Administration

Anna Goodkind

Executive Director

Anna has been active in the field of progressive early childhood education for over a decade in both the New York and Boston areas. She has experience in teaching, curriculum development, and school leadership and expertise in the Reggio Emilia philosophy of education. Anna most recently served as the Curriculum Specialist and Afternoon Program Coordinator at the Trust Center for Early Education in Brookline and has taught at the JCC Manhattan Nursery School in NYC.  Anna holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Creative Writing from Barnard College and a Master’s of Fine Arts degree in English and Writing with a focus on Children’s Literature from the City College of New York.  In 2018 Anna completed her Early Childhood Education Director II Level certification through Wheelock College of Education and Human Development, Boston University and the MA EEC. Anna is so grateful to be a part of the wonderful community at The Family Cooperative along with her whole family as both Director and parent! Her philosophy of education has always been that young children come to us with their own ideas, experiences, and questions about the world and we are their guides in turning those questions into deep inquiries and learning opportunities--TFC is a place in which this happens on a daily basis.

Meagan Lee

Admin & Teacher Support

Meagan has been a proud member of the TFC community over the past six years taking on various roles. She has worked as a classroom teacher with infants, toddlers, and preschoolers and currently is responsible for Administrative and Teacher Support at TFC. She provides support at the school-wide level and loves to see growth of the children, teachers, and the school. She is an experienced early childhood educator and has taken the communication and collaboration that she learned in graduate school to apply it to the entire TFC community. She believes that through observation, reflection and sharing ideas amongst one another, teachers create engaging classroom environments for children for whom it is a wonderful period of discovery where teachers have the unique opportunity to tailor the curriculum to each student’s interests and abilities. Her professional interests include creative arts, anti-bias curriculum and community building. Her interests outside of work often include adventures with her family (Husband Brendan, Bennett (4) and Hazel (1), both TFC alums) and her dog.

Jennifer Morris

Health and Safety Manager

Jennifer is the Health and Safety Operations Manager at The Family Cooperative. She is from Mansfield, Massachusetts, where she is currently raising three children of her own. Her work journey has given her diverse skills and experiences. She has a background in Early Childhood Education in addition to the health and medical field, where she has worked as a dental assistant and a medical assistant. She manages all of the day-to-day health and safety operations at TFC and received her Teacher Certification from the MA EEC to work as an assistant teacher. Outside of work, she loves portrait photography and owns a side business specializing in children and family portraits. She plans to go back to school full time and get her Associate’s degree in science. No matter where Jennifer is or what she is doing, she is happy as long as she can help people smile and feel better.

Sequoia Room Teachers

Bonnie Ryan

Bonnie loves being with babies. She finds them endlessly interesting, amazing, and brilliant. She has worn many hats in 37 years of early childhood education, fourteen of those exclusively with infants and young toddlers. Babies are clearly her calling. She has been at TFC since the day it opened its doors. She is grateful to be part of this growing and caring community.

She is a visual artist (ryanbonnie.blogspot.com) and works in the exercise and movement field as well. She is the mother of two grown sons.

Claire Messier

Claire grew up in Maynard, MA and now lives in Lowell, MA with her boyfriend and wonderful cat. Unsure of what path to take, Claire accepted a job as an Assistant Teacher at a school that was beginning their journey of being Reggio-Inspired. She was immediately captivated by the philosophy. She was amazed by the many ways children communicate when you take the time to listen.  Through most of her five years at that school, she taught in an Infant and Toddler mixed-age classroom. She absolutely loves being with babies and young toddlers, and she is so happy to have joined the Sequoia team!

Kate Murphy

Kate has worked professionally with young children for over 15 years. She is passionate about nurturing and maintaining relationships with families in a cooperative setting. She believes that the community we create together can last a lifetime. She enjoys creating spaces for children that are inviting, inspiring, intentional and child centered.

She grew up in a small town in north central Massachusetts where she earned her AA in Child Study. Next, she moved to the valley where she earned her BA in Spanish and Latin American and Caribbean Studies at UMASS Amherst. She is a mother to two fun loving children ages 7 and 5 and a stepmother to a kind 16 year old. She has been teaching at TFC since 2015.

Maple Room Teachers

Mariana Stefanini

It was back in Brazil where Mariana first learned about the Reggio approach to education and fell deeply in love with it; she knew that was how she wanted to approach children’s everyday experiences. She finds it a privilege to spend her days alongside children and to be given the opportunity to wonder, to search, find meaning, feel joy, and most of all, learn from and with them. She is a psychologist by training, but working with children in inclusive classrooms led her into changing paths and becoming a teacher, completing another bachelor’s in education.

Throughout nearly fifteen years working as a teacher, she has taught a wide age range of children, from infants to 5th graders. In 2019, she joined TFC both as a teacher and a parent.  She found a warm community that strongly values educators as learners, fosters an environment that nourishes diversity and equity and a relationship where school and home are intertwined. She wholeheartedly shares these values with this community and feels very fortunate to be part of this group!  Along with her two daughters and husband she enjoys traveling, going on bike rides and watching movies under the covers by the fire. In the meantime, she is continuing to further her education and pursuing a Master’s Degree in “Innovative Early Childhood Education” by CU Denver and the Boulder Journey School, loving every bit of it.

Maureen Linnane

A native from the west coast of Ireland, she now calls Boston home. She has a deep love for the city and all that it has to offer to developing minds. She teamed up with her sister to open up a bar and restaurant in Cambridge. While enjoying the challenges and experience of the family business, she knew that her true vocation was to work with children.

While working full-time, she pursued a degree in Early Childhood Education, which led her to The Family Cooperative. She immediately felt a connection to the school and the unique sense of community that exists among the parents and teachers. She feels so fortunate to be part of a Reggio Emilia inspired center. And finds it a privilege to witness the growth and development of the children and the foundation for a love of lifetime learning. She is excited to share in the wonder and discovery of learning filled with fun and creativity.

Monica Patro

Monica graduated from the University of Massachusetts, Boston with a Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Education and Care with a focus on Infant/Toddler Development. She discovered the Reggio Emilia approach through her internship program and fell in love! She finally found an educational approach that spoke to her and aligned so well with her values as an Early Childhood Teacher. It was imperative that she worked in an environment that truly honored the children, and allowed them to make their own discoveries. She plans to continue her studies in the Reggio Emilia approach by enrolling in a Masters program that centers around the approach, and continue working in this wonderful community at TFC.

Chestnut Room Teachers

Caitlin Maddix

Caitlin grew up in the suburbs of Boston and now lives in Watertown with her wife and three sons, the youngest of whom attends TFC.  Her interest in teaching young children began when she was a kindergartener herself and has grown into a passion and a fulfilling career over the course of her life.  Her first teaching job was at a Reggio Emilia inspired early childhood center and she realized that she had found her home, working to empower children through facilitation of their own self-directed interests and play.  After nine years, she decided to take a break from teaching full time to return to school to complete her degree.  While in school she had the opportunity to conduct research in a laboratory preschool, focusing on how children learn through play and how pedagogical documentation can be a comprehensive assessment tool for children's learning and development.  After completing her degree, she found her way to TFC in 2017, joining a wonderful community of teachers and families.  Her teaching and research experiences have deepened her belief that children's learning is most significant when they are encouraged to engage in self-initiated play experiences and TFC embodies the educational values she feels so passionate about.

Jenni Lonsdale



Jenni grew up outside of Boston in Canton, Massachusetts and although she has always enjoyed working with young children, she actually graduated with a degree in Business Administration, pursuing a career in finance, strategy and operations.  While volunteering at a school near her office, she discovered that working with children was where her heart truly belonged. She quickly made the decision to make a big switch in career paths and spent the next two years working as a full time nanny for a young toddler and preschooler. She was first introduced to the Reggio Emilia philosophy and the impact that an engaged, emergent curriculum can have when she transitioned the children into their new preschool. Determined to learn more about education and curriculum, She completed her Masters of Education in 2017.  She is extremely excited to be a part of the talented teaching team at The Family Cooperative and looks forward to the year ahead!

Matthew Geary

Coming soon...

Supporting Teachers

Inaya Dia

Inaya has been with TFC since 2017. She is a new grandmother of a beautiful baby girl and has a special place in her heart for children! She is someone who wants to provide an inviting and nurturing environment where young children can learn and grow, especially through play. She also appreciates and values the diversity of families’ cultures, race and ethnic backgrounds. Her entire goal is to enrich and teach the next generation!