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…

Jalyn grew up in Charlottesville, VA, with her mom and siblings. She also spent some of her childhood with her father in Buckingham, VA. From a young age, Jalyn actively participated in community work, such as distributing food to the homeless and volunteering at shelters during holidays. She always held the belief of making a…

Agu, originally from Argentina, moved to the US with her family when she was 12 years old. She is bilingual in English and Spanish.  She arrived in Charlottesville in 2021 from Houston, Texas. She is a clinical neuropsychologist who works with the other end of the aging spectrum (oldest old!) when not at ONCDC.  Agu…

Ben was born and raised in Washington, DC. He graduated from Macalester College with a degree in Psychology (with a focus on developmental psychology) and a minor in Educational Studies.  He attended and worked at a summer camp for years which helped him decide to work with children. Ben learned about ONCDC through his daughter…

Atlas grew up in Chincoteague, Virginia before moving to the Charlottesville area in 2017. He has always been a great lover of the outdoors and animals, both pets and wildlife. Growing up he spent most of his time on the wildlife refuge his mother worked at.  In his free time, you can often find Atlas…

DR has lived in every region of the east coast as a child. Unable to forget the blue mountains of Pennsylvania, she graduated from Appalachian State University in North Carolina and shortly after moved to this area. She held various jobs, but was unfulfilled at work and found meaning instead with her grayscale cats, their…

Miriam was born and raised in Charlottesville, and her life has been shaped by the Reggio Emilia philosophy- she attended a Reggio preschool herself and started working there when she was 14. In addition to her Reggio background, Miriam has experience in a forest school, in special education, and in public Pre-K.  Miriam graduated from…

Jackie was born in Burbank, California. She lived in Los Angeles until the age of six, then moved with her family to Afton, Virginia. Even though Afton is a drastic change from the big city, she quickly adapted. She has always had a great love for the outdoors, so rural Virginia was perfect. Jackie has…

Zac grew up in Waynesboro, Virginia with his mother, father and two younger brothers. He moved to Harrisonburg at the age of 20 to be closer to Blue Ridge Community College and live with friends attending JMU. While living in Harrisonburg, he met his wife, Kelly. Zac and Kelly got married in 2017 and welcomed…