“One of the best pre-schools around. Both of our sons attended and had Mrs. Simon as their teacher. She’s fantastic! I honestly could not imagine a better program with our two boys.”
Our Team
Samantha Grab
Director
Samantha Grab has a dual certification Master’s Degree from Bank Street College in Early Childhood and Elementary Education. She was a teacher in New York and New Jersey elementary schools before moving into an Early Childhood administrative role. In addition to her position as director of Sprout House, Samantha is an adjunct professor in the College of Education at Kean University. Samantha is on the board of NJEEPRE (New Jersey Educators Exploring the Practices of Reggio Emilia) and is a member of NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children). She lives in Maplewood, New Jersey with her four children and one cat. In her spare time Samantha enjoys reading, traveling, and interior design.
Leslie Barry
Administrative Assistant
Leslie started working at Sprout House in 1997 when her youngest child was enrolled in the first Rising Five Program. She has a BA degree in history and art history, and worked as a Human Resources manager at AT&T and Bellcore for many years. She loves reading and traveling in her spare time.
Larissa Ezulike
Larissa Ezulike
3s Teacher
Larissa has been in the field of Education since 2001. She holds a masters degree in Early Years Education as well as a post graduate certificate of education.
Susan Lanham
Kindergarten Teacher
Susan Lanham holds a Bachelor of Arts from Hamilton College and is certified in Elementary Education. She has 25 years of Early Childhood experience tutoring and teaching pre–kindergarten and kindergarten. In her free time, Mrs. Lanham enjoys reading, hiking, gardening, and restoring furniture.
Joan Simon
2’s Teacher
Joan Simon has over 30 years of on-going course work specializing in early childhood education and holds a New Jersey State Group Teaching Certification and multiple Level IIC certifications from the Professional Impact NJ review. Joan lives with her husband and 2 dogs in Denville, New Jersey. In her spare time she enjoys cooking, yoga, and spending quality time with her four grandchildren.
Vineeta Gudwani
2’s Teacher
Vineeta first came to Sprout House as a parent in 1997 and fell in love with the school, its philosophy and the staff. She worked as a cook and lunch coordinator at Sprout House briefly during that time. After her son went off to college in 2013 she started substituting at Sprout House. Vineeta has a bachelors degree in Science and a diploma in basic computer programming. She loves to cook, is an avid reader, practices yoga and meditation, and paints as a hobby. Her latest passion is learning about and delving into alternative healing modalities.
Carolyn San Filippo
Afternoon Teacher
Carolyn holds a BA degree in Early Childhood Education from Goddard College. She began working at Sprout House as the cook in 1985 and became the Rising 5s teacher in 1998. In 2017 Carolyn became the Sprout House PM teacher. Her hobbies include reading, American History, biking, and hiking. Carolyn has been on the Sprout House board of directors since 1987.
Jen Mathews
3s Teacher
Jen Mathews began her career in children’s publishing in New York, then continued working with storytellers like screenwriters and directors in LA. More recently, she has been a Scout leader, a PTO Environmental Committee Coordinator, a Friends of the Library Board member, and helped other local organizations such as the Chatham Township Environmental Commission and the Open Space Committee. Jen has three children, two of whom attended Sprout House. In her spare time she enjoys listening to podcasts and audio books, and spending time outside with her family, friends, and sweet pup, Scout.
Sam Dixon
Church Sexton
Sam Dixon has been taking care of buildings and grounds at Sprout House since 2007. He loves movies and spending time with his granddaughter.