“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
Katherine “Kathy” Abbott
Director
Kathy Abbott comes to Sprout House from the Summit Speech School with a wealth of Non-Profit leadership experience. She first joined our community as a parent and then has served as a longtime board member and president. Kathy holds her bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University and a master’s degree from New York University. She lives in Chatham Township, New Jersey with her husband and three daughters. Kathy is an enthusiastic volunteer in our community having served on the board for the League of Women Voters of NJ. She is also active in the local Chatham Township government, serving from 2012 through 2014 and returning as a Planning Board member in 2020. She currently is acting as the new deputy mayor.
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.
Joanne Lockwood White
Sprout House Founder
Joanne Lockwood White founded Sprout House in 1985 as a pioneering school, which inspires self-directed learning, where kids are happy and intellectually engaged. She served for years as the director of Sprout House, teaching multitudes of children to appreciate the environment and how to “walk the walk.” She is continually bestowing her Early Childhood Education (M.A.) experience through advising, training teachers and assessing on matters of the edification of young children. A longtime active member of the Chatham Township community; and in her free time Joanne enjoys the serenity of the Pine Barrens and splashing around in the Long Island Sound with her husband and her grown daughters, who were once Sprouts, and their families.
Jill Landi
Office
Sprout House holds a special place in Jill’s heart. She started at Sprout House in 2002 as a full-time teacher after graduating with a master’s in education from Rutgers’s University. After, many fulling years, she moved with her husband to Manhattan. She stayed on as a substitute teacher, not wanting to leave her Sprout House family. Most recently, Jill has transitioned into working in the office when needed. Jill’s hobbies include paper crafting, especially card making and reading, preparing, and developing new recipes in her tiny NYC kitchen. She hopes to one day write her own cookbook. Jill also enjoys partaking in historical and cultural tours of Manhattan and the surrounding boroughs. However, what Jill loves most is spending time with her family!
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.
Valerie Oliva
Office Staff
Valerie Oliva holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Montclair State College and a Masters in Educational Administration from Seton Hall University. She is fully certified in music K-12, elementary ed. K-6 and educational administration. After graduating from college, Valerie served as a Vista Volunteer in Ogden Utah. As a domestic Peace Corps volunteer, she concentrated on community organizing and bringing educational programs to the local elementary schools. After her year in Ogden, she began her 40-year career in education. Thirty-five of those years were spent teaching in K, 1 and 2 and five of those years were spent leading two Catholic elementary schools as their principal. She loves music, art and theater and sports and spends a lot of her free time biking, and walking.
Vineeta Gudwani
Assistant Teacher afternoon 2.5-3.5 class
Vineeta Gudwani first came to Sprout House as parent with her son in 1998 and fell in love. She has been part of the Sprout House community on and off ever since, as a cook, substitute and assistant teacher. Birds, butterflies, bees, trees & wildflowers are a few of her favorite things. In her free time, she loves cooking and feeding friends & family. She also loves painting, reading and walking in the woods.
Nina Slowinski
Assistant Teacher 2.5-3.5 class
Nina Slowinski holds a Bachelor of Science from Skidmore College and has over half a decade of experience working with children, ages 2-16. While she has primarily worked with children in the arts and recreational settings, she is excited to continue her second year at Sprout House focusing on early childhood development. Outside of the classroom she enjoys stand-up comedy, mythology, and her carefully curated Discover Weekly Spotify playlists.
Elyssa Claudio
Assistant Teacher 3.5-4.5 class
Elyssa Claudio holds a degree in Media Studies & Production from Temple University. She has over half a decade of experience working with children, ages newborn – 14. Her passion and purpose in life is working with children. She is excited to continue her second year at Sprout House focusing on early childhood development. Outside of the classroom she enjoys reading and walking in nature.
Keisha Griffith
Teacher
Keisha Griffith has over twenty-years of experience in nursery and preschool education. Her core belief is that children learn through investigation, play and open dialogue. She is eager to facilitate new Sprouts, to foster their creativity and curiosity. In her time outside of the classroom, she enjoys morning strolls with her two children, the pitter patter of rain and the smell of citrus are some of her favorite things.
Dana McMullen
Lead Teacher 2.5-3.5 1/2 day class
Dana is excited and grateful to start her first year at Sprout House. She holds an AA in Elementary Education and a BS in Liberal Arts. After college Dana spent two years serving with the AmeriCorps program City Year, a non-profit that works toward creating more equality in education. Her educational career also includes experience working in a Creative Learning school and a Waldorf school. Recently Dana earned a diploma in Montessori Early Childhood Education and she also holds a 200-hour vinyasa yoga teacher certification and a Kids Yoga certificate. Spending time in nature with her partner or “playing outside,” as she says, is very important to her. She also enjoys spending time reading, gardening, needle felting and playing with her two cats.
Andrew Palmer
Lead Teacher in Training 3.5-4.5 class
Andrew Palmer first came to Sprout House years ago as a preschool student. He is currently working to complete his Child Development Associate® (CDA) credential. He previously worked with children at the Metuchen YMCA, as an aquatic supervisor and instructor. He is passionate about teaching, coaching and has extensive experience at work with children in conjunction with those with intellectual and developmental disabilities. In his free time Andrew volunteers as a coach for the Summit YMCA’s youth basketball and soccer teams. He fundraises and plans alumni activities as an alumni ambassador for Oratory Prep School. He is a true soccer enthusiast and active participant in local NJ soccer pick-up leagues. He also likes barbequing and taking long hikes with his dog.
Jarret Mustafa
Substitute Teacher
Jarret Mustafa came to Sprout House as a substitute teacher. He is passionate about teaching and coaching youth in basketball. He has extensive experience as a basketball skills trainer and coach and enjoys working with children of all ages.
Nicole Von Hoffman
Substitute Teacher
Nicole came to Sprout House as a substitute teacher and then taught our Rising 5’s. She has a bachelor’s degree in Biology and East Asian Studies. Nicole used to live on a sailboat and loves everything related to oceans, weather, and islands.
Danielle Quinoa
2s/3s Teacher
Danielle joins Sprout House after spending the last several years working in the entertainment industry as a talent agent for both children and adults. She has always enjoyed working with young people and was involved in educational outreach for various arts organizations throughout the city, including The Ghetto Film School, a program designed to help teenagers from diverse backgrounds receive professional film school training. Danielle has also helped facilitate the summer horsemanship program for the Girl Scouts of Northern NJ and continues to volunteer at an equine therapy facility for children with disabilities. In her downtime, Danielle loves cooking (and eating), watching international films, camping in upstate NY, and horseback riding.
Carolyn San Filippo
Mixed-Age Class
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
Mixed-Age Class
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.