Meet the Team

Professionals at Work

At Gioiosa, we believe our staff bring their best selves to work everyday, exuding the professionalism and excitement we strive toward as a center. Since they do, we think it's important to pay them well, make sure they are healthy, and that they have access to benefits that make work more enjoyable.

Admin and Non-Classroom Based Staff

Teresa Glenn

Teresa is the Program Director for Gioiosa. She graduated from MCC with an Associate’s degree in psychology and brings seven years of experience in child care center, nannying, and in-home child care provision; for over three years, Teresa was the sole proprietor of an in-home daycare center accommodating 10 children and three staff members.

Brandy Poiry

Brandy is the director of business operations for Gioiosa. She graduated from Missouri State University with a Masters degree majoring in Teaching. She has four years of classroom teaching experience and 12 years of instructional design, change management, and program management nine of which were in a management or director capacity.

Riley Beveridge-Calvin, MT-BC

Riley is the music teacher/therapist and float teacher for Gioiosa. She graduated from the University of Kansas with a Bachelor of Music in Music Therapy. She completed a six-month internship at Britain Development Center, where she led group and individual music therapy sessions for children aged birth through six years. Riley has been working with children since middle school, babysitting and nannying for families, and also through volunteering with local special needs ministries as a rest & respite buddy.

SJ Crasnow

SJ Crasnow has been teaching since 2007 and during that time has worked with learners who range in age from infants through college students. SJ is thrilled to be back working with early learners who are at such an exciting and important time in their lives - educationally and otherwise!

Infant and Wobbler Team

Colby Proctor

Colby is the lead teacher for the infant unit at Gioiosa. She completed her CDA (Child Development Associate) earlier this year and she has been working in child care since 2017, and with Gioiosa since April 2023. Prior to entering center environments, she worked as a nanny for two years. Between her time with her last center and her time with Gioiosa, Colby worked with the elderly in a senior center.

Laura Ryan

Laura lives in Shawnee, KS with her 9-year-old daughter who will be attending Roesland Elementary (across from Gioiosa) in the fall. Gioiosa is the perfect location for her! She has her CDA and 20 years of experience with children. She loves the baby and toddler age because they learn so much, every day is an adventure!

New Teacher Starting Soon!

Jazmine Ortiz

Jazmine is a motivated and responsible 18 year old student. She is attending school online while working at Gioiosa. She has hands-on experience in teaching assistance, childcare, and customer service. Prior to joining Gioiosa, Jazmine worked as a daycare teaching assistant for a year. She plans to pursue a career in childcare and is looking forward to furthering her education in early childhood education and development.

Marisa Villegas

Marisa is an Infant Float Teacher at Gioiosa. She transitioned from Little Lambs Montessori School where she cultivated her understanding of Montessori principles and the vital stages of early child development. Marisa has a strong foundation in the wellness development of young children, supported by a Certificate of Completion in Personal Wellness and Human Nature. Her favorite part of working at Gioiosa is experiencing the humor and compassion of her coworkers. Marisa comes from a large, close-knit family she loves and lives for dearly. Outside of her role at Gioiosa, she enjoys learning new thing, staying physically active, and spending quality time with her family.

Early Preschool Team

Matthew Del Borrell

Matthew is the lead teacher for Gioiosa's Early Preschool Team. They have a Childcare Development Associate(CDA) certificate for 0-3 year olds. They come from an Army brat background, where they’ve been working in home and garrison childcare facilities since they received their Army babysitting license at 12. They have experience working with all ages, but enjoy toddlers the most because they believe that’s when development is the most visible.

Carmen Villegas

Carmen is 21 and was born and raised in Kansas City, Kansas. She has worked with children most of her life in home and center settings. She worked in a Montessori school for several years and enjoys watching children grow while supporting them in learning independence. She is able to adapt and attend to every child or situation and enjoys learning and growing with the kids as she works with them. She believes that age is just a number and everyone is greater than it! She is not only a teacher of children but a student of them as well!

Bri Thornton

Bri was born and raised in South Kansas City and is a practicing Muslim mom with over five years of experience working with children. She has worked in both Montessori and Reggio Emilia-inspired settings and truly believes in creating calm, engaging environments that support children’s growth and independence. Some of her strengths include emotionally responsive guidance, potty training support, and positive behavior redirection. As a mother, she brings a nurturing, trustworthy presence to the classroom and always aims to connect with families as partners in their children's learning journeys. Outside of work, she enjoys hiking, running, attending halaqas, and traveling with her daughter.

Lauren Willows

Lauren is a part-time assistant teacher in the toddler classroom at our Montessori school. Currently completing high school, Lauren brings energy, enthusiasm, and a strong commitment to supporting young children's emotional development and physical activity. With a natural ability to connect with toddlers, she helps create a nurturing and engaging environment.

Preschool Team

Penny Vargas

Penny has five years of experience in early childhood education with mix of childcare centers and nannying experience. She loves what she does - watching children grow, learn, and discover the world around them is incredibly rewarding, and no two days are ever the same! Penny is originally from Salina, Kansas. Family is incredibly important to her and she spends a lot of time with her mom and sisters. Outside of work she enjoys reading, hiking, and loves to cook!

Rye Stephens

Rye has worked with children for about 10 years, having nannied, coached, and taught. She graduated from UMKC in 2021 with a BLA, minoring in Fine Art. Teaching is definitely a passion of hers, but she has many more! She writes and performs original poetry, writes and performs original songs on her ukulele, plays in a billiards league, plays volleyball, video games, and skateboards. She's also a photographer and an artist—in every sense of the word! She loves getting to work with children every day, enjoying the difference they make in her life as much as she strives to make a difference in theirs.

Dog Volunteers

Arizona

Arizona is a husky who usually hangs out with our youngest kids. He is calm, very relaxed, and enjoys sitting and watching the babies play with their toys.

Coco

Coco is a French Bulldog and by far the most energetic of our dog friends. She loves nothing more than to zoom around the kids at play while they chase her, giggling her name.

Momma

Momma is a German shorthaired pointer mix! She’s a sweet, friendly pup with a gentle heart and is an absolute angel. Momma loves cuddles, belly rubs, and getting all the pets and attention she can. Being at work with her favorite human and seeing the kids every day is her happy place!

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