Our Staff

    • WLCN has a nurturing environment and amazing staff which has made my little one come out his shell.

      The Johnson Family
    • Jessica and Tammie bring energy and warmth to the classroom. They make the kids excited about learning!

    • Tamara Heffner
      Director, Lead Teacher (2s and 4s), Co-Teacher (3s)

      Tamara Heffner

      Director, Lead Teacher (2s and 4s), Co-Teacher (3s)

      Tammie joined WLCN in the fall of 2015. Her son attended WLCN in the 4-year old class, so she is very familiar with the co-op environment. Miss Tammie has four years of experience working with special needs children at a daycare center in Virginia. She has actively volunteered at her children’s schools, and she worked as a substitute teacher for her daughter’s elementary school in Texas. Miss Tammie has a certificate in Surgical Technology from Northern Virginia Community College.

    • Danielle Cuozzo
      Lead Teacher (3s), Co-Teacher (2s and 4s)

      Danielle Cuozzo

      Lead Teacher (3s), Co-Teacher (2s and 4s)

      Danielle joined the Wilde Lake Children’s Nursery community in the summer of 2022 when her daughter enrolled in the 3’s class. After spending the 2023-2024 school year as the 4’s Class Liaison and part-time Assistant Teacher, she decided to come on board full time when her daughter graduated from WLCN! In addition to raising her own three children, Miss Danielle has prior experience teaching preschool, providing respite care for special needs children, as well as many years working in education administration. She loves the co-op experience and getting to know all of the families! Miss Danielle has a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Rutgers University.

    • Jo Smetak
      Assistant Teacher

      Jo Smetak

      Assistant Teacher

      Jo has worked and trained in early childhood education since 1987, including 33 years as the lead teacher at Running Brook Children’s Nursery. She is a career-long advocate for play-based learning, specializing in integrating arts, literature, and nature into an early childhood curriculum. She loves talking about children, and offers parent workshops in child development. Early childhood education is her heart!

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