Ms. Bonnie joined The Learning Center team in March 2024. Seeing different generations integrate and connect is one of the many reasons she chose to join our team. Bonnie started her teaching career in 1993 at a preschool in Clearwater. She earned her Child Development Associate® credential and Director credential at Pinellas Technical College. Her hobbies include listening to music of all genres, antique cars, gardening, and traveling, with Greece as her bucket list destination!

Ms. Jessica joined The Learning Center team in May 2007, and her favorite part is building bonds with the kids, their families, and her fellow team members. She loves seeing the children master things that were really hard for them at the beginning and watching their confidence blossom. Jessica started teaching in 2005 at Operation PAR. She’s worked with every age, but voluntary prekindergarten has had her heart for the past 10 years. She earned her Child Development Associate® credential at Pinellas Technical College. Her hobbies consist of traveling, spending time with family, and all things spooky!

Mrs. Michelle has worked for The Learning Center since 1999 and is currently the longest employed teacher. The Teddy Bear Classroom is one of the infant rooms, and she absolutely adores the children, and she loves her job. Michelle has taken classes with the Florida Department of Children and Families and the Early Learning Coalition over the years, and she has her Child Development Associate® credential. She loves all things Disney and tries to make trips to the parks as often as possible.

Mrs. Mernalyn started teaching at The Learning Center in 2024. She has lived in the Philippines and Hong Kong, China, and moved to the United States in 2020. She enjoys teaching and guiding the children to becoming independent and responsible. Encouraging each child to express themselves freely and confidently based on their individual needs and strengths is her main focus in her job. When she’s not teaching, Mernalyn loves attending Zumba classes, line dancing, and spending time with her husband and daughter.

Mrs. Nancy has worked at The Learning Center since 2002 and is the second longest employed teacher. The Teddy Bear Classroom is one of the infant rooms, and she absolutely loves spending time with the children! Nancy has taken classes with the Florida Department of Children and Families and the Early Learning Coalition over the years, and she has her Child Development Associate® credential. She has a sweet tooth, so she loves chocolate, and she has a good sense of humor!

Ms. Whitney joined The Learning Center team in April 2024. Getting to know the families and children and seeing the progress the children make from their first day in the classroom to the last day has been her favorite part. Before starting her career in early childhood education in 2000, Ms. Whitney worked as a substitute teacher in local schools. She earned her bachelor’s in elementary education at the State University of New York at Plattsburgh. She loves being outside in her free time, especially if it includes taking walks on a beach! She also enjoys going to the gym, shopping, and spending time with animals.

Mrs. Alyssa recently started teaching at The Learning Center and has worked in childcare for six years. Her favorite part about teaching is watching the kids grow up and seeing how much of an impact she makes in their lives. Alyssa’s best memory is when she met the kids for the first time, they all said hi and ran to give her a hug! In her free time, she enjoys playing video games and drawing. The best place she’s ever traveled was to Chicago.

Mrs. Tulia started teaching at The Learning Center in 2024 and has enjoyed seeing the joy and curiosity of the kids. She loves that every small milestone for the kids feels like a big victory! She especially enjoys connecting with the parents and getting to share pieces of where she grew up in Columbia during multicultural events. In her free time, Tulia loves spending time with family, exploring new parks, and trying out different restaurants. She shared that moving to the U.S. has been an incredible adventure that has allowed her to reinvent herself professionally and as a mom and wife.

Mrs. Michelle has been teaching at The Learning Center since 2024 and has worked in childcare for over 20 years. She loves being a part of the children’s lives and helping them grow. Her favorite memory so far at TLC has been multicultural day. When Michelle isn’t teaching, she enjoys painting, crafting, hanging out at the beach, and trying new coffee shops. The best place she ever traveled to was Africa, where she spent three months in an orphanage teaching children English.

Mrs. Annebil has been at The Learning Center since 2022. Seeing her students grow and learn is her favorite part of the job. She started working with elementary-aged children in 1990 in the Philippines. Annebil went to Glory National High School and graduated at Saint Vincent’s College in the Philippines with a bachelor’s in elementary education. In her free time, she enjoys going out for an adventure, shopping, traveling, blogging and crafting.

Mrs. Mary has been at The Learning Center since 2009. Helping the children develop their sense of humor and imagination is one of her favorite parts of being a teacher. She started teaching in 1992 and never turned back. Mary has her Child Development Associate® credential. She loves eating and reading in her spare time.

Mrs. Teresa has been at The Learning Center since 2021, and she absolutely loves being a voluntary prekindergarten teacher. She started her profession teaching children in 1990. Teresa went to school at the Philippine Normal University. She has her Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science in education. Whenever she finds a little extra time, she loves doing arts and crafts, singing, and dancing!

Ms. Holly began her teaching career in 2010 and joined The Learning Center team in August 2024. She enjoys working with the families and other teachers and being a part of the education and growth of each child. Holly earned her bachelor’s degree at Northern Illinois University and her continued early childhood education degree from MiraCosta College. She has also taken several continuing education classes over the past 15 years. Holly enjoys being outdoors and loves to hike, snowboard, ski, bike, play soccer, and go on adventures. When she’s not outside, you can find her getting crafty, reading, playing video games, watching sports, or looking up funny puns!

Mrs. Denise began working at The Learning Center in the spring of 2022. She considers herself lucky to be a part of a great team. Everyone cares deeply about the children and their families. She has worked with children of all ages for many years. When she’s not at The Learning Center, Denise enjoys spending time at the beach and parks in the area.