Education is not the filling of a pail but the lighting of a fire
our staff & volunteers.
Say hello to our caring, enthusiastic team!
We are proud of the diversity of our team’s social, educational & professional backgrounds and the array of talents they bring to Wildflowers Learning Center.
Our team is committed to reaching beyond required annual training and professional development. We encourage teachers to be creative with their continuing education so they can hone their skills and learn more about the subjects they are interested in and passionate about.
Teachers are up to date with CPR, First Aid, SIDS/SBS and Child Abuse & Neglect trainings & certifications. Our infant & toddler teachers complete additional training hours in “Fundamentals of Infant & Toddler Care.” In addition, we offer 90 hours focused on Introduction to the Childcare Profession and Skills & Strategies for the Childcare Teacher.
Please note, we respect the privacy of all our team members and at times our staff or teachers opt to not have their photo/bio included on our website and/or avoid sharing personal information.
Leadership
Angelica Quintero, Director of Operations
Who: Angelica, also known as Angi, has master's degrees in both Finance and Business Administration as well as a bachelor's in Engineering. Having previously worked in multi-national supply chains, Angi likes to keep things on schedule. What: Responsible for all operations. When: Has worked in childcare for 7 years. Where: Originally from Caracas, Venezuela. Why: I started working in childcare as a way to both work and be close to my children. I have loved leading our school with the mindset of a mother shaping her child's environment.
David Webb, Director of Finance/Marketing
Who: David has a master's degree in Business Administration and a bachelor's degree in Kinesiology. David has a background in managing retail operations and has coached soccer for over 25 years. What: Responsible for accounting, finance, procurement and forecasting. When: David has been working with children for almost 30 years. Where: Originally from Madison, Wisconsin. Why: David loves creating an environment where children can be themselves . . . Wildflowers.
Vijaya Pitchumani,
Executive Director & Administrator
Who: Viji has a master's degree in Human Resource Management and a bachelor's in physics. With a background in IT, Viji is well suited for managing our ever-evolving online presence. What: Responsible for all daily operations and licensing compliance. When: Has worked in childcare for 5 years. Where: Originally from Chennai, India. Why: Having two children of her own (one of whom attended Wildflowers!) sparked her interest in pursuing a career that would allow her to stay connected to young learners. She is passionate about being a nurturing presence at the school and supporting our teachers in their development. She began her adventure with us in 2020 as a lead teacher.
Meghan Stecker, Assistant Director
Who: Meg has a bachelor's degree in Music Education. In their free time, Meg loves to sing, play piano and guitar, and perform in musicals in the Madison area. What: Meg supports in the classroom and also with operational duties. When: Has worked with children for 3 years. Where: Originally from Madison, Wisconsin. Why: Meg previously taught elementary general music in the public school system before deciding to shift their focus to a smaller and more personal teaching environment.
Santini Mejia, Assistant Director
Who: Santini earned a bachelor's degree in Communications. Outside of work, she enjoys hanging out with friends, dancing, exploring Madison and listening to music. What: She supports in the classroom as well as with administrative duties. When: Over 10 years of childcare experience. Where: Originally from Ensenada, Mexico. Why: Loves teaching Spanish and is passionate about working with babies, as she gets to see them grow and actively participate in their earliest developmental milestones.
Seedlings (Infants)
Gerladine Saravia, Lead Teacher
Who: Geraldine went to school to study Psychology. She likes to spend time with her children and read. What: Leader of our littlest Wildflowers. When: Geraldine has been in childcare for many years! Where: Originally from Managua, Nicaragua. Why: She has two children of her own who she adores. She is passionate about working with children, especially infants, as she believes they are the foundation of our future.
Sophia Flores, Lead Teacher
Who: Sophia enjoys playing the ukulele, going skating or dancing with friends. One of her favorite pastimes is composing and recording music. What: Plays and shares her love with the itty bitty babies. When: Recently began her professional career in childcare. Where: Originally from Mexico. Why: Sophia finds that supporting the first year of a child's life incredibly rewarding.
Sprouts (1 Year Olds)
Santini Mejia, Lead Teacher
Who: Santini earned a bachelor's degree in Communications. Outside of work, she enjoys hanging out with friends, dancing, exploring Madison and listening to music. What: Director of Daydreams in our one year old room. When: Over 10 years of childcare experience. Where: Originally from Ensenada, Mexico. Why: Loves teaching Spanish and is passionate about working with babies, as she gets to see them grow and actively participate in their earliest developmental milestones.
Linda Hernandez, Lead Teacher
Who: Linda is active and loves learning and taking care of children. She enjoys traveling, make-up, music, and dance. She enjoys cooking and trying out new cuisines in the kitchen. What: Responsible for hugging and dancing with our one year olds as a lead teacher When: Linda has worked with children for many years. She is a mother and has cared for her nieces and nephews. Where: Originally from Guerrero, Mexico. Why: She has also been a float teacher for the past year at the Well and she especially likes the infants age group. Linda is also a Wildflower parent and she believes it is important to care for every child as if they are her own
Saplings (1 & 2 Year Olds)
Veronica Sanchez, Lead Teacher
Who: Veronica is a mother of three. What: President of all the pretty things in our one & two year old room When: She has spent more than 12 years working with children. Where: Grew up in Queretaro, Mexico. Why: She enjoys working with children, caring for them, and helping them reach their next milestone. She especially loves seeing how quickly they grow and learn about the world around them.
Lamees Moustafa, Lead Teacher
Who: Lamees has a bachelor’s degree from Ismailia University. Outside of work, she loves to meet new people and learn about other cultures and lifestyles. She enjoys reading books about diversity and global citizenship. In her free time, she hikes, listens to music and cooks - she loves to try new recipes. What: Leader of laughs in our 1 & 2 year old room. When: Lamees has 5 years of experience in early childhood education and worked for two childcare centers in Madison and Middleton. Where: Born in El Zagazig, Egypt. Why: Lamees loves working with children because she believes helping them (and their families) is the most rewarding job she can think of! She celebrates the little things every day. She also gets to be a part of the messy, amazing learning process and see so many smiles!
Blossoms (2 Year Olds)
Bhargavi Siva Kumar, Lead Teacher
Who: Bhargavi (Ms. B) holds a master’s degree in English Literature and a bachelor’s degree in Travel and Tourism. What: Technician of the tiny in our 2 year old room. When: With over five years of experience in administration and website content management, she was inspired by her mother, a teacher, to pursue a career in early childhood education. Where: Originally from Chennai, India. Why: She loves working with children and bringing smiles to people’s faces. Her passion for arts and crafts adds a creative touch to everything she does. Although new to the childcare industry, Bhargavi is enthusiastic about making a positive impact on young minds.
Tamia Hamilton, Lead Teacher
Who: Tamia (Ms. T) loves to be outside in nature and to be around family and friends. What: Boss of all things bouncy in our two year old room! When: She has over three years of experience in childcare. Where: Originally from South Bend, Indiana. Why: She has always had love for kids and is looking forward to growing her career in early childhood.
Willows (2 & 3 Year Olds)
Nyesha Baker, Lead Teacher
Who: Nyesha is currently working toward finishing her bachelor's degree in Communication & Health at the University of Wisconsin - Whitewater What: Leader of Laughter in all of our classrooms. When: Nyesha has experience working with children in a few different settings and has taken on the role of nanny, caregiver, teacher assistant, and lead school-age teacher. She has experience working with children from ages 3 to 12 years old. Why: Nyesha loves watching littles develop their language and social skills. Her interest in working with children began when she became an aunt.
Rylan Kennedy, Lead Teacher
Who: Rylan is currently studying at Madison College. In their leisure time, Rylan enjoys listening to music and exploring the outdoors. What: Manager of Little Munchkins in our 2 & 3 year old room. When: Rylan has dedicated over ten years to working with children. Their experience spans early childhood education, elementary summer camps, foster care, and supporting individuals with special needs. Why: Rylan is driven by a deep passion for play and connection.
Redwoods (3 Year Olds)
Stella Bernal, Lead Teacher
Who: Stella, also known as Techy, has an associate's degree in Early Childhood Education. She enjoys going on hikes, traveling, reading, watching movies, and hanging out with her loved ones. What: Captain of Clapping in our three year old room Where: Originally from Cartagena, Colombia. Why: She enjoys teaching children and learning from them as well as encouraging their social, linguistic, and emotional development.
Meghan Stecker, Lead Teacher
Who: Meg has a bachelor's degree in Music Education. In their free time, Meg loves to sing, play piano and guitar, and perform in musicals in the Madison area. What: Meg supports in the classroom and also with operational duties. When: Has worked with children for 3 years. Where: Originally from Madison, Wisconsin. Why: Meg previously taught elementary general music in the public school system before deciding to shift their focus to a smaller and more personal teaching environment.
Sequoias (4 & 5 Year Olds)
Morgan Foster, Lead 4K Teacher
Who: Mo has a master’s in social work and a bachelor’s in communication What: Supports all classrooms as a float teacher. When: Mo has worked with children almost her whole life. Her mother ran an at-home daycare since she was seven years old. Where: Born and raised in the Midwest. Family in Illinois, went to school in Iowa and spent two years in Texas. Moved back to Wisconsin for the cold and to be closer to family. Why: Mo’s background in social work has allowed her to work in many different fields. Mo worked as a substance use recovery coach for teens and adolescents. After years of being a part of her mother’s daycare and learning licensing, she decided to change into early childcare. Mo is passionate about facilitating exploration in the classroom and fostering early learning and development.
Maria Vasilev, Lead 4K Teacher
Who: Maria has a bachelors degree in Sport and Physical Education. She has been teaching yoga for over 6 years and practices it with our young yogis. She is also a youth gymnastics coach. What: Stretcher of imaginations in our 4K classroom. When: Has been at Wildflowers (formerly the Well) for 7 years. Where: Originally from Romania.
Enrichment Learning & Support team
Molly Day Peterson, Director of Music
Who: Molly holds a Bachelor of Music Education from Lawrence University Conservatory of Music, and plays piano, guitar and is a vocalist. She loves hiking, summer thunderstorms, and playing show tunes What: She has taught elementary and middle school music in the Baltimore City Public Schools, and the Madison Metropolitan and Middleton Cross Plains school districts. When: She has been a music educator for almost 20 years and has experience teaching all ages, from birth to high school. Where: She lives in west Madison with her husband Ryan, children Stella and Henry and their black lab mix Millie. Why: In addition to her public school teaching experience, she has directed choirs with the Baltimore Symphony ORCHkids program and the Handel Children’s Choir, and is a licensed Kindermusik instructor.
Sara Rohs, Director of Dance
Who: Sara is a member of the Augsburg College Dance Team, eventually serving as their captain for three years and later as a coach for four years What: Sara founded and directed the Ascending Star Dance Team. She was also an instructor at "Just for Kix" summer camps while performing with the Swarm Performance Team in the Professional Lacrosse League. Upon relocating to Madison, Sara pursued coursework at the UW-Madison Dance Department, and danced with the Milwaukee Brewers Diamond Dancers for two seasons. She was also a member of the Madison-area SweatShop Hip Hop Crew. When: In 2022, Sara launched the MCD Youth Program, providing student dancers with opportunities to learn, create, perform, and cultivate community. Recently, she was honored with the Artist At Work Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. Where: Originally from Minnesota. Why: She is the founder and artistic director of the nonprofit Madison Contemporary Dance (MCD), which aims to create community through accessible arts experiences. She also judges dance competitions across Wisconsin. Sara co-directs the Majestic Hip Hop Crew alongside Papa Kobina Brewoo.
Kim Hinkley, Director of Brand & Marketing
Who: Kim holds a bachelor's degree from UW-Madison and a master's degree in teaching from National Louis University. Her two sons attended Wildflowers! She loves playing pickleball, downhill skiing, birding, and going on adventures with her family. What: She's been a teacher, a preschool director and worked in development in Chicago and San Francisco for nonprofits that support education. When: Kim has worked in education for 16 years, and was the Program & Purpose Director at Wildflowers when it was the Well. Where: Originally from Oak Park, Illinois. Why: She is excited to manage the Wildflowers' digital presence and support a school that is very close to her heart! She is passionate about quality early childhood education and care, as she believes the first few years of a child's life lays the groundwork for their future.
Brooke Barakat, Float Teacher
Who: Brooke is currently a student at UW-Madison studying Elementary Education, focusing on teaching foreign languages with a minor in Business Chinese. During her free time, she loves to read anything she can get her hands on, learn languages, and try out new recipes she finds online! What: CEO of flexibility When: She has been working with children for over two years, teaching swim lessons during the school year and counseling during the summer. Where: Originally from Madison, Wisconsin. Why: Loves the children's laughs and giggles when they learn new things, and believes children are often underestimated when it comes to how smart they are!
Vanitha Peelyadka, Float Teacher
Who: Vani has a bachelor's degree in the Arts. Her interests include cooking, reading, practicing yoga daily and spending quality time with her friends and family. What: She loves reading to children and seeing all they learn through play. When: She has a diverse background, having worked in a law office and as an elementary school teacher in India for two years before moving into early childhood education. Where: Originally from Karnataka, India Why: Vani is passionate about working with children, enjoys supporting their learning and loves having fun with them!
Milagros Ledesma, Float Teacher
Who: Milagros (Miley) enjoys spending time with her family as well as dancing and playing volleyball in her free time What: Supports all classrooms as a float teacher. When: She has 2 years of experience working with kids Where: Originally from Buenos Aires, Argentina family Why: Having a child of her own sparked her interest in working with kids. She enjoys watching them grow and learn new things. Developing their little personality
Abby Hill, Float Teacher
Who: Abby has a bachelor’s degree in Music Performance with a minor in Communication Studies. What: Crafter of all things crafty in our 2 & 3 year old room. When: Over the last decade, she has explored a variety of careers, but ultimately continues to be drawn back to early childhood education. Where: Why: She has always had a special spot in her heart for little learners and strives to be a teacher that they can count on!
Juana Montes, Nutrition Coordinator
Who: Juana
What: Celebrity chef When:
Where:
Why:
Volunteers
Becky Leider-Heiking
Who: Ms. Becky was our Saplings lead teacher before her retirement. She has a grown son and daughter, three cats and a husband who enjoys biking and has played Santa Claus for the Well at winter events! She also volunteers as a donation sorter for the Dane County Humane Society (which she says is very interesting!), loves making cards, scrapbooking and trying to upcycle and recycle anything she can. What: Volunteer extraordinaire! When: Before teaching here, she was with the Dane County Drug Court through Journey Mental Health. She has worked for the Wisconsin Alumni Association as an administrative assistant and event planner and hosted several overseas alumni trips and countless Bowl trips. She also worked at ARC Maternal & Infant Community Services. She has experience working with people from all walks of life and really enjoys helping everyone. Where: Originally from Tomahawk, Wisconsin. Why: She loves coming back as a volunteer for special events and classroom support!