Ms. Jessica Grieshaber - Dreamers (3 mos. - 12 mos.) Lead Teacher

Ms. Ashley LaGace - Tot I (12 mo. - 22 mos.) Lead Teacher

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Ms. Jane Smith - Tot II (22 mos. - 32 mos.) Lead Teacher

Jane is a Master Teacher as defined by the Reaching for the Stars program. With over 26 years experience in the field of Early Childhood Education, she holds a Child Development Associate credential and a Certificate of Mastery and is working on a Family Services and Child Development major at Rose State College.

Jane received the Friend of Children Award in 2007. She is a member of Central Oklahoma Friends of Early Education, Early Childhood Association of Oklahoma (ECAO), Southern Early Childhood Association of Oklahoma (SECA), and the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). Her daughter, now a grown adult and a mother of young children herself, is a Middle Earth alumni. Jane had a family home day care for 11 years before coming to Middle Earth in 1997.

Jane is the thirteenth of sixteen children and she has three wonderful grandchildren. She teaches the two-year-old Sunday School class and VBS and likes to study the Bible and pray. She says, “I believe that parents are a child’s first teachers. I am dedicated to helping parents nurture, love, and offer encouragement to all young children as they continue to grow and learn new things.”

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Ms. Traci Standifer - Serendipity (2.5 - 3.5 yr.)Lead Teacher

Traci is a Master Teacher as defined by the Reaching for the Stars program, and has worked in the field of Early Childhood Education since 1983. She attended St. Louis Community College in Forest Park, Missouri, and has earned 72 hours in Early Childhood Education, where she is well on her way to an Associate Degree in the field. She was a parent educator with the national organization Parents as Teachers for 10 years in Missouri, where she also worked in the Clayton Child Center/Academy for 17 years. (Poor Missouri Tiger fan!) She has been with Middle Earth since 2001.

“Early Childhood is the profession I chose because everyday children learn and explore. I feel that early childhood education is very important, not only for education but for social emotional growth for a child. I love working with children and seeing their minds get a concept. It is a wonderful feeling.”

Ms. Alina Ford - Discoverers (3.5 - 4) Lead Teacher

Ms. Lynne Shell - Explorers Pre-K (4 - 5 yrs.) Lead Teacher

Lynne is a Master Teacher as defined the by Reaching for the Stars program, and comes to Middle Earth with a wealth of experience and a passion for Early Childhood Education. She has an Elementary Education degree from State University of New York, and brings to Middle Earth over 19 years of experience in working with young children. Her background includes a 10-year stint as teacher at Holy Spirit Episcopal School in Houston, and a nine-year period as a teacher at Gingerbread Preschool and Kindergarten in Norman. Lynne then worked at Saxon Publishers for 6 1/2 years before coming to Middle Earth in 2004.

She says, “I was attracted to Middle Earth because of the loving, nurturing atmosphere it provides for all the children. It is the perfect environment for discovery and learning. What a wonderful place to be!