Staff & Students

Ardmore Presbyterian Weekday Preschool

APWPS staff provides your child with a nurturing Christian environment where their growth is fostered through play and developmentally appropriate curriculum.

Our Staff

Teachers Who Care

The primary task of the staff is to provide care, attention, opportunities, and experiences that will encourage learning through play and creative activities.

Michelle Butera

Michelle Butera

Preschool Director

Michelle is excited to continue some of the long-standing traditions of Ardmore Preschool while maintaining the nurturing environment APWPS offer.

Michelle has a background in finance and management, 25 years of parenting experience and 25 years as member of APC, 8 years of Sunday School teaching and involved in the preschool for 20 years.

She brings her faith, her heart and her wisdom to help the preschool have an amazing year.

Michelle is originally from Cherry Hill, NJ. and has her undergraduate degree from Drexel University and her Masters Degree from Penn State University.

She loves to see the happiness and joy that comes from each child.

Michelle is the mother of two adult daughters.

Alyce Cerniglia

Alyce Cerniglia

Discovery Class Teacher

Alyce Cerniglia grew up in the Philadelphia area and has her undergraduate degree in Finance and graduate degree in Human Resources from Catholic University in Washington DC.

She enjoyed many years using her Human Resources skills while working as an international college admissions counselor and corporate recruiter.

Alyce returned from living in Washington DC shortly after meeting her husband “down the shore”.

Alyce and Joe have three boys  who all attended APWPS. Alyce has substituted at APWPS  for many years before joining as a staff member.

Alyce enjoys reading and inspiring future readers starting at a young age,she loves reading during story time or picking that perfect picture book.

Alyce’s family lives in Wynnewood and belongs to St. Margaret’s Church in Narberth.

Alyce is thrilled to be teaching the Discovery class.

Sadie Clifford

Sadie Clifford

Toddler Class Teacher

Sadie was born in Co. Tipperary, Ireland. She qualified as a nurse (RNID, Registered Nurse for Intellectual Disabilities) with the Daughters of Charity services, where, after graduation, she worked in their Early Intervention Center for Children with Physical and Intellectual Disabilities. 

Sadie married in 1998 and moved with her husband to Germany before moving to Dallas, TX where they lived for 3 years.

They moved to Ardmore in 2011, by way of Sydney, Australia, where they also spent 3 years. While in Sydney Sadie volunteered at the Elementary School where their children attended.

Sadie has three children, two daughters and a son and had been a stay at home Mom until the youngest left home for University last year.

Sadie is delighted to join Ardmore Presbyterian Preschool in the Toddler class.

 

Danuta (Danka) Jablonska-Rauer

Danuta (Danka) Jablonska-Rauer

Discovery Class Teacher

Danka is from Poland, where she began her academic and professional career by completing a Master’s Degree in Early Education and becoming a teacher.

She taught preschool children and grade school children for over 12 years and currently is a teacher in Discovery Class.

In 2001, Danka moved to the United States, where she met her husband. She now lives in Ardmore with her husband and  their two daughters.

Danka loves to involve her little ones in crafts, gardening, baking and creative play (everything she enjoys doing!)

She loves to see each child’s curiosity grow as he or she explores the world.

Irena Reynolds

Irena Reynolds

Preschool Administrator and Toddler Class Teacher

Upon completing her degree in Public Administration from the Technical University of Varna, Bulgaria, Irena Reynolds arrived in the United States in 2003 for a year long internship.

The following year she earned her Masters Degree in Central and Eastern European Studies from LaSalle University.

Residing in Ardmore  with her family, Irena very much enjoys being involved at her three children’s schools and volunteering.

After her youngest child started attending Ardmore Presbyterian in 2014, Irena began helping as a substitute teacher, and has assisted in most of the classrooms since.

She is currently the preschool administrator and also a Toddler class teacher.

Laura Rossio

Laura Rossio

Pre K Class Teacher

Laura Rossio grew up in the Philadelphia area, and has a background in nursing.

She has been teaching at APWPS since 2005 and is currently a teacher in the Pre K program.

Laura enjoys the genuine enthusiasm and joie de vivre of the young children in the preschool.

She marvels at the incredible growth from fall to spring as language emerges, skills improve, and the children begin to care about each other.

Laura feels a teacher should be a role model, patient, kind and especially flexible in expectations.

Laura is the mother of a college age  daughter that is graduate of APWPS.

Karen Tolbert

Karen Tolbert

Discovery Class Teacher

Karen grew up in Buffalo, New York. She attended Bucknell University and received a BS in Elementary Education.

She earned her Masters in Reading Education from the University of Virginia. She taught for seven years prior to having children and moving to the area in 2013.

Karen currently lives in Bala Cynwyd with her husband and two children.

Currently she is a teacher in the Discovery program.

Her children are  graduates of APWPS.

Carly Siciliano

Carly Siciliano

Pre K Class Teacher Aide

Carly, born and raised in Ardmore, graduated from Tufts University with a degree in biomedical engineering and has a passion for education. 

 

She has been working with children for years and  is so grateful for the opportunity to work with the Pre-K students in the classroom. 

 

Carly enjoys bringing fun and excitement to the classroom through music, games, and activities!

Kelly Myers

Kelly Myers

Pre K Teacher Aide

Kelly is very passionate about childcare. She firmly believes that a kind, loving, patient approach is the best teaching method sprinkled with firmness and compassion for the unfamiliar encounters a child experiences in learning in a group setting.

 Kelly was born in Philadelphia and comes from a large family. She has experienced many dynamics that impact young lives. She started babysitting her small cousins and the kids of family friends at age 13 which sparked her love of children.

 Kelly comes with 10 years of professional experience as a nanny. She has worked with multiple families for periods of 3 years each or more, helping to nurture and raise these children in a loving, learning  environment.  She loves doing crafts, baking, reading, and outdoor activities. She is a loving pet mom to three beautiful cats.

Joanne Siciliano

Joanne Siciliano

Pre K Teacher

Joanne  has been involved with children, from birth to adolescence, most of her life.  She taught secondary English and Writing, tutored elementary students, and for over 25 years, has provided lactation support to mothers and babies all across the area, while raising her own six children.

Joanne has been a frequent classroom volunteer in her children’s schools, from preschool through elementary, and has continued to volunteer in other capacities in the secondary years.

Joanne enjoys fostering the curiosity and thirst for learning in the preschool years, and sees opportunities for that in everyday experiences.  

She lives with her husband and youngest daughter in Ardmore.