named Fiona and a very energetic Boston terrier named Leela.

LADYBUGS SUPPORT

This is Cate’s first year working in Education! Her favorite thing about teaching is building meaningful connections with students and supporting their grown. She is passionate about creating a positive student-centered classroom environment and enjoys learning and refining her own teaching style. Outside of school, she loves to explore new places with her dog, Eisenhower.

BEARS LEAD

Martina has worked in education for 15 years. Her favorite thing about teaching young children is supporting their growth and development. She loves seeing children's confidence grow. Outside of school, she loves spending time with her family.

BEARS SUPPORT

Sandy has worked in education for more than 25 years and has a Bachelor of Fine Arts and a Master of Arts degrees. Her favorite thing about teaching is being a part of her students reaching their milestones. Outside of school, she loves attending psychic fairs and other fairs like VegFest, farmers markets and concerts. She practices yoga on a regular basis and recently took a Reiki class! She loves taking other classes like art, writing and tarot classes. She loves SciFi movies like Star Trek and has always been a Trekkie! She is also working on a children’s book and is hoping to complete it soon!

FLOAT SUPPORT

Megan is now in her second year of teaching young children! Her favorite thing about teaching is seeing children's growth through the year, and students’ break throughs and aha moments. She loves getting to know children and families and building relationships and trust. When she's not in the classroom, she loves spending time with her family and friends.

ART ENRICHMENT

Jane Carlson was born and raised in Denver. She graduated from East High School then attended Lake Forest College and earned a degree in psychology. She then pursued a Masters in Special Education from University of Northern Colorado. Jane taught Special Education in the Denver school for 7 years focusing students with Autism Spectrum disorder and students who had severe emotional disorders.

She and her husband Douglas have grown boys, David and Andrew, but when they were little she was a stay at home mom. When she went back to teaching, she fell in love with early childhood and found a wonderful job in a play based preschool where she taught for 23 years until her retirement. She has now been with MHCEC for 5 years as a part time art teacher and an occasional sub. Retirement now means time for her twin 7 year old granddaughters, tennis, skiing, choir, and lots of volunteer work in her community.

MUSIC ENRICHMENT

Jessamyn has worked with children for 5 years in elementary and early childhood settings, and is in her first year as music director at MHCEC. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education from VanderCook College of Music, and a Master’s degree in Learning, Family, and Developmental Science from CU Denver. Her favorite thing about teaching is getting to see each child grow into their unique personality. Outside of school she likes to spend her time doing fiber arts such as weaving and knitting, and spending time with her family.

FLOAT SUPPORT

Eric has always had a passion for helping others. He spent 10 years as a classroom teacher in 4th and 5th grade in Santa Monica, CA and it was some of the best time of his life. When his daughter was born he and his family moved to Lakewood, CO so that he could be a full-time stay at home dad. When his daughter entered kindergarten Eric started a real estate investment company taking advantage of an excellent Denver market, and was also very involved in her school as PTA president. After 10 years in real estate he returned to teaching as a substitute teacher and high dosage math tutor. He and his brother then started a company designing and producing scientific instruments to detect climate change gases. He is now excited to be working at MHCEC as a part-time substitute. No matter where life has Eric, he always seem to be drawn back to education. When not working on the business or in the classroom Eric enjoys reading, fixing the house, walking, and helping his daughter to prepare for college.

FLOAT SUPPORT