The role of the educator in this setting is that of guide, researcher and learner. We believe that every individual in the school community is actively engaged in learning. It is the educator’s responsibility to open the doors to knowledge, to observe and pay attention to details, to listen to and consider children’s ideas – even the ones that are not “true” or “correct.”
Administrative/Pedagogical Staff
Director
Keli Jackson, affectionately known as Mrs. Keli is a founding member of The Willow School and has been joyfully working with infants and toddlers since 2008. Before stepping into the world of early childhood education, she followed a different kind of calling: music. A classically trained opera singer, Keli holds a B.A. in Music from Spelman College and is a proud member of The Atlanta Opera Chorus. She also earned her M.S. in Early Childhood Education from Walden University.
Keli has been married for 20 years to her incredible husband, Santana, and together they are the proud parents of a bright, spirited daughter who keeps life full of wonder and joy. Their home is filled with music, laughter, and love.
Music lives in Keli’s bones, and so does her passion for nurturing children. She became a teacher because she believes in the transformative power of connection, curiosity, and care. She’s not afraid to get messy, dig deep, or explore right alongside the children—because she knows the early years are sacred and foundational.
Every day, Keli is inspired to be a steady, joyful presence in the lives of children and families. Her mission is simple but powerful: to show up with intention and heart, so each child feels valued and each day holds something special.
Assistant Director
Pedagogista
Keiran graduated from Agnes Scott College in 2014 with a degree in Psychology and has worked with children in a variety of roles for 16 years. His experience includes roles such as a camp counselor, soccer coach, nanny, social/emotional skills coach, facilitator of a queer/trans teen support group, elementary educator and preschool educator. Keiran has worked in early childhood education since 2018 and, prior to joining the Willow School, worked for Turning Sun School, the Morgan Oliver School and the Highlander School. The Reggio Emilia philosophy resonates deeply with him, and he finds fulfillment in supporting teachers in implementing the Reggio approach in the classroom. He also believes strongly in the empowerment of children through play and learning, and is committed to building communities that honor and respect children’s voices, ideas and identities.
Atelierista
Amy moved to the US from the UK in 2011 and is settled here with her husband and three children. She still gets regular shipments of tea from England, but enjoys family life in Decatur.
Amy’s BA honors from Leeds University is in Applied Social Sciences and Drama, Film and TV. She also has a Post Graduate Certificate in Education from the University of York St John, specialising in English Language and Literacy. Over the past 25 years, she has enjoyed a rich and varied career in education. Amy has taught children ages 0-18 years, many of whom were neuro-divergent and all with varied backgrounds and life stories.. She has a passion for discovering children’s individual gifts and helping them fulfill their true potential.
Amy was part of the original Willow team and has had many different roles. She looped with her infant class up to PreK and has since been part of the pedagogical team, most recently in the role of Atelierista. This allows her to get creative with the children in all age groups! She was fortunate enough to attend a study tour in Italy which gave her the opportunity to deepen her understanding of the Reggio Emilia approach.
Outside of The Willow School, Amy enjoys documenting family life through photography and writing, cooking and with her children, reading and spending time outside, in nature with friends.
Atelierista
Amanda Espinosa has been an early childhood educator since 2010 and has worked with young children for more than 15 years. She holds a bachelors of fine arts degree from the Art institute of Atlanta, and believes that children approach learning with creative minds. She especially enjoys linking school lessons with the creative arts. In her free time she enjoys reading, gardening, and sewing.
Enrollment and Family Engagement Coordinator
Melissa Godbee, is a Chicago native and married mother of four. Since moving to Atlanta in 2008, Melissa has performed with regional companies in the Southeast and the world-renowned Atlanta Opera. With a passion for music and performance, she cherishes opportunities to help cultivate that same love of the arts in others. Melissa holds a Bachelor’s of Arts degree, from the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University. After moving to Atlanta, Mrs. Godbee received a graduate assistantship at Georgia State University where she completed her Masters in Music. She has worked in an Administrative capacity for 18 years. She began working at the Willow School in 2019, in an Administrative role. Today she is an active member of the Atlanta Opera Chorus, performs with Capital City Opera, and is our Enrollment and Family Engagement Coordinator. In addition, 3 of her four children have matriculated through Willow!
Administrative Assistant
My name is Dale, and I’ve been happily married for almost 40 years. I’m the proud mom of four adult children and grandmother to four amazing grandchildren. I also have two beloved fur babies. I love spending time with family and friends, and coming from a large family as does my husband. I can honestly say I’ve been around and caring for children most of my life.
Before joining The Willow School, I worked in the medical field for nearly 30 years. I made a career change due to health reasons, and when I was ready to return to work, my son suggested I join him at Willow. A chef position happened to be available in 2018, and I’m so glad I took the opportunity! I truly love being part of the Willow community.
I worked as the school chef until March 2020, and returned to Willow in October 2022 as the Administrative Assistant, a role I currently hold and genuinely enjoy every day.
The Willow School Founder est. 2015- Feb. 2026
Teresa became interested in early childhood education in the capacity of parent volunteer at her children’s preschool. While being involved there, she developed an understanding of what wonderful early childhood education could and should be. Progressing from volunteer to President of the Board of Directors and ultimately Director of Operations at the Grant Park Cooperative Preschool, Teresa discovered her passion to broaden the availability of these experiences to more families and children.
In 2011, Teresa opened The Nest Nursery School with two co-founders in the Ormewood Park neighborhood in southeast Atlanta. Several years later, Teresa extended her experience to the City of Decatur in the form of a new center for infants and young children – The Willow School. The Willow School will offer to its families a unique environment inspired by the principles of the Reggio Emilia approach to early childhood education.
Teresa earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Accounting from University of Phoenix and is pursuing a Master’s in Early Childhood Education from the University of Colorado. She has been on three study tours to Italy to deepen her knowledge and understanding of the Reggio Emilia approach. These inspiring visits shape the philosophies and practices that Teresa brings to childhood education: respect for the learning process, a love of children, and a passion for advocacy for the causes of the very young.
Teresa lives with her husband, Adam, in Grant Park. They are the proud parents of five wonderful children, two grandchildren, and a stubborn but loving dog.
Support Staff
Early Music Specialist
Sara Fanucchi is a music educator, teaching artist, and singer and is thrilled to be a part of the wonderful Willow School community! Sara has been teaching early childhood and preschool music for more than 15 years and finds so much joy in making music with the very young. Most recently she was the director and head teacher of the early childhood music program for CenterStage Stars in NYC. As a teaching artist and mezzo-soprano, Sara has been involved in opera outreach and education programs in schools and public libraries and has performed extensively in operas and concerts across the country. Sara holds a Master of Music degree in voice from Manhattan School of Music, a dual Bachelor of Music and Bachelor of Arts from Oberlin College and Conservatory of Music, and has completed Orff Level 1 certification in music education. Outside of the music room, Sara can be found spending as much time as possible with her family, walking her dogs, planting native wildflowers, and watching birds.
Facilties Caretaker
Chef
Assistant Chef
Assistant Chef
Infant Educators
Infant Educator
Drew is an Atlanta native who spends his free time gaming and reading. He has always been involved in watching his younger cousins and siblings, but it was the birth of his nephew in 2008that really sparked hispassion for children. Drew began his Early Childhood Education career at TheWillow School and has fulfilled a variety of roles from 2017 to present. Drew has previously served at Willow as a sub,teacher and chef. Currently, Drew takes pride in his role as a support staff member as it allows him to most easily interact with all age groups across the school and assist teachers in fulfilling their classroom visions!
Infant Educator
Infant Educator
Infant Educator
Infant Educator
Infant Educator
Toddler Educators
Toddler Educator
Toddler Educator
Toddler Educator
Hi, I’m Shanteria. My journey in childcare began three years ago although i have been interacting with children my whole life. Growing up i use to babysit my younger siblings as well as kids around the neighborhood. I also have four beautiful babies of my own which inspired me to work in childcare . It is truly fulfilling for me to love on children and watch them grow everyday. My nurturing spirit and passion children is the reason i enjoy what i do so freely. I have worked with two year olds as well as infants, and even have done school aged kids in summer camps.
Toddler Educator
Twos Educators
Twos Educator
Alex was born and raised around the Atlanta area. He enjoys playing games, movies and spending time with family/friends.He grew up with his mom working in a daycare, then in an elementary school and he even worked in the after school program at the elementary school while in high school. His first real start in childcare was with The Willow school in 2023 and has worked as a support staff member since.
Twos Educator
Preschool Educators
Preschool Educator
Straight from Virginia, Andreia knew early childhood was the field fit for her. Andreia spent her high school career doing internships and student teaching, which helped bring her career journey to light. Andreia graduated from Georgia Piedmont College with an Associate’s Degree in Early Childhood Education. Andreia really enjoys teaching and wishes to become an elementary school teacher in the future.
Preschool Educator
Hello! My name is Vinccetta and I love working with children. I’ve been working in childcare for 12+ years. I am super excited to be a part of your child’s journey, and providing them with a safe fun environment to learn, play and grow. There are a lot of milestones that happen in our classroom which I love to see. I have three beautiful children whom I love and adore I have two boys and one girl from ages 9 ,14 and 16.
Preschool Educator
Grace is currently pursuing her bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education, driven by a passion for fostering young minds. She is a mama to one beautiful four-year-old girl,Santana. Born in Orlando, Florida and raised in Athens,Georgia, she moved to the Decatur area in 2024 to further her career. With three years of experience in childcare, Grace has developed a strong foundation in working with young children and is committed to creating positive, supportive learning environments. She is grateful to have found a welcoming community at The Willow School, where she loves working and feels truly embraced by both the staff and the children. Grace looks forward to continuing her professional growth while making a lasting impact on her students.
Preschool Educator
Preschool Educator
Georgia Lottery Pre-K Educators
Director, Willow Music/ Pre-K Educator
“I wanted a vocal coach because I had absolutely no confidence in my singing voice. I do both jazz and voice, but I did only voice for roughly the first year. Mr. Cole is very good at explaining things, better than most of or all of my teachers at school. This is a feat especially in the context of jazz, which includes very confusing and strange content, or voice, which (since you can’t see or hold it), is hard to describe. He is patient and encouraging as well. At the end of most lessons I ask him unrelated questions, usually about some strange compositional device, and he typically answers it well, completely off the cuff. The results I’ve seen are day and night, honestly. My singing voice has improved tremendously, and I now sing confidently with my band. My piano skills also shot through the roof from where they were. Before I started lessons, I could only play written music on piano, but now I can improvise confidently while playing improvised basslines or playing chords underneath my solos.” Harrison H.
Read more about what our students are saying!
The Director of Willow Music, Adam Cole is a pianist, composer and conductor who has worked professionally in Atlanta since 1991. He also serves as the organist at First Christian Church of Decatur.
A graduate of Oberlin College and Georgia State University, he is the author of numerous books on jazz and classical piano and vocal instruction. A former Choral Director with Atlanta and Fulton County Schools, he has worked as a Project Manager for the Georgia Department of Education to develop Georgia’s Standards for Music Instruction. In addition, Adam earned his Guild Certification in the Feldenkrais Method in 2000. To learn more about Adam, please visit www.acole.net
“In my professional capacity, I routinely observe instruction in settings across the country. I can say with confidence that Adam is one of the best teachers I have ever observed! Adam creates an environment where it is safe to fail, while holding high expectations for quality. He gives clear and precise feedback that helps our son correct his mistakes, but in a way that never puts him on the defensive. Adam expects honesty from his students about how much they practice, but gives advice about the power of discipline and commitment without ever seeming to judge. We have seen our son grow tremendously under Adam’s guidance and look forward to much more beautiful music!” Doannie T.
Pre-K Educator
Cadesha Harrison-Howell has been with the Willow School for 7 years. She holds a degree in Elementary Education from Brenau University and a degree in Early Childhood Studies from Walden University. She has a passion for learning, gardening and for pets. She is a member of: Georgia Association of Educators, The National Education Association, The Community Emergency Response Team, and also a Member of the Dekalb County Emergency Management Agency. She is trained in working with children with ADD, ADHD. She is very excited to be a part of The Willow School.
Pre-K Educator
Georgia Wade was raised in Providence Rhode Island and moved to Georgia in December 2023. Georgia currently holds a bachelor degree in Human development and family studies focusing on children from theUniversity of Rhode Island.Georgia have had the opportunity to work with children for the past 7 years (ages newborn to 16 years old). Through those years, she learned that her favorite age groups are newborn to5years old. Working with children has always been her passion and having the opportunity to do it everyday has been the greatest blessing in her life. Georgia believes that setting the children up for a successful future starts with infancy and she’s amazed at being able to watch that and to be a part of it. This year she strives to gain an understanding of each child and support them in their way of learning. She also strives to create space for each child to explore their own learning styles. Georgia is looking forward to getting to know each parent and to help guide their child through a successful, safe, and fun year.
Forest Class Educators
Forest Class Educator
Maya Torres was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia and has been working in education since 2022. They have experience working with ages 4 months through 16 years. Outside of Willow, Maya works in theatre and film and seeks to combine early childhood education with the arts whenever possible. In their free time, they enjoy rock climbing, reading Shakespeare, and walking their dog, Ringo.
Classroom Support Staff
Support Teacher
Support Teacher
Kimberly is originally from Savannah, Ga. She moved to Atlanta, Ga in 2021. She has earned a Bachelors of Arts in English with an emphasis in Communicative Arts from Columbia College (SC), She also earned a Master’s degree in Instructional Design from American InterContinental University. She has served in education for fifteen years. Kimberly began working at the Willow School in 2022 as a support teacher.
Support Teacher
Support Teacher
Support Teacher