Carol M. Troha
Director
You can't get past the door of CHP without coming to know Carol. She's most parents' first point of contact and she knows well what it's like to be that parent. Her son Mikey was in CHP's two-year-old program in 1992 when the...
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Amanda Anselme
Assistant Teacher
Amanda joined CHP as an Assistant Teacher in 2010.
Though she comes from a family of teachers (her father, aunt and uncle), Amanda originally decided to pursue an entirely different career. She received a Bachelor's degree in...
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Nancy Dean-Hunt
Art Specialist
Art Specialist Nancy Dean-Hunt brings to CHP her passion, dedication and training in visual arts and early childhood development where she introduces students to visual arts as a means of exploring their thoughts, feelings and...
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Stacy Foote
Administrative Assistant
Stacy holds a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism/English Literature from Baruch College in New York City. She spent the early portion of her career working as an event planner on Wall Street. For seven years she worked in this fast...
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Janie Greene
Operations Manager
Janie, our amazing administrator, has kept the trains running on time at CHP since 2006.
Janie holds a Masters in Social Work from New York University and spent several years working in family day care and family counseling. ...
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Hilary Hawke
Music Specialist
Hilary joined CHP as a music specialist in 2008.
She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Music Education from the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam and pursued a Music Therapy concentration at the University of Georgia. She is...
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Lori Keslowitz
Head Teacher
Born and raised in Valley Stream, New York, Lori started working with children at age 11 as a babysitter, and has worked as a summer camp counselor, a teacher at Tutor Time, and a sign language instructor for 0-24 month-olds. ...
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Sandra Lambert
Assistant Teacher
Sandra joined CHP as an Assistant Teacher in 1997. Before CHP moved into its new location, Sandra was a paid employee. During our big fundraising push in 2004 to purchase the new school, Sandra decided to no longer work for...
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Nicole Mastrantonakis
Head Teacher
Nicole, CHP’s head teacher since 2007, has taught pre-k through adults in Bay Ridge, Harlem, Park Slope, and Tokyo but has settled on early childhood education as her focus.
Born in Brooklyn, Nicole moved to Windham, New York,...
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Krishtine Phillips
Teacher
Krishtine joined CHP as a Teacher in 2007. Prior, she spent three summers working with children at the Staten Island and Prospect Park Zoos.
Krishtine received her Bachelor’s in Neuroscience and Behavior from Vassar...
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Juliet Rose
Assistant Teacher
Before joining CHP as a teaching assistant in 2006, Juliet worked as a nanny for what seems like all her life. Juliet has worked for many families over the years and has enjoyed watching “her” kids grow up. Juliet received her...
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Caroline Ryburn
Drama Specialist
Caroline is CHP’s creative drama/movement specialist. Her teaching approach is interdisciplinary, weaving improvisation, narrative pantomime, movement/dance, music/song, and interactive storytelling together in set group...
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Rachel Serrano
Floater
Rachel joined CHP as a parent in 2008 as the proud mother of Rosetta and assisted the classroom in 2009 before becoming a floater in fall 2010, helping out in the classroom, in the park and taking care of CHP’s “lunch-bunchers.”...
Continue reading biographyHeather Cross
Director of Fundraising
Heather is mom to Claire, currently in the 4s program, and Ben, who is eagerly awaiting his first day at CHP in 2012. “I see fundraising as not only an opportunity to grow revenue for the school, but also as a way to engage and build community. I hope to help CHP find meaningful ways to use our fundraising proceeds to benefit the school and the neighborhood.”
Connie Cuff
Treasurer
Connie is Mom to Patrick (CHP 2009-2011) and Jackson (CHP 2006-2008) and joined the board in 2009. With the hire of a new accountant, Connie will be working closely to resolve outstanding fiscal issues and to establish new practices to ensure an accurate picture of our month to month budget. Additionally, Connie is working on the budget for 2011-2012 and looking forward to creating a savings for unforeseen expenses. Contact Connie at conl1@yahoo.com.
Lisa Hinshaw
Director of Marketing
Lisa is Mom to Julian who is in a CHP alumn and is now in kindergarten. Lisa managed and produced the launch of our new website, which she hopes will create a window to showcase the great things our children and teachers are accomplishing at CHP. “I want the website to be a resource that families check out weekly to learn what our children are reading, singing, creating and exploring.” Want to get involved in the website or marketing of CHP? Contact lisahinshaw@hotmail.com.
Allison Leale
Director of Cooperative Oversight
Allison and her family joined the CHP family in 2009 when her son, Sean, was three, but now it's her daughter Anna's turn to join in the fun for the next two years. Allison was a teacher for eleven years before deciding to become a full-time mom and came to CHP because she loved the educational model. Since joining CHP, Allison has co-chaired the Fall Auction twice and served on the Fundraising Committee once. Allison's position of Director of Cooperative Oversight means that she will ensure that parents fullfill their assigned jobs and complete their parental duties. She will also be available to parents in regards to questions or concerns that they may have with their job responsibilities. "My goal this year is to have parents understand their roles and jobs more clearly so that they can feel confident that they are doing the best job possible". Allison can be reached at allisonleale@yahoo.com.
Lesley May
Teacher Liaison
Lesley has two daughters: Nina attended CHP for 3 spectacular years and is now entering Kindergarten. Her sister, Lila is entering her 2nd year at CHP. “I’m thrilled about being able to work with our multi-talented staff this year. I hope to bridge communication effectively and efficiently between the CHP teaching staff and the board. As a teacher, I am a huge supporter of the child-centered, play-based approach to early childhood education. Additionally, I believe that the best education a child can get is when both teacher and parent are are in sync and working together.” After 5 wonderful years as a stay-at-home mom, Lesley will returning to the Kindergarten classroom in the Fall.
Libby Mayward
Secretary
Libby Mayward has two daughters who attend CHP. Margaux is in the fours program and Molly is in the twos. " I am pleased to have the opportunity to serve on the CHP board to give back to the families, teachers and staff - all of whom I've gained immense appreciation for over the last year. I want to help the school address it's immediate needs as well as help shape the school's long term objectives. I hope to contribute significantly to CHP in way that only a voting board member can."
Carolyn Pravda
President of the CHP Board of Directors
Carolyn is Mom to Jack (CHP alum 2008-2011) and Maddy is in the 3’s. This is Carolyn’s second year on the CHP Board. She served last year as the Director of Fundraising. This year, she hopes to work together with the parents, board and teachers to foster an even stronger community cooperative spirit and continue working to make our school a warm, loving, educational experience for our kids. You can contact Carolyn at carolynanne@earthlink.net.
Katie Walton
Past President of the CHP Board of Directors
Katie is Mother to Lilli (CHP 2007-2009), Charlie (CHP 2009-) and Angus (future CHP). She joined the board in 2009 as the Chairperson of Marketing and Fundraising, then accepted the role of President in 2010. “Inspired by our new tagline, “Let Them Fly”, my motto for the board is momentum. I am committed to creating a cooperative school that promotes dialogue, openness, and results. I want to see that our children are happy and prepared, that our families take a personal initiative to get involved, and to know that our school is praised and admired.” You can contact Katie at k1walton@earthlink.net.