Staff

• Director (and Lead Teacher for the Play School Class)

  Mrs. Georgie Perullo joined us in 2003 as our Director.  She has a Masters of Education in Middle School Education from Lesley College, and a Bachelor of Social Science in Human Resource Management from the University of Cape Town, South Africa.  Georgie taught Sixth Grade English and History at a Charter School in Massachusetts.  She became involved with the Co-op in 2002 when her oldest son, Christopher, started in the three-year-old program.

• Three-Year-Old Class Teachers and Play School Class Teacher

  Mrs. Jodi Dawes joined us in 2008 as the teacher of the Elephant class which is the two or three day a week class of three-year-olds.  Jodi is a graduate of Bucknell University where she obtained her Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education.  She then went on to West Chester University to obtain her Master of Education in Elementary School Counseling.  Jodi has worked in a rich variety of school settings.  Most notable for her relevance to teaching at the Wallingford Co-op are those of her internship as a pre-school teacher, her position in a day care setting looking after up to 18 toddlers in a class, and her position as Child Care Director at the Chester County Intermediate Unit.  Jodi has three children in the Wallingford Swarthmore School District.

  Mrs. Margaret Hoch joins us this year as the teacher of the Giraffe Class which is the group of three-year-olds that meet on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.  Margaret graduated from Denison University and then received her degree in Early Childhood Education from Georgia State University and a Master's of Education from Emory University.  Over her long career of teaching, she has taught Kindergarten, Second Grade, Pre-K and has worked with ages 3-5 with special needs in the Chester Upland School District's Early Intervention program.  She brings a great deal of energy and experience to the Co-op and her teaching experience, as well as her pedagogical knowledge of the pre-school age makes her to be a wonderful addition to the faculty this year.  Margaret has two children.  She is also going to teach the Play School Class this year.

  
  

• Four/Five-Year-Old Class Teachers

  Mrs. Sue Colonna joined us in 2006 as the teacher of the Zebra class which is the three or four day a week class of four-year-olds.  Sue attended Juniata College where she earned her BS in Early Childhood Education and Social Services.  She later went on to Temple University where she did graduate work in Early Childhood Education.  Sue has a wealth of experience teaching pre-school and Kindergarten aged children.  Along with teaching experience, Sue has administrative experience as she worked as a Director of a nursery school for many years.  Of special note is the wealth of knowledge that she has in the area of curriculum development.

  Mrs. Julie Feinberg joined us in 2008 as the teacher of the Giraffe class and this year she is going to take over as lead teacher of the Lion class which is the four or five day a week class of four-year-olds.  Julie is a graduate of The Pennsylvania State University and went on to obtain her Masters of Science in Elementary Education from the University of Pennsylvania.  She has taught second and fourth grades and has wonderful experience working in collaborative settings and has done a great deal in the area of curriculum development.  Julie has two children the in the Wallingford Swarthmore School District and a baby boy at home!

• Kindergarten Complement

  Carolyn Carchidi took over as lead teacher for the Kindergarten Complement class in 2009.  Carolyn has been involved with the Co-op for many years, serving as gym teacher and she served as lead teacher of the Elephant class while that teacher was on maternity leave.  Carolyn left the Co-op for a short while when she was an aide in the Interboro School District's Kindergarten Program.  Her diverse teaching experiences in gym, dance, early childhood and Kindergarten have served the Co-op well as she continues her role as lead teacher for the Kindergarten Complement program.

• MMO Teacher/Coordinator and Play School Assistant

  Mrs. Betsy Schilero began teaching at the Co-op in 1991 in Mother's Morning Out.  For the next five years she was the teacher in the three-year-old class and went back to MMO in 1997 as MMO Coordinator and teacher.  She has also served as President and Membership Chair of the Co-op Board.  All three of Betsy's children attended our programs, and have even served as student assistants on their school vacation days.  Betsy is a graduate of William Penn College with a degree in education.

• MMO Assistant Teachers

  Mrs. Janet Letsche is a familiar, and much loved, face in MMO as she was the aide from 2006-2008 and then acted as the permanent substitute for the 2008-2009 school year.  This year she will be working three days a week as an aide in the Mother's Morning Out room.

  Ms. Alison Schilero is very familiar with the Wallingford Cooperative Nursery School as she is a graduate of the nursery school.  Alison is Betsy Schilero's daughter and has helped us, on and off, since graduating from high school.  This year she will be working three days a week as an aide in the Mother's Morning Out room.
  
  Mrs. Stephanie Dykes is the gym teacher for the Elephant Class and music teacher for the Play School Class.  Stephanie has her Associate Degree in Early Childhood Education from the Delaware Community College and, prior to becoming a mother, worked as a nanny, an aide, the lead teacher of an infant aged program and was the lead teacher of a toddler aged program.  Stephanie has a wealth of energy and creativity and we welcome her this year.  She has been involved with the co-op for many years as her oldest daughter attended MMO.  Her son will be in the Giraffe class this year.