Sonya Sutter

Center Director

I have been in the field of early childhood development for 26 years. I have my BA in Elementary and Early Childhood Education and also possess a Florida Directors Credential. I am currently in the process of obtaining my Maters in Education with a concentration in Family and Community Counseling. I thoroughly love working with young minds. It is a very rewarding opportunity that has enlightened my perspective on how important each and every day is in the life of a child. I was born and raised for my first 20 years in Ohio where I met my best friend and husband of 23 years. We have two children and a granddaughter. I enjoy the beach, photography and scrapbooking. I find I don’t have much time for any of my hobbies between work, school and my granddaughter. Life is good and I am thankful for every minute I have on earth!

Cathy Hardison

Assistant Center Director

I graduated from Camden County High School in Kingsland, Georgia. I am currently furthering my education in hopes of receiving my degree in Early Childhood Development. I currently hold a CDA accompanied by a Florida Directors Credential. I am married to my wonderful husband and have two children. Although I have been in this field for a short time, I have found my true calling. I wake up every day excited about what’s in store for me at the center. Every day there is something new happening with the children. You just never know what they will say or do that will put a smile on your face. That’s what I look forward to the most!

Jessica Gadberry

Infant Room Lead Teacher

I graduated from Orange Park High School. I continued my education in early childhood education and received my Child Development Associate. I have 6 years of experience working in the early childhood education field. I enjoy working with children and watching them learn. I feel as if I have succeeded when I see a child achieve a new task. That is what makes my job so wonderful. In my spare time I enjoy spending time with my daughter.

Brooke Ridenhour

Infant Room Assistant

I am currently continuing my education in Elementary Education at Florida State College of Jacksonville. I have enjoyed working in the early childhood field, because their strong and creative imaginations are such a joy to be a part of. Watching the progress children make along the way is so amazing to me. It is exciting knowing that I made a difference in a child’s life. In my spare time I enjoy the beach and cook outs with my family and my son.

 

Debbie Kaleel

Toddler Curriculum Coordinator

and Lead Toddler 1 Teacher

I graduated from Robert E. Lee High School in Jacksonville. I also hold a National CDA as well as a degree from Florida Community College of Jacksonville. I have worked in the field of early childhood for 15 years and have loved every minute. I love children’s innocents and unconditional love. They have no worries which remind me every day to love life to its fullest. In my spare time I enjoy spending time with my 4 children and 2 grandsons.

Chari Roderick

Lead Toddler 2 Teacher

I graduated with a AA in Early Childhood Education. I have over 7 years of wonderful experience working in the field. It has been a beautiful 7 years seeing little minds expand and learn. I am thankful I was a part of their learning process. I love providing new experiences to the children to open their minds to new possibilities. I enjoy reading and researching new ideas and techniques to use with children. I am always looking for new ways to try something or to enhance my abilities with children. I want to be the best I can be each day for every child I work with. I am married with four boys. In my spare time I enjoy photography, watching movies and spending time with my family.

Precious White

Lead Toddler 2 Teacher

I am a graduate of Middleburg High School where I received my training in Early Childhood Education. I have worked in the field for 3 years and they have been 3 years of complete amazement. I love working with children and knowing there will never be a dull boring day ahead. There are two valuable things that the children have taught me and that is kindness and patience. I have stocked up on both of those qualities for many years to come. I enjoy hunting, fishing or any other outdoor sports. I also don’t mind a good pedicure on occasion to gear me up for what’s ahead the next day at work!

Norma Robles

Lead Pre-k 3 Teacher

I graduated high school in Newark, NJ. I then began studying health and nutrition and soon received my AA. I began working at the age of 14 with young children and found that children inspire me. I now have been in the early childhood field for 12 years. I have a son who is the best part of my life. We enjoy playing and going to Zumba together. He is my little hero!

Megan Royal

Lead Pre-k 4 Teacher

I graduated from First Coast Academy High School. I also attended St. Johns Community College. I obtained my Child Development Associate in 2010. I have been working in the early childhood industry for over 10 years. I am a native of Jacksonville, Florida. In my spare time I love to go to the beach and spend time with my family. I currently have no children, but I hope to have a big family in the future.  Until then, I have an entire classroom of children that inspire me each and every day!

Jennifer Fuller

Pre-k Curriculum Coordinator and Lead Pre-k 4 Teacher

I graduated from Countryside High School and continued my education and got my BA in Elementary Education from University of North Florida. I have worked in the early childhood field for 4 years where I have developed a real passion for working with young children. I want to make a difference in every child’s life that I have the opportunity to teach. I want them to continue their love of learning as they grow each year. It is my responsibility to make them love learning. There are days when I feel as if I have not taught them enough and there are days when they teach me everything. Who wouldn’t want a job like this? It is amazing to come to work every day. In my spare time I enjoy scrapbooking and reading. I also enjoy visiting the mountains and the beach with my husband and friends.

Kimberly Stewart

Lead Pre-k 4 Teacher

I am proudly an early childhood educator. I have worked in the early childhood field for over 6 years. I received my BA in Liberal Arts with a concentration in Early Childhood Development in 2001. After that is when the fun and amazing times began with me and the children. I also received my Child Development Associate in 2005 which led me on the path to a great adventure.  Besides my job and the children I work with, I have a huge passion for the Pittsburg Steelers, soccer and my family. I enjoy watching the Steelers play football, playing soccer and hanging out with my family. I love to listen to music and eat chocolate every chance I get. I am excited to be a part of the Ivy League family and look forward to each day that I get to come to work and spend time watching the children grow and prosper.

Luz Gonzalez

Lead Pre-k 4 Teacher

I am originally from Columbia. I was relocated to the US forty years ago.I fluently speak Spanish and English. I have been working in the early childhood field for over 15 years. I received my Child Development Associate and have attended a vast amount of early childhood conferences over the years. I plan on continuing my education in order to keep growing. I am happily married with two children and a granddaughter. In my spare time I enjoy reading, listening to music and taking walks. I am grateful for the children and families whose lives I touch each and every day. Children are an amazing part of our lives!

Charlyne Blunt

Lead School Age Teacher/Camp Counselor

I graduated from Orange Park High School in Orange Park, Florida. I am currently furthering my education in hopes of obtaining my BA in Elementary Education. I have 4 years of experience working with young children and am very excited to continue growing that number. I love the fact that I have given each child the opportunity to learn and engage in new concepts and ideas in a fun and meaningful way. Learning should be fun and that is my responsibility to the children. I want them to continue their love of learning even after elementary school. Working with children has kept me smiling. You hear the funniest things come out of their mouths. It brings me back to when I was a child. This job keeps me young at heart thanks to the awesome children I work with each day. In my little bit of spare time I enjoy going to the beach, movies and hanging out with friends.

 

Sara Harvey

Toddler Co-teacher

I have been working in the early childhood field for over three years. I have found that this is an amazing and rewarding field and hope to continue my journey for many years to come. I am currently enrolled in the Child Development Associate program and hope to learn as much about young children as I can. I have completed the required Department of Children and Families training in order to provide a safe, healthy, enriched environment for children. I am currently engaged to a wonderful man and will soon have a step son. In my spare time I stay very busy traveling to visit my friends and family. I absolutely love working with children and thoroughly enjoy being a part of the Ivy League family.

April Allen

Pre-k Co-Teacher

I am a graduate of Middleburg High School where I received my training in Early Childhood Education. I have worked in the field for 3 years and they have been 3 years of complete amazement. I love working with children and knowing there will never be a dull boring day ahead. There are two valuable things that the children have taught me and that is kindness and patience. I have stocked up on both of those qualities for many years to come. I enjoy hunting, fishing or any other outdoor sports. I also don’t mind a good pedicure on occasion to gear me up for what’s ahead the next day at work!

Brooke Larkin

Pre-k 4 Co-Teacher/Camp Counselor

I graduated from the First Coast Academy. I also hold a CDA as well as a Florida Directors Credential. I have so much patience from within and find it easy working with young children. I enjoy when they ask questions and begin to engage in their curiosities through investigation and social experiences. It is the amazing part of my job when I walk in and hear them all yell my name and run to share their hugs. That is what a great job is all about. I am grateful to every parent for allowing me to be a part of their child’s life and learning experience.

Heidi Bouchie

Pre-k 4 Co-Teacher

I graduated from Brunswick High School located in Brunswick, ME. My husband and I have 5 children; 4 girls and 1 boy. Their ages are 5, 9, 12, 15 and 18. Once relocating to Florida I became a housewife for many years. I knew my love for children would land me in the teaching profession. I have been employed with Ivy League Academy for three years and absolutely love it. To watch children interact and develop the love for learning is a wonderful experience. It is amazing to see children using their minds, having fun and being so creative. In my spare time I enjoy reading, photography and drawing.

 

Teresa Frazee

Our Nutrition Specialist

I graduated from high school in Oakland, Md. I have worked in the field of early childhood education for 15 years. I was afterschool teacher for the first 10 years of my career. After cooking different wonderful dishes for our staff meetings and Christmas parties, I was suggested to try to offer my special gift of cooking good food for our students at our school 5 years ago. I decided to do so and I became the main figure of our Food Program. When serving their meals, I enjoy having conversation with children; you never know what they are going to say. They look at life through different lenses than adults do and it is the one thing that fascinates me the most about them. Children are a gift and I am thankful I have the opportunity to work closely with so many wonderful gifts. I am married and have a daughter and son-in-law. I am patiently waiting on a grandchild in the near future (I hope)! I enjoy boating, gardening, playing with my dog in the pool and swimming. Life is great!