Community & Staff
Kelly Libby Head of School
After moving from Vermont in 2018, Kelly joined Children’s House as the Head of School. She earned her B.A. at Trinity College of Vermont, and her AMI Administrator’s Certificate through the Southwest Institute of Montessori Studies. Previously, she was employed for nearly 18 years at a private school that served children from six weeks old through eighth grade located on several campuses in central Vermont. She loves being at Children’s House and working with the parents, staff members, and the children. Outside of school, she spends a lot of time with her family, and enjoys visits back up north when there’s time to get there. She lives in Orange City with her daughter and son.
Macie Cassell Administrative Assistant
More to come!
Dani Fitzsimmons Toddler Head Teacher
Dani joined the Children’s House family in 2018 as a parent, and in 2019 as an Administrative Assistant. In November of 2022, she began helping in the Toddler Classroom, and assumed the role of Co Head Teacher in February of 2023. She was born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska and spent her last 10 years there working in a secretarial position. The Fitzsimmons clan moved to DeLand during the summer of 2018 to be closer to extended family. When she is not on the CHMS campus, or spending time with her family, Dani enjoys exploring new places, trying new foods, listening to live music, and watching football.
Kaitlyn Moore Toddler Assistant Teacher
More to come!
Taquisha Burgos Toddler Assistant Teacher and After School Teacher
More to come!
Amy Stam Primary Head Teacher
Amy is a teacher in one of our two primary classrooms. She earned a B.S. degree in Anthropology with a minor in Health Science. In 2007, Amy began at Children’s House working in both the outdoor environment and the primary classroom as an Assistant Teacher, and is now a Head Teacher. She earned her AMI certification from the Houston Montessori Institute. She resides in DeLand and has a daughter, who attended Children’s House from Primary through Eighth Grade. Amy loves having the opportunity to work with the children here at school each day. Outside school, she enjoys camping, hiking, gardening and finding new materials to enhance her classroom.
Cory Austin Primary Teaching Assistant
A DeLand native, Cory graduated from Stetson University with a degree in Elementary Education. From 2000-2014, she worked as a teacher at Seminole Spring Elementary in Lake County. Cory came to Children’s House looking for an alternative to a traditional school setting for her daughters, Lily and Iyla. She enrolled the girls here and became a member of the parent community and then in 2015, Cory joined the staff community as well.
Morgan Beattie Primary Head Teacher
Morgan joined Children’s House in August of 2018. She has her Bachelors in Psychology from UCF and has her certification in the Orton-Gillingham literacy approach. She loves that the teachers and staff care about the child’s whole development, including physical, social, emotional and cognitive. Morgan enjoys spending time with her husband and their two children, who both attend Children’s House. They love spending time outdoors in nature, and swimming in the beautiful local springs. Morgan believes that a child’s homelife plays an important role in their success in school. She is passionate about limited screen time and healthy eating habits for her children, as they play a significant role in their development.
Braden Curley Primary Assistant Teacher
Braden joined Children’s House in 2023 while balancing the roles of a mother of three, student, and aspiring educator. Currently pursuing a bachelor's degree in education at Seminole State College, she is fueled by a deep passion for shaping young minds and positively impacting the field. With three years of residence in DeLand, Braden embraces the community's diverse opportunities and experiences. Her unwavering dedication and commitment to personal and professional growth define her journey as she aspires to excel as an educator, nurturing future generations.
Jessica Flood, Elementary Head Teacher Grades 1 and 2
Jessica graduated from Sarah Lawrence College with a Bachelor’s in Liberal Arts, with a focus on theater and vocal performance. She came to the Children’s House community after spending the later part of her pregnancy, with twins, reading about different educational programs. She found the pedagogy of Montessori to be what she wanted for her children. They began here at Children’s House in the Toddler classroom and then Jessica started working in the Children’s House Gardens shortly after that in 2016. In 2023, she moved inside to the Elementary Classroom focusing on the Lower Grades. Jessica enjoys reading and performing music in the local community. While she’s no longer actively involved in theater, she’s enjoying watching her sons begin to enjoy getting involved. She also loves gardening both here at school, as well as at home.
Christal Silver, Elementary Assistant Teacher Grades 1 and 2
More to come!
Esther Jirka, Elementary Head Teacher Grades 3-5
Esther began her time at Children’s House in 2015 as an Education Specialist. After working in various age groups, Esther became the Head Teacher in the Upper Elementary classroom in August of 2018. She made the choice to home school her children during COVID, and returned part time in the winter of 2023. In August of 2023, she resumed her full time teaching role in the Elementary Classroom, focusing on the Upper Grades. She earned a B.S. in Exceptional Student Education from the University of Central Florida in 2001. For 14 years, Esther worked in elementary schools teaching multi-age level students with varying ability levels. Her experience is in developing individualized instruction to meet a variety of specific student needs. Esther and her husband live in Orange City and have two children that attend Children’s House.
Cybil Buell, Elementary Assistant Teacher Grades 3-5
More to come!
Sharon Pitts, Primary & Elementary Garden Teacher
Before joining Children’s House is 2000, Sharon studied Photography and Computer Science at Rochester Institute of Technology. She completed the Children and Families Introductory Child Care Training Course as well as numerous DCF training enhancement courses. At Children’s House, Sharon has worked in all of the classroom environments and is now a Garden Teacher in the Primary Garden. Sharon loves the experiences students are offered, including the outdoor gardening and animal care. She also finds the grace and courtesy that is modeled by the loving staff to be an important part of Children’s House. When she’s not at school, Sharon enjoys spending time with her family, sewing, gardening and crocheting.
Marisa Aguiar Primary & Elementary Garden Teacher
A Central Florida Native, Marisa joined the Children’s House Family in 2021 as a parent looking for a more holistic approach to education for her two sons, Jamison and Dominic. After witnessing her boys evolve emotionally and socially while beginning to cultivate a deep, personal love for learning, Marisa was inspired by all aspects of the Montessori Method and chose to join the Children’s House team herself in 2023 as a Garden Teacher. With a background in aviation research, Marisa received a Doctorate of Philosophy from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in 2021 and continues to teach evening courses online for Purdue University Global. Outside of educating, Marisa enjoys yoga, gardening, adventuring with her boys, reading, and inspiring others to be their most authentic selves.
Diane Farley Primary Garden Teacher Elementary Art Teacher
In May of 2016, Diane joined Children’s House as the Art Teacher for the Upper Elementary and Middle School. Diane loves that the children are taught to respect the outdoor environment at a very young age, and that it is fostered as they grow into independent thinkers. She feels they will help to influence others in the community, and eventually the world. When she is not at school, Diane lives in Lake Helen with her daughter, and has a small animal rescue as well as backyard chickens. She enjoys growing food producing plants, creating art, and outdoor experiences.
Princess Koletsky Literacy Specialist
Princess completed A.M.I. certification as an elementary teacher at the Montessori Institute of North Texas in 2010. She joined Children’s House in 2005 as an assistant in our Upper Elementary classroom for four years while pursuing her Montessori training. She holds a B.S. degree in Marketing and Management and has extensive experience in financial arenas. She has also completed her certification as a Literacy Specialist through the Orton-Gillingham training. She and her husband, Barry, have one son, Zachary and make their home in Glenwood.
Noemi Rodriguez Spanish Teacher
Noemi joined us in August of 2021 after teaching English as a foreign language in Puerto Rico. She is a certified elementary school English teacher in the public school system of Puerto Rico with a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education from Bayamon Central University. Noemi has been a teacher for seventeen years, ten in the private school system and seven in the public school system. In the current school year, Mrs. Noemi (as our kids lovingly call her) has won the hearts of all the students with her fun and candid teaching system. She was married over the summer of 2021, and she now resides in DeLand with her family.
Tatiana Huertas Music Teacher and After School Teacher
Tatiana joined Children’s House in 2021. In May of 2020, she graduated from Ohio State University with a degree in Music Education. Tatiana loves movies, particularly the Marvel movies. She also loves Disney and enjoyes visiting the parks to experience all the magic! She believes in educating the whole child and is very energetic and thatrical in her classroom.
Sunny Tomlinson Yoga Teacher
Sonjaday, Sunny, graduated from a Creative and Performing Arts high school in Philadelphia with honors. After that, she did her Vishada Yoga Training at Precision Alignment, and her Yoga Teacher Training with Emma Tranter. Sunny joined Children’s House in 2002 as the Yoga Teacher, and has worked in each environment as a substitute teacher. She loves the environment here, the children, the community, and the Maria Montessori method of teaching. After living in DeLand for many years, she moved to DeLeon Springs with her four children, Skyler, Zion, Sequoyahday, and Matteo, who all attended Children’s House.