Ally is an experienced early childhood educator who joined TCS in January 2023. She taught pre-k for 5 years before staying home with her own children and is excited to be back teaching.
In her free time Ally enjoys spending time with her husband, 4 kids and 2 dogs. She also enjoys reading and writing when she can squeeze in some quiet time!
While working with kids she loves to help them navigate and begin to understand their environment while encouraging them to be themselves.
Danielle has been teaching at The Children’s School since May 2022 and has recently transitioned to teaching The Older All Days. She is currently attending Boise State University, where she is majoring in Inclusive Early Childhood Education, and is always looking for new ways to support and engage young learners.
Outside of school, Danielle lives with her partner Ben and their cat Maya. In her free time, she enjoys engaging in outdoor activities such as paddleboarding and gardening. Additionally, she enjoys traveling to new places, loves playing cards, and is an avid crafter who enjoys creating new things.
Amber joined The Children’s School summer 2022.
Her experience with children and families goes back 25 years. She has had a variety of lead and support roles working with children from 18 months to 12 yrs. Those positions have been with the BSU Children’s Center, Head Start, YMCA, the Boise School District, and The Children’s School.
She has also coached recreational 5-6 yr old co-ed t-ball and 7-8 yr old boys rec soccer.
Amber was also a “Big” with the local Big Brothers Big Sisters program.
She is native to Idaho, and has raised 3 children here. They are in college now.
She has a Bachelor’s degree in Child Development from BSU.
When she isn’t in the classroom, she enjoys hiking, kayaking, and traveling.
Taya started at The Children’s School in the spring of 2022. Throughout her career, she has worked with many children, ages ranging from Birth to 12 years. Taya found a passion in teaching, and loves having a career that is constantly growing and changing. She is currently pursuing a degree in Early Childhood Education from The College of Western Idaho. When she’s not working or doing homework, you’re likely to find her in the garden, tending to her many houseplants, curled up with a good book, or spending time with her partner and her two dogs, Gizmo and Kenai.
Jennifer started working at TCS the summer of 2022. She started out as a floater and is now a teacher in the Older All Days classroom. She moved to Idaho in November of 2020. Although new to the area she is not new to Early Childhood Education. She has experience working in a cooperative preschool and Head Start. When not teaching Jennifer enjoys spending time with her husband and three children. They enjoy hiking, camping, kayaking, and watching movies together.
Andrea/Andy has been with The Children’s School for 5 years. She started out as a substitute teacher, and from there became support staff, and then a full time teacher. She started out in the Older All Days classroom then moved to the Younger All Days and this will be her 4th school year in the YAD. She graduated from Boise State University in December of 2019 with her bachelor’s degree in Spanish and Business. She likes to integrate Spanish language and music into the class for the children to start to learn about too. When not at work she likes spending time with her husband, Josh, reading, happy hours, kayaking, watching movies, playing Tripoley, and spoiling her cats Apollo and Freyja.
Darcie joined the TCS Family in the Fall of 2020. She has spent the last 20+ years working in NAEYC accredited child care programs in Washington, Oregon, California and served most recently as the Child Care Health Consultant with IdahoSTARS for the Treasure Valley. She has a Masters in Early Childhood Education as well as an Infant Toddler Mental Health Graduate Certificate both from Portland State University. Darcie lives with her husband, son, two cats & two dogs in Meridian after moving back from Portland, OR in 2015. She loves spending time with family & friends, soaking up the sun in the great outdoors, eating good food, reading and doing puzzles.
Julie is currently a mentor teacher at The Children’s School. She has an Associate’s Degree in Childhood Development from CWI and has attended The College of Idaho and Boise State University. Julie joined The Children’s School Staff in 1992. Previous to that she worked at Boise Head Start. Julie has taught in all of the TCS preschool programs.
Julie’s two adult children are both alumni of The Children’s School. Julie enjoys reading, yoga, gardening, and walking with her husband and dogs in the foothills of Boise.
Katie joined TCS in 2021. She has taught in the Younger Primes and Younger Part Time classes. Katie holds a Bachelor’s degree in Child Development from Chico State University and a K-8 Education Credential with a CLAD authorization certificate from San Jose State University. She has worked in the field of Early Childhood Education since the 1990’s including child care settings, teaching preschool and elementary school grade levels.
Katie moved to Idaho 10 years ago. She has two teenage sons and two pet rabbits, Ginger Ale Snap and Cookies ‘n Cream. She loves being outdoors in the sunshine and anywhere by the water, reading a good book, and spending quality time with her family and friends.
Angelica joined TCS in the summer of 2023. She spent some time student-teaching at TCS in 2020. She recently graduated from the College of Western Idaho this past fall. Angelica has experience working in Boise Parks and Rec as a supervising camp counselor and has also worked at Morley Nelson. In her free time, Angelica likes spending time with her partner and her dog Koda. She loves taking her dog on hikes and cooking too. At work, she enjoys helping kids overcome challenging skills. She enjoys watching children become more confident in themselves.
Lexi started working at The Children’s School in the fall of 2023 as a teacher in the Primes classroom. She was born and raised in a small town outside of Sacramento, CA alongside her two sisters. She moved to Boise in 2019 to attend Boise State University and got a degree in Psychology and Early Childhood Intervention.
In her free time, she loves to travel to visit friends and family, play volleyball, ride bikes, and watch movies.
Lexi has been a teacher at TCS since 2016. She has taught both the younger and older all days classes and the part time preschool classes. Lexi graduated with a B.A. in Educational Studies with an emphasis on Elementary Education and a M.S. in Leadership and Management. She is married to Beau and they have two sons who have attended the part-time programs and a baby girl. Lexi loves to read, bake, hike, attend car shows, and learn new things.
Maite started at TCS as a parent in 2008. Both her boys “graduated” from the Primes and are now 12 and 18. As a parent she co-chaired the Auction and was a classroom rep and substitute teacher. Maite has always taken care of children, even as an eager 8 year old with her siblings, as well as a nanny and then predictably, a teacher. She also enjoys working with parents and teachers as an instructor of Hand in Hand Parenting, a Parent discussion group leader, and most recently, a mentor teacher. She loves summer, working in the yard, and going to the beach with her family.
Nicole has been at The Children’s School since January 1998. She started teaching in the Older All Days class. She has taught in the part time preschool class and in the Older Primary class, also. Nicole became the Education Director in 2017. Nicole has a B.A. in Elementary Education with an Early Childhood Endorsement. Nicole has one adult son, Corey. She enjoys spending time with her family, appreciates her down time with a book and loves everything related to food!
Olivia joined The Children’s School as a teacher in 2017. She has a 5 year old daughter who attended the Children’s School. Olivia has taught the Older All Days, Primes and Part Time classes. She studied Early Childhood Education at The College of Western Idaho. During her free time, Olivia enjoys drinking coffee, baking and exploring the outdoors with her dog and her daughter!
Rachel Dix has taught the last two school years in the Younger All Days class. Rachel has a BS in Human Development and Family Studies with an Early Childhood Education emphasis from the University of Utah. She has spent the last 20 years working with young children, teaching preschool and directing early childhood programs. Rachel spent 4 years directing the NAEYC accredited Early Education Lab School at the University of Utah. She left that position to be more present for her three young children and opened an in-home preschool where she could enjoy more time at home.
4 years ago Rachel decided to get her real estate license and is a part time Realtor when her busy life taxiing her children around allows. Her passion was calling her back to the classroom and she is thrilled to be a part of TCS doing this important work.
Rachel moved to Idaho 10 years ago and enjoys gardening, hiking, hot springs, being in nature, podcasts, cold beer and live music and cuddling with her loved ones. Rachel loves learning about Psychology and the brain and dreams of getting her Masters in Counseling.
Rebecca has been a teacher at The Children’s School since the summer of 2016. She has worked with children of all ages, from Younger Primes to Older All Days and the Part Time classes. She graduated from Idaho State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Education and Special Education.
Outside of work, Rebecca and her husband Luke love traveling in their VW Vanagon, camping, enjoying hot springs, and going to concerts and music festivals. They have three dogs, Buddy, Bean, and Carter, and a cat named Jude who join them on their adventures.
Sarah has been a teacher at The Children’s School since she began teaching Primes Late Day in 2001. Since then she has taught Toddlers, Preschoolers and Primes. Sarah has two children who attended The Children’s School through second grade and are now adults. As a parent at The Children’s School Sarah has co-chaired the carnival, the auction and parent education. Sarah has a B.A. in multidisciplinary studies with an emphasis in conflict management. She enjoys camping and traveling with her daughters, Jamie and Olivia, her wife, Wendy and their dog (son), Clark.
Sydnee is returning to The Children’s School after graduating from The College of Western Idaho in May of 2022 with an Associate of Applied Science in Early Childhood Education. She is taking a break from school to work full-time but hopes to obtain her Bachelor of Early Childhood Education at Boise State University in the near future. She believes in child-directed learning and aspires to create a Reggio Emilia-inspired classroom. She views every child as a competent and capable learner. When she is not in a classroom, she enjoys camping, backpacking, listening to music, and spending time with her partner, JJ, and their three cats, Nugget, Beavis, and Shiva.
Ema came to The Children’s School in 2022 after spending time helping kids find their imagination through interactive photography. She found her passion for working with children while mentoring in her hometown kindergarten and kept teaching after moving to Idaho in 2018. Her own eagerness to learn drives her to help kids get to the bottom of their curiosity. She is excited to continue studying with TCS and the wonderful families that they help. Ema enjoys adventures in nature, painting and reading historical fiction.
Tonya has been a teacher at The Children’s School for many years. She taught in the All Days Program and Part Times Program between 2001-2013. She moved to Virginia where she taught in a literacy-based preschool program for 4 years. Upon moving back to Boise in 2017, she rejoined the staff at TCS. Since her return she has taught in Older All Days, Younger Primes and Older Part Times. Tonya has a BA in Child Study and Human Development. Tonya is married and has two adult sons and one grandson. In her spare time Tonya enjoys reading, music, traveling and shopping. Ever the sentimental one, Tonya collects vintage brooches and vintage greeting cards.
Jay Shansby is a retired business development executive with degrees from UCLA and the University of Washington. His most important on-going role is father of a 2010 TCS alumni.
Jay has proudly served on the board since 2017.
Patty Head is a longtime Boise resident. She has been married to Alan Head for 49 years and they have two children and two grandsons who attended The Children’s School.
Patty holds a Bachelors degree in Elementary Ed and a Masters degree in Early Childhood.
She taught at The Children’s School for 15 years and has been on the TCS Board of Directors since 2015.
Kelly Kramer began her career in meeting planning in the hospitality industry, managed a dance studio for many years then took a position in administration in a TK-12 private Catholic school, where she served for 10 years before relocating to Boise to enjoy retirement! Kelly was highly involved in her children’s school with fundraising, board participation, classroom help and overseeing many school wide events. Kelly Kramer joined the TCS board in 2022.
Emily Wyckoff and her husband are the owners of Goldfish Swim School – Boise & Nampa – two local swim schools for kids ages 4 months to 12 years. Emily grew up in Michigan, attended college at Northern Arizona University and worked in the consulting and insurance industry prior to becoming a business owner. Her two children attended The Children’s School and still reside in the North End neighborhood of Boise. You can find them on the ski slopes, local trails and rivers. Emily Wyckoff has served on the TCS board since 2023.
Tamera Tate joined the TCS Board in 2023 and is a proud parent to two TCS Alumni. Tamera serves on the Board because she loves the school and wants to give back after having such a positive experience. Tamera grew up in Boise and graduated from Timberline High School.
Tamera received an undergraduate degree from the University of Washington and a graduate degree from Gonzaga School of Law. She currently works as a criminal prosecutor.
Sally Spaulding is a publicist and marketing specialist with more than 20 years of experience in media and public relations. She runs her own consulting company and primarily works with the hospitality, travel, and tourism sectors and a global roster of wanderlust-inducing clients. She is a graduate of Wellesley College. Sally began serving on the TCS Board in 2025 and still thinks fondly of the years her now tween twins spent in the Younger and Older All Days classrooms.
Julie Varin joined the TCS Board in 2024. Her connection to the school runs deep—she was in TCS’s very first class in 1980. More than three decades later, her son started at TCS at age 2½ in the first Younger All Day class and stayed through pre-K before returning for first grade during the pandemic. Her daughter also attended TCS in summer 2020, and her nieces attended as well. Her children now attend Washington Elementary.
Julie is a staff attorney for a federal judge in the U.S. District Court for the District of Idaho and holds degrees from the University of Washington and the University of Georgia School of Law.
Kate Schmitz is the President of Parents for The Children’s School. Her family has been part of TCS for years—one child is a proud alum and the other currently attends. She loves supporting teachers, building community, and keeping TCS fun for everyone.
