Our Team

THE NEST

Paula is originally from Pennsylvania but has lived in North Carolina for over thirty years. She earned a BS in Elementary Education from Indiana University of PA and a Masters in Early Childhood from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. She worked many years in the public school system both as a K/4 and Kindergarten teacher. Additionally, she has taught in Head Start programs, was involved with several research projects on quality early childhood settings and supervised undergraduate student teachers. Throughout her many years in the field she has fought to provide young children with appropriate, safe and warm environments. She believes children should be free to explore and discover in their own way and in their own time. She values each child, strives to listen, observe and follow their lead. She was very happy to find her way to Sprout House and fully embraces Reggio inspired learning.

THE NEST

Cindy is a Durham native with over 20 year in the early childhood education field. She has worked with children from infancy up to five years old in the preschool setting. Cindy joined Our PlayHouse Preschool in 2013.

In her spare time Cindy enjoys reading, decorating, walking, bingo and spending time with her family.

SPROUT HOUSE

Kathryn is a Durham transplant, originally from Austin, Texas. She has been working with children in various capacities over the last eight years, including teaching windsurfing and working with children in the foster system as a therapeutic childcare specialist. This will be Kathryn’s third year working in an early childcare setting, and she is so excited to be a part of the OPH community again! Kathryn believes in student-centered learning and loves to create opportunities for creativity, discovery, and independence in and outside of the classroom.

In her free time, Kathryn enjoys spending time outside with her friends and family, reading, playing board games, traveling, and painting.

SPROUT HOUSE

Hi there! I’m Mia Jones and I’ve been local to Durham for the past 7 years and have come to really call it home. I have been working in early childhood education for the past 5 1/2 years, 3 years of that time I spent as a toddler teacher at another local center and the remainder as a nanny for an infant and toddler. I am currently working towards my Associates of Early Childhood Education and hope to graduate next fall.

I do love comics, art, and gaming, for the stories they tell, and for the community and culture they all create. More than anything though I love my daughter, Jade who turns one in October. And my husband, Tykai who I celebrate two years of marriage with this October. I’m so excited to be a part of the OPH community!

WILLOW HOUSE

I have lived in Durham since 2005. I grew up in a small town, just north of Flint, Michigan on a small farm and am the 2nd youngest of 11 children. (yes, eleven!) Today I am a proud mama of 4 beautiful children of my own.

With over two decades of experience working with children in professional settings, I have had the privilege of interacting with young ones of various ages, from as young as 6 weeks to late teens. My background and expertise in child development have equipped me with the skills and understanding necessary to nurture and guide young minds during their precious formative years.

Through my studies of various traditions and cultures from around the world, I have cultivated a profound passion for the emotional development of young children. I firmly believe that supporting children in their journey towards becoming flourishing, vibrant community members is not just a job but a calling. I am committed to creating a nurturing and enriching environment for your children and family.

I am greatly thankful for this opportunity to be part of your child’s life and development and look forward to watching them grow and learn.

WILLOW HOUSE

I am excited to rejoin the OPH community. I adore the fact that children are given the freedom to be curious about the world, develop independence, and learn through play - it is such a special place and I've missed it. In prior years, I taught in Hickory and Willow House and I am looking forward to getting to know you and your children.

I live in Hillsborough with my husband and 2/3 of my nearly grown kids. I am originally from Cape Hatteras and love to visit as often as possible. I have a deep love for water, nature, and outdoor exploration. Locally, I love hiking at the Eno. In my free time, I love inventing new recipes, making jewelry, spending time with family & my dog (Pippin), gardening, reading historical fiction, and looking after my chickens.

CEDAR HOUSE

Lily’s from Burlington, NC and has lived in Durham since 2022. She’s loved the charming feel of the city and the welcoming community it offers.

Her love for early childhood education developed from five years of experience as a teacher’s assistant. During that time, she worked with grades Pre-K-3rd. She believes that all students are bright, capable, and creative. She’s thrilled to join Our Playhouse Preschool, working alongside staff members who strive to support their community and delight in their work educating students.

In her spare time, she enjoys rock climbing, hiking at the Eno River with her sweet dog, Charlie, and spending time with her family.

CEDAR HOUSE

Victoria is a Durham native. She has five years of experience working with children aged infants through fifth grade in various settings such as swim lessons, school out camps, summer camps and preschool. Victoria spent the last three years teaching preschool children ages three to five . She received her Bachelor of Arts in History from Queens University of Charlotte.

In her spare time, Victoria enjoys camping, hiking, reading and board games. She also enjoys spending time with her nieces and nephews, and friends outdoors.

HICKORY HOUSE

Kayla is a recent NC State Graduate, born and raised in North Carolina. She majored in Criminology and Biological Sciences with a keen interest in the criminal mind and the psychology behind behaviors. Directly after graduation, she worked with at-risk youth in a wilderness residential therapy setting. An unfortunate round of duck-duck-goose, ending with a broken leg, cut her time there short. Kayla has been doing in-home tutoring, dog sitting, and driving the Raleigh Trolley Pub downtown for the last year and a half; working with doggies, cats, adults, teens, preteens, middle schoolers, and kindergarteners. She found her way to OPH with a passion for childhood development, neurological effects on behavior, and her inquisition for play based learning.

In her free time, Kayla can be found under a tree, in a tree, beside a tree, or drawing a picture of a tree. She is an avid outdoors lover and can usually be found camping or hiking. The river is her happy place! She also enjoys belting her lungs out in tune to beautiful music and will do so anytime, anywhere. (Right now, that consists of 3 year olds and constant parodies of "If You Are Happy and You Know It".) You can also find her playing video games, hanging with family, and cooking food.

HICKORY HOUSE

Emily is a NC native, born and raised in the foothills. She graduated from UNC-CH in 2006 with degrees in psychology and English literature. She has been teaching since 2007 when she got her start working alongside the phenomenal educators, researchers, and early interventionists at the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute. While at FPG, Emily received her Masters in Education from UNC-CH with a specialization in Early Childhood Intervention and Family Support. She is passionate about advocating for children with exceptionalities and celebrating neurodiversity in the classroom and beyond. Emily has been part of the OPH community since 2013, first as a teacher, then as a parent, and now taking on both roles! She is particularly at home in the “outdoor classroom” and feels very fortunate that she is able to spend her days creating, experimenting, dancing, singing, laughing, and learning with young children.

In her spare time, Emily enjoys hiking, foraging, gardening, weaving, playing the ukulele, and accumulating books. Emily lives in Durham with her husband, Paul, her children, Isaac and Clara, and her hound dog, Ruby.

MAPLE HOUSE

Julie grew up in California but spent 25 years living in St Louis, Missouri, where she raised her two daughters and started her journey in early childhood education. While in St. Louis, she coached for Girls on the Run, tutored reading for Y-Read, and advocated for children in foster care. Julie began teaching preschool at The Ethical Society Nursery School in St Louis before moving to North Carolina in 2017. She was so grateful to find Our Playhouse Preschool shortly after settling in and has spent time in every OPH classroom as a substitute teacher. She officially joined the teaching team for the 2019/2020 school year and is so excited to be teaching again in Maple House!

When Julie is not in the classroom, you can find her hiking in the National Parks, working in her garden or curled up with a good book!

MAPLE HOUSE

Emily has been a part of the OPH community for going on five years and loves working and learning in a play-based, Reggio environment. Emily has worked with children of all ages and backgrounds for over 10 years in both one-on-one and in classroom environments.

Emily's passion for teaching came from growing up in a family of teachers and always being around and working with children. Emily loves being able to give children the tools to express themselves and learn new exciting things about the world around them. Emily earned her degree in Art Therapy at Lesley University in Cambridge Massachusetts and has a passion for the arts. She is excited to incorporate that into the classroom.

In her free time, Emily loves to explore Raleigh with her husband, travel around the world and visit with her friends and family, especially her niece and nephews in MA. She also can often be found reading, making crafts and loves exploring and developing new ideas for art projects.

SPRUCE HOUSE

Laura grew up in the mountains of North Carolina exploring the woods, looking for frogs, playing with spiders, and making mud pies. Her third grade teacher told her that she would become a naturalist one day. Natural history has always had an important place in Laura’s teaching. She encourages children to explore natural materials, work together, investigate, observe, and record what they see throughout the seasons. She believes children develop creativity, critical thinking skills, and self-control when they have unstructured play time and opportunities to make choices in cooperative settings.

Before coming to Our Playhouse Preschool, Laura taught preschool and kindergarten in Durham. Previously she was the baker at Wellspring Grocery, later Whole Foods, and a preserve monitor for The Nature Conservancy.

Laura enjoys reading, baking, hiking, birdwatching, photographing insects, watching things grow, and chatting with her mom on the phone. She has two adult daughters. Laura holds degrees in botany and elementary education. She lives in Durham with a small black rabbit.

SPRUCE HOUSE