Lilly grew up in a small town in rural west Michigan. She has always loved animals and worked on a horse farm as a teenager. After college, Lilly married her husband and moved to Charlottesville for his job.  Lilly discovered Our Neighborhood in the summer of 2024 after working at a private school. She was…

Stuart was born and raised in Charlotte, NC. He graduated from UNC-Asheville with a degree in political science, but with a passion for ceramics. After a couple years of travel he and his partner Maggie moved to Brevard, NC where he worked as a potter  and gallery owner for the next decade. His family moved…

Shane grew up in the Shenandoah Valley before attending George Mason University. He was moved to work with children by volunteer and babysitting experiences, alongside a long family history of teaching.  He loves to let children take the lead in their learning and to offer them safe connection and calm co-regulation. Of particular interest are…

I am  from India and moved to the USA a  few years ago. I am a computer science major. I love cooking, especially Indian and Mexican dishes. I  spending time with my 5 year old. I do embroidery for making dresses. I also like jewelry making. I am striving to become more fluent in English…

Nicole was born & raised in Prince George, VA. She graduated from Richard Bland College of William and Mary in 2016 with an Associate’s of Science and again from James Madison University in 2019 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and Family Studies, concentrating in Child Development. Nicole recently moved to Scottsville with her partner,…

Mya grew up in Charlottesville, VA with her mom and grandmother. She is the only child. Mya has always had a passion of working with kids since it was something she witnessed her mom and grandma doing when she was younger.  Mya has experience working other children and love how their imagination can be so…

Karen moved to Charlottesville in August of 2014. She completed her Masters degree in Speech Language Pathology at UVA in 2022. She is passionate about incorporating autonomy and a whole person approach in her therapy practice. She joined the Our Neighborhood team to deepen her understanding of early childhood development and learning through play.

Joanna grew up in New York and Connecticut before attending The George Washington University in Washington, DC. She has a Masters degree in in Russian from GWU and another in Special Education from American University. She lived in DC since college, where she raised her two daughters.  In her free time, Joanna enjoys spending time…

Jeanine spent her early childhood in Alaska and Ohio before settling in Lynchburg, Virginia in 2013. She is currently pursuing a degree in Speech Communication Disorders at the University of Virginia in the hopes of becoming a Speech-Language Pathologist. In her free time, Jeanine enjoys engaging with art of all kinds. She especially likes crocheting…

A lifelong resident of Virginia, Claire currently lives in Waynesboro with her partner Sarah and their hound dog, Artemis.  In 2003, she began undergraduate studies at James Madison University. She was lucky enough to complete her degree… just twenty years later!  In her free time, you’ll find her starting DIY projects, wearing pajamas at the…