Our Teachers
OUR TEACHERS
Structured planning is what sets Dino Drop-In apart from other drop-in centers. You won’t find screens and electronic toys entertaining children here, our preschool programs have been developed to inspire intrinsic motivation to learn and grow. Activities throughout the day have been carefully selected and timed to give the maximum learning opportunity to each child while respecting the shorter attention spans of the youngest in our community. A mixed age group class fosters a community feel and growth mindset in the younger children and empathy in the older children as they learn to navigate activities in an inclusive manner.
There are multiple opportunities in a day for circle time and group activities to inspire and share. Free play and gross motor skill development give plenty of time to burn off energy, build strength, independence, and resilience. Project time allows your child to develop their interests and explore creatively. At Dino Drop-in we have monthly themes to help guide children to learn about the world around them and encourage a lifelong love of learning. Choose Dino Drop-in for services that deliver more than just a helping hand.
All Dino Drop-In teachers are background checked, trained in CPR/1st Aide, and required to do continuing education each year.
Miss Madi
Miss Madi wears many hats at Dino. Her passion for teaching and leading collides as she manages our team of teachers and sees the center overall. as well as help plan and implement the lesson plans as our Educational Supervisor. She has been a part of the Dino Team since 2019. She is always thinking outside the box and ensuring each lesson is fun and engaging. Ensuring each child is loving to learn! Miss Madi is a team player and is always willing to pitch in to help wherever needed and goes the extra mile making sure each child is set up for success each day. Miss Madi is a teacher, a friend, a wife, a leader, and a HUGE part of Dino. We are lucky to have Miss Madi as a part of the team and are excited to continue to watch her grow within the company!
What’s your favorite game/activity to play or do with the kiddos: “Read books.”
What do you enjoy most about working for Dino? “The relationships I develop with the kids, families, and coworkers. I also feel that it’s taught me a lot about the home I want my kids to have.”
What is a Fun Fact about you? “I crochet and play volleyball.”
Miss Ali
Miss Ali is an amazing Lead Teacher. She takes initiative in everything she does. She is always on time (meaning early), super reliable, and can get multiple tasks completed in a timely manner. She always has a smile on her face and is a positive figure at Dino Drop-In. She cares deeply about her staff members and is always willing to go the extra mile for them. Miss Ali is such an asset to our team and our little Dinos are so lucky to have her as their teacher!
Before being a teacher Miss Ali was a banker – she says “being a teacher is the best, I have never had a more fulfilling job”.
What’s your favorite game/activity to play or do with the kiddos: “Helping them overcome whatever big feeling and/or object they are struggling with. I like being the person there to guide them through it all.”
What is a Fun Fact about you? I am from Oregon.
What do you enjoy most about working for Dino? Dino has given me more opportunities than I ever expected to have when I first started to work here.
Miss Savannah
Miss Savannah has been a team player since day one at Dino, she is a favorite of many! Savannah’s love for children shines in everything she does. Not only does she assist in planning DINOmite activities that promote the growth of each child, but she also goes even further by making every effort to create a relationship with each child from day one. She is always going above and beyond in making sure each child is having fun, feels loved, and is loving to learn. Not only is she a rockstar teacher she is a great coworker as well. Her hardworking attitude and willingness to always jump in to help do not go unnoticed. We feel so lucky to have Miss Savannah be a part of the Dino team!
Here is some fun information about her and what makes her such a standout!
What’s your favorite game/activity to play or do with the kiddos: “My favorite thing to do with the kids is dance!”
What do you enjoy most about working for Dino? “I enjoy all of my coworkers and the love and excitement each of the kids have for us when they come in or we come into the center.”
We are excited to have Miss Savannah continue to grow with Dino Drop-In, she recently was promoted to Manager at our West Richland Center where she leads our team to be the best we can possibly be.
Miss Darci
Miss Darci is the perfect example of a team player and hard work. She never says no to coming in early or staying later. She’s always the first to volunteer assistance and provide extra support to her team members. She cares about her coworkers as well as each child she works with.
Miss Darci enjoys spending one on one time with each child learning their quirks, likes and dislikes. We are so lucky to have her apart of our team and are excited to watch her blossom as a teacher.
What is your favorite thing about working with kids? “My favorite thing about working with kids is being a helping hand in building the foundations of who those kids will be in the future with how they will interact with the world and those around them.”
What is a Fun Fact about you? “A fun fact about me is I have family spread across the entire US from Hawaii to Alaska, a part of Canada, and even have some in Norway!”
What do you like about working with Dino? “What I love most about working for Dino is the relationships I get to build with each kid that comes through the door and getting to know each of them more every day!”
Miss Lexi
Miss Lexi is a great teacher. You can tell she truly cares about each individual child. She’s always making suggestions on how to help a child find more success and is always trying to help find the solution to problems that arise.
Miss Lexi has several years experience working with kiddos and continues to work hard making a difference in each child’s life. You can’t help but feel the love she has for the kiddos when you are around her. She exemplifies Dinos core values in all that she does, We are excited to have her as part of our team!
What is your favorite part about working with children? “My favorite thing about working with kids is: helping them learn and celebrating their accomplishments no matter how small while helping establish a safe place for them.”
What is a Fun Fact about you? “A fun fact about me is: I went down the tallest water slide in Cancún.”
What do you like the most about working with Dino? “What I love most about working at Dino: is having such a positive work environment and feeling like I am making a difference not only in our small friends lives but also within the company.”
Miss Taylor
Miss Taylor has experience working with a variety of children in various settings. She is a quiet teacher but always has brilliant suggestions and is always up for a messy craft or fun dance party! She enjoys working with each child and developing a special meaningful bond. Her ability to touch a child and create that connection is unlike any other. She has brought so much light and joy to our center and we feel very lucky to have her as a Dino Teacher.
What do you love most about working with kids? “My favorite thing about working with kids is watching them learn new things and gaining that relationship with them.”
What is a Fun Fact about you? “A fun fact about me is that I lived in Alaska for almost a year.”
What do you like most about working with Dino? “What I love most about Dino is being able to grow my career with them and the relationships I have grown with families and co workers.”
Miss Sarah
Miss Sarah is our West Richland Lead Teacher, you’d never know she is newer to the Dino family – It feels like she’s been a part of the team the whole time!
She is very enthusiastic and passionate about working with children. She loves working with each child individually and celebrating with them (things both big and small). Her passion for teaching shines through is all that she does. From her extra fun crafts to the way she reads stories it’s no secret she was born a teacher.
The sky is the limit for Miss Sarah and we are excited to see all the things she accomplishes as a Dino Teacher!
What is your favorite things about working with kids? “My favorite thing about working with kids is how rewarding it is. no matter how their day might’ve been before they walked in the door, I know I can always make it better and make sure they know they’re loved!”
What is a fun fact about you? “A fun fact about me is that I am one of 6 siblings! I love having a big family.”
What do you enjoy most about working with Dino? “What I love about Dino is the relationships that have been made and are still growing with my coworkers and awesome.”
