Early Education Programs

Sarah Mitchell is the Early Childhood Program Manager for Florence Crittenton Preschool and Child Enrichment Center. Originally from Georgia, Sarah brings over 12 years’ experience in the educational setting. While attending Valdosta State University, she received a BA in Psychology and M.Ed. in School Counseling. Sarah has developed a strong sense of devotion to supporting children’s development as a program manager of early prevention and intervention services. This experience has provided her with a deep appreciation for collaborating with educators, parents, and community partners to meet each child’s developmental needs. She believes early exposure to learning opportunities that are fun and engaging enhance children’s social-emotional, cognitive, communicative, and physical development. She is committed to providing a safe and nurturing environment where children develop a love of learning and feel a sense of belonging.

Micaela Wilfong is an Early Childhood Program Supervisor at Florence Crittenton Preschool. Micaela graduated from Montana State University-Bozeman in 2014 with a BS in Early Childhood Education. Since graduating, Micaela has taught preschool in various programs in Tennessee and Montana. She is a strong advocate for family services being a leading part of the preschool program. Micaela believes “when you start a child in preschool you don’t just enroll the child, you enroll the family”.

Micaela is a firm believer that parents are their child’s first educators, and that preschool is an extension of family driven learning. She believes having parents as an active participant and advocate in their child’s education is essential.

Micaela is excited to be a part of the Florence Crittenton team and to bring her education and experience to the classroom.

Allison Pettit brings over 30 years of experience in early childhood education to Florence Crittenton’s Child Enrichment Center. As Administrative Support at the center, she ensures all children receive the cognitive, physical, communicative, and social-emotional supports they need to further their growth and development.

Recognizing families are essential to early childhood success, Allison strives to build connections and maintain open discourse with each family. She utilizes her bachelor’s degree and early childhood trainings to implement daily developmentally appropriate best practices in the CEC.

Allison enjoys creating a fun, engaging, stimulating environment for the children and shares the best part of early childhood development, as well as her day, centers around play.

Brianna believes strongly in building close relationships with each child and making sure her approach brings out the best in each amazing individual. She understands the benefits of early childhood development in terms of social and emotional development as well as building a village surrounding each child that ensures their success.

Brianna enjoys every day at work, she says the children always put a smile on her face and she enjoys every minute with the amazing human beings that they are developing into! She also values being a part of the wonderfully supportive Florence Crittenton Early Childhood team.

She says they have a ton of fun and always work together as a team to give each child the best possible experience at preschool.

Denice Wells is an Early Childhood Lead Teacher at the Florence Crittenton Child Enrichment Center (CEC). With over 23 years of experience in the early childhood profession, she is an expert in ensuring the CEC operates efficiently. From meeting the needs of children 0-1 to mentoring new staff members, Denice is known for her caring, responsible, and trustworthy personality.

She continually seeks opportunities for growth in her field and has attended several trainings that address various areas of child development. Denice believes children are happiest when they feel safe and loved. She is passionate about providing an atmosphere where infants and toddlers can safely explore their environment.

Denice is proud of the accomplishments the CEC has achieved, and she strives to ensure the center continues to experience success.

Sharaya Doney is the Early Childhood Lead Teacher for the 4-to-5-year-old classroom at the Child Enrichment Center. With over 15 years working in early childhood education, she understands the important role teachers play in providing positive experiences to kiddos at a young age. She is passionate about children’s learning and therefore strives to teach them something new every day.

Sharaya’s approaches in the classroom toward all her little learners entails having an open mind, loving heart, understanding, and plenty of patience. She values spending time with each of her students because these opportunities not only help build their relationship but also provide her insight into their unique and special personalities.

She is excited to share new experiences with the children in her classroom and hopes to help them establish a strong love of learning that they will take with them when they transition to Kindergarten.

Amy Drennon, a passionate and driven teacher, strongly believes in the transformative power of early childhood education. She recognizes that these formative years are the ideal time for children to develop the social and emotional skills that will set them on a path towards lifelong success and fulfillment. She finds it incredibly rewarding to observe young minds as they navigate the complexities of relationships, express their emotions, and learn valuable life skills. Seeing children work through conflicts and arrive at positive resolutions fills Amy’s heart with pride, knowing that she played a part in fostering their growth and emotional intelligence.

Creating a safe and inclusive environment is paramount for Amy. She believes that children flourish when they feel comfortable being themselves and exploring their interests. By fostering an atmosphere of acceptance and respect, Amy empowers her students to embrace their individuality and develop a strong sense of self-worth.

Celia joined Florence Crittenton in May 2022 to work with our infants and toddlers in our Child Enrichment Center. She brings 5 years experience working in Early Childhood and particularly enjoys creating a bond with each child, seeing them grow and develop into healthy little individuals.

Celia believes high quality childcare and preschool truly sets kids up to be successful in school and in life. She enjoys working with parents as a team to ensure each child’s success and values being part of such a cohesive team where every child is valued and nurtured.

Kayla is an accomplished early childhood educator with nearly three years of experience dedicated to shaping young minds. She firmly believes in the significance of early childhood education, recognizing its pivotal role in laying the groundwork for children’s future learning and social interactions.

What Kayla finds most rewarding about her work is the ever-changing nature of each day, offering new opportunities to witness children’s growth and development firsthand. Her approach is centered on getting on the children’s level, both physically and emotionally, to better understand their perspectives and tailor her teaching methods accordingly.

Kayla places a strong emphasis on building trusting relationships with her students, understanding that a safe and supportive environment is essential for optimal learning. Through her passion, dedication, and commitment to fostering a nurturing learning environment, Kayla continues to make a positive impact on the lives of the children she serves.

Tara was born and raised in Helena, MT and comes to Florence Crittenton with almost five years of early childhood experience! She has taught between the ages of 0-10 and loved every second of it. Tara is currently pursuing a Bachelor’s in Elementary Education with hopes to continue on and get a Master’s in Early Childhood Education.

Her teaching philosophy is, “It is a teacher’s job to teach children how to be human, not to yell at them when they get it wrong.” Tara’s favorite thing about teaching is watching each child change and grow every single day; it truly is magical!

Marie has lived most of her life in the northeastern corner of Montana as a mother of three daughters and an elementary school teacher. She is married to a farmer/rancher who still commutes back & forth to northeastern Montana. After 30 years of teaching, she retired in May of 2022. As her youngest child left for college, they made the big move to Helena in September of 2022.

With those major changes in her life over this past year, Marie is looking forward to new adventures! She believes being a parent is the most important job there is in life, and she wanted to find a new “occupation” which led her to Florence Crittenton. Her hope is that as a Parent Educator at FC, she was able to help guide parents along their journey to be the best for their children. Marie recently moved to the Early Childhood program, which is where she felt her heart led her after getting to know our little learners and Early Childhood team.

Marie loves the outdoors and spending time with her family, especially her children who are spreading their wings in different places as adults.

Brooke Hatten, at times affectionally referred to as “Brooke the Cook”, is the Early Childhood Chef for Florence Crittenton’s Early Childhood Programs. With previous experience in a childcare setting and in a variety of establishments within the food industry, she now enjoys bridging these two fields together in her work in our centers.

Brooke values introducing new foods to children because she believes learning happens at any moment, especially during mealtimes. She is adept at meeting the needs of children with food allergies and intolerances.

For Brooke, “Interaction with the children within our programs is key because I gain insight regarding their eating habits. Not only is this time with them a fun experience, but it also inspires me to seek out new ways to incorporate different foods and to be creative, so that all kids, even those with dietary restrictions, can enjoy the same meal!”