Staff
Administration

Chrissy Cornell
Director
Chrissy is a child development specialist with more than 20 years of experience in the field of early childhood education. In her role as Director, Chrissy fosters Professional Learning opportunities for the staff, helps coordinate curriculum initiatives, supports the Inclusion Program for children with special needs, sets policies and maintains quality programming at SLC. Before becoming the Director, Chrissy was a Graduate Student Intern, an Inclusive Education Assistant, a classroom teacher and the Associate Director at SLC. She has served on the SLC Governing Board since 2005. Chrissy received her Illinois Director’s Credential in 2002 and participates in numerous professional development activities, including the Evanston Early Childhood Director’s Council and Evanston Cradle to Career. She holds a M.Ed through the Erikson Institute and a BA in Interpersonal Communication. Chrissy is the proud parent of two growing children, one of whom has a disability, both alums of SLC.

Kiki Demopolous
Business Manager

Katie Kelly
Associate Director
Katie is an early childhood educator with 20 years of experience working with children and families. She has a long history with SLC, joining the staff full time in 2008 as a Pre-K teacher in the Blue Room. Katie’s other positions at SLC have included Orange Room Pre-K teacher, 3/4’s teacher, as well as Monday Fun Day and Beach Camp teacher. Before joining SLC, Katie taught first grade for six years. She holds a M.Ed in Early Childhood Education from the Erikson Institute and a BA from the University of Dayton. Katie is a proud alum of SLC as are her two sons, Quinn and Jack.

Chrissy Prieto
Administrative Assistant

Jon Hoffheimer
SLC Greeter (since 2010)
Jon is School for Little Children’s morning greeter and office assistant. A lifelong Evanstonian, he also volunteers at the YMCA and works for the City of Evanston Special Recreation Department at Robert Crown. In his free time, Jon loves to spend time with his siblings and exercise at the YMCA.
Classroom Teachers

Anne Decelles
Teacher, Kindergarten (since 2019)
Anne holds a Masters in Elementary Education from DePaul University. She has 19 years of experience teaching a wide range of students including adults. She enjoyed her time as a classroom teacher in Kindergarten and 1st grade for many years, but her heart has always belonged to the youngest learners. She was happy to finally add Early Childhood Education to her teaching license last year through National Louis University. Fun facts about Anne are her teaching experiences abroad. She taught in France for almost three years. She likes reading, walking and going to the beach.

Donna Oline
Teacher, Pre-K classroom (since 2001)
Donna has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Loras College in Iowa. Donna majored in Social Work, with a minor in Sociology, and uses her educational background with children and families on a daily basis. She has 20 years of experience in the classroom, has taught both 3s and Pre-K and has served as Beach Camp Director. When Donna isn’t teaching, she is a crossword puzzle and Scrabble fanatic! Donna enjoys teaching at the same school as her sister Kathryn Swarczewski.

Isabelle Nieves
Teacher, 3s classroom (since 2001)

Katie Barthelemy
Assistant, 3s classroom (since 2020)
Bio

Bethany Goodman
Teacher, Pre-K classroom (since 2013)
Bethany has a B.A. in Psychology from Loras College in Dubuque, and studied Early Childhood Education at Oakton Community College. Bethany has 7 years of experience teaching in both a 3s and Pre-K classroom. One thing you may not know about Bethany is that she is a certified Massage Therapist.

Erin Nugent
Assistant, 2s classroom (since 2018)
Erin has a Bachelor of Science in Special Education from the University of Missouri in Columbia, and has over 10 years teaching experience. She enjoys working with all children and is happy to be back in the classroom after a hiatus spent as a stay at home mom with her two kids, both SLC alums. In her free time Erin enjoys reading, yoga, spending time at the lakefront, and is currently working on regaining her fluency in Spanish.

Janet Gregori
Teacher, 3s classroom (since 2002)

Kathy Smith
Teacher, Pre-K classroom (since 2007)
Kathy has a background in Special Education, earning a B.A. in Special Ed. from Northeastern IL University, and over 12 years of experience in an early childhood setting. One thing you may not know about Kathy is that she knows sign language, and when she’s not teaching she likes to be outdoors with her family-biking, running, kayaking and camping.

Tatiana Kleiman
Teacher, 2s classroom (since 2021)
Tatiana was born and raised in Russia in a town just southeast of Moscow. She holds a bachelor and masters degree in child psychology and pedagogics, majoring in linguistics from Ryazan Pedagogical University. Tatiana moved to the United States in 2008 and currently lives in Evanston raising her three wonderful children ages 17, 12 and 8. She began her career in this area at Beth Emet Early Childhood Center where she nurtured each child’s innate love for learning and exploration as a long-term substitute teacher. Tatiana’s strengh is to create a safe and welcoming environment for children and to connect on a personal level with each child while sparking their curisosity for learning. When Tatiana is not teaching, she is an avid world traveler and enjoys white-water rafting, hiking, mountain biking and skiing.

Dawn Borchardt
Assistant, Pre-K classroom (since 2015)

Fran Ex
Assistant, 3s classroom (since 2016)

Kathryn Swarczewski
Teacher, 3s classroom (since 2001)
Kathryn and has been a teacher at School for Little Children since 2001. In addition to over 20 years of teaching experience, Kathy’s educational background includes a B.S. in Elementary and Special Education from Northern Illinois University. Kathy enjoys teaching at the same school as her sister Donna Bell.

Lisa Woods
Teacher, 2s classroom (since 2021)
Lisa grew up in Evanston, studied Early Childhood Education at Oakton Community College and has 6 children who have all graduated from School for Little Children. Lisa began teaching at SLC in 1998 amd has taken on a variety of roles throughout the years including Toddler Time teacher, 2s teacher and Pre-K assistant and substitute. She has also enjoyed working in the nursery at the Cradle for the last 12 years. Lisa loves teaching, reading, cooking, and movie nights with her family.