Early Education Programs

Micaela Wilfong is the Early Childhood Services Director 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.

Sharaya Doney is the Early Childhood Program Manager at Florence Crittenton. 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 toward all her little learners entails having an open mind, loving heart, understanding, and plenty of patience. She values spending time with each of the 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 and staff in the Child Enrichment Center and hopes to help them establish a strong love of learning that they will take with them when they transition to Kindergarten.

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.

Brooke Hatten, at times affectionally referred to as “Brooke the Cook”, joined the team as 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 enjoys bridging these two fields together in her work in our centers in her new role of Substitute Teacher.

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!”