The Family Cooperative benefits from a creative and experienced group of teachers, many who hold a Master's Degree in our field. We recognize that we are all teachers and learners as we collaborate, form strong connections, and reflect on our interactions with each child.
School Support Teachers
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Anntonnette Thompson joined TFC in 2021Anntonnette received her teaching certificate from Bunker Hill College in early childhood education and started working in the childcare field in 1991. She is a grandmother of eight beautiful grandchildren and has been working with children for 34 years. Additionally, Anntonnette is TFC’s resident storyteller, with a professional certificate in storytelling, art, and storytelling with puppets. Her first 30 years of teaching took place at Bigelow Cooperative Daycare Center in Cambridge Mass, and she then joined the team at TFC and has loved every minute of it! |
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Inaya Dia joined TFC in 2018Inaya is a passionate member of TFC, and a mother and grandmother dedicated to working with children. Originally from Lebanon, Inaya lives with her family in Foxborough MA. She holds an Associate's degree in Early Childhood Education and serves as an all school support teacher at TFC, where she works hard to embody the Reggio Emilia approach through her work. Committed to fostering an inclusive atmosphere, she aligns her professional practices with her personal values of dedication and hard work in every aspect of her teaching. Inaya joined TFC in 2018, and has been working and supporting the TFC community since. |
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Kate Laude joined TFC in 2021Kate graduated from Wheelock College and holds a degree in Human Development with a certificate in Community Based Human Services. Early in her career, she was a Behavior Specialist in inclusive classroom settings for children ranging from 15 months - 4 years. As she continued her career working with young children she was introduced to the Reggio Emilia approach. She has spent the past six years teaching in Reggio-inspired preschools. Through these experiences, Kate has learned how capable children are, and that their innate curiosity for the world around them is astounding. In her spare time, Kate loves going to the beach, spending time with friends/family, and adventuring to new places. |
Sequoia Room Teachers
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Erin Sheehan joined TFC in 2022Erin graduated from Salem State University with a Bachelor's degree in Psychology, and a focus in Early Childhood Education. Over her years of experience in a variety of school and home settings, she earned a lead teacher certification and has worked with children aging from infancy to school age, as well as children with special needs. After coming to TFC, Erin fell in love with the child-focused atmosphere and community of teacher-learners in a Reggio Emilia-inspired school. This is also where she found her true home in a classroom with infants and young toddlers.
In her free time, Erin can always be found with a book in her hand, spending time with her nephews, and traveling with her friends! |
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Sarah Hollis joined TFC in 2021Sarah graduated from Lesley University and holds both lead teacher and director certifications. In her work with children, she aims to create an environment based on respect through exploration, discovery, and play. She sees her job as helping to guide and facilitate learning through a co-construction of knowledge based on children's curiosity and interests. Sarah's teaching philosophy and pedagogy is deeply rooted in the Reggio Emilia approach and during her graduate student work at the University of Colorado, where she earned a M.A. in Innovative Early Education in 2022, she studied in depth about the home and school connection for the youngest learners. She loves working at a family co-op and deepening the relationship between the home culture and school setting. Outside of the classroom, Sarah is a passionate volleyball player and former collegiate coach.
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Samantha Madden joined TFC in 2022 |
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Samantha (Sam) has always had a passion for working with young children. Growing up, adults referred to her as a “natural” and a “baby whisperer”. This gave her the confidence to eventually pursue a career working with young children. Sam went to a technical high school with an early education and care program. This allowed her to start her teaching journey in a hands-on manner at the age of 14. Sam graduated with infant/toddler/preschool certification. After six years of teaching at one center, Sam decided it was time to branch out and explore different approaches to teaching. Then Sam found TFC! Exploring the Reggio Emilia approach through experiential learning opportunities and seeing just how children change has made Sam feel right at home as she grows as a teacher alongside the children.
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Magnolia Room Teachers |
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Kelly Shedd joined TFC in 2022Kelly holds a Master's in Early Education and has worked in the field for 30 years. Kelly joined TFC in 2022 and hasn't looked back. She believes that individualism should be celebrated and is committed to creating a nurturing and supportive environment, where children can learn, grow, and thrive. Every day with children brings something different, silly moments, surprises and discovery. Kelly is the proud parent of a grown daughter and shares her life's journey with her partner. She finds joy in the unexpected, spontaneous and quirky adventures, and little moments.
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Emily Shepardson joined TFC in 2025Emily was born and raised in Maynard, MA, and is fluent in Swedish and English. Emily attended a local technical high school where she studied Health Technologies. Being at a technical high school made her fall in love with hands-on learning for children of all ages. Growing up, her mom ran a daycare out of their family's house, where Emily would eagerly help out. Being with young children every day inspired Emily to become an Early Childhood Educator. After receiving her certificate in Childhood Growth and Development, Emily decided to further her education by taking classes at a local college. The Reggio Emilia Philosophy is most like Emily's personal philosophy, as she believes children learn through their environment, and they are capable of their own learning. As a creative person, Emily found a love of loose parts and is always incorporating natural materials and loose parts into the classroom spaces.
When she can, Emily likes to go home to visit her family in Sweden. She has traveled to more than 10 countries, and she loves learning about different cultures and traditions. In her free time, Emily enjoys spending time with her family, her girlfriend, Sam, and her friends. Emily likes iced oat milk lattes, listening to true crime podcasts, watching romcoms, going thrifting (to look for loose parts!), being outside, listening to music at full volume, and getting crafty. |
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Robin Stange joined TFC in 2025Robin currently lives in Lowell with her cat Bruno. She moved to Massachusetts from Brooklyn, NY in 2018. In NYC, she studied Early Childhood Education with a focus on Birth to Second Grade at Kingsborough College and then Brooklyn College to fulfill her childhood dream of being a teacher. Moving from the big city has helped her slow down and develop a love for hiking, birding, gardening and exploring the woods. She also loves makeup artistry, thrifting, live music, scary movies, practicing Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, checking out local vegan restaurants, and roller skating.
She is a passionate environmentalist and is always trying to do her part and teach children about the importance of protecting the earth! The things that are most important to her education philosophy are relationship building, using the environment as an additional teacher, and helping children be active participants in their learning. |
Willow Room Teachers |
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Maureen Linnane Joined TFC in 2016A 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 as they build the foundation for a love of lifetime learning. She is excited to share in the wonder and discovery of each day as it’s filled with fun and creativity. |
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Kimberly Cosky Joined TFC in 2022Kim has been in the Early Childhood field for over twelve years. She graduated from Westfield State College and holds both teacher and director certifications. Before coming to TFC, Kim taught Pre-K and was a principal at a private school. In the classroom, Kim finds inspiration in the Reggio Emilia philosophy. She enjoys creating a classroom environment that supports each child’s growth and development. Outside of the classroom, Kim enjoys traveling with her husband and exploring the architecture of different cultures.
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Dayane Pierre Joined TFC in 2025
Dayane was born in Haiti and moved to the United States in 2001. Since 2015, She's had the joy of working with children and building meaningful connections with them and their families.
She is passionate about the Reggio approach and creating a classroom environment that is filled with nature, and both children and families feel safe and welcomed. She loves trying new cuisine, and discovering new music from all over the world. Her favorite has been Jazz, specifically saxophone instrumentals. When Dayane is not listening to music, she enjoys cooking and trying new recipes, and creating dishes that remind her of home. She tries to bring her passion for music and exploring different cultures into the classroom to spark curiosity and joy. She is grateful to be part of the TFC community and she looks forward to starting this new journey! |
Maple Room Teachers |
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Hannah Sheridan Joined TFC in 2024Hannah has been working in the field of early childhood care and education for over ten years. Finding inspiration in learning from and drawing upon different educational methods and philosophies, she has worked in both Montessori and Reggio Emilia inspired schools. She earned her Montessori teaching certificate in 2014. Hannah has a special fondness for outdoor education, and is a founding member of the board of directors for the Boston Outdoor Preschool Network.
Some of her greatest joys are creating opportunities for children to connect with nature, designing process-based art projects, singing songs and reading books with children. She views children as capable, creative, and important members of our society. It is her intention as an educator to foster independence, collaboration, self-confidence, self-awareness, inclusivity, community, and a sense of stewardship of the Earth, inspiring an intrinsic, life-long love and joy of learning and exploration in all of the children she has the honor of working with. In her free time, Hannah enjoys spending time outside hiking, biking, camping, gardening, and going to the beach. Some of her other hobbies include cooking, fiber arts, and herbalism. |
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A. R. Joined TFC in 2024 |
Chestnut Room Teachers |
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Beth Nadeau Joined TFC in 2020
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Amy Kao joined TFC in 2024Amy was born and raised in Taipei, Taiwan and earned her M.Ed. in Art Education (PreK-8) from Lesley University in 2021. After teaching art in Taiwan for two years, she moved to the Boston area in 2018 and has loved working with young children ever since. Amy is excited to bring her art experience to the TFC community and continue her studies in early childhood education. She’s dedicated to creating a warm and respectful environment where kids feel loved, supported, and free to explore their curiosity. Amy loves finding creative ways to help each child discover their strengths! For her personal practice in art, she loves doing pottery and printmaking. |
Administrative Team
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Caitlin Maddix joined TFC in 2017
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Kate Hudson joined TFC in 2018
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Ripple
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Ripple is a Painted Turtle, and a cherished member of our TFC community. He came to TFC with one of our founding teachers. He is estimated to be over ten years old. Ripple has spent time in many classrooms at TFC throughout the years. When TFC moved to a new building on Kondazian Street, Ripple moved to a much larger (75 Gallon!) tank where he enjoys showing off his swimming skills. His tank is cared for by a team of teachers affectionately dubbed "The Turtle Team."
Throughout his years at TFC, he has provided opportunities for inquiry as students wonder how reptiles live, how turtles grow, and what foods are safe for them to eat. His daily feedings are provided by the students at TFC. Ripple has a snack menu, and we often feed him safe leftovers from our classroom snacks as a supplement to his turtle diet. Ripple absolutely loves saying good morning to children as they arrive at TFC. If you are visiting TFC, please stop at Ripple's tank and say "hello!" |
Interns/Student Teachers & Substitute Teachers
TFC partners with area schools, colleges, and universities to provide internship opportunities to students interested in a career in the field of Early Childhood Education. We also hire Substitute teachers, some of whom have a community connection to TFC and return year after year as familiar faces to our students.
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ADDRESS51 Kondazian Street
Watertown, MA 02472 Telephone617.393.8356
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