Ellen Garcia, Teacher
Ellen has been a member of the UCNS community since 2003, when the first of her three children began preschool. She has a bachelor’s degree in microbiology and a master’s degree in teaching from Cornell University. She taught middle school science for seven years before taking a break to raise her family. Then, Ellen’s interest in teaching shifted to the earlier years. She now holds New York State certification in Early Childhood Education. She looks forward to working with all UCNS families and traveling with your children on their wonder-filled preschool journeys.
Beverly Way, Teacher
Bev’s love of UCNS began in 2003 when her daughter started preschool here. In 2006, her son was enrolled and carried on the tradition. Bev loves the cooperative program and fondly remembers her excitement at all she learned during her parent helping days. She served on the UCNS parent board as Parent Helper Scheduler, Assistant Treasurer and Co-Chair. Bev completed a bachelor’s and master’s degree at the University of California Berkeley.
Nicole Smith, Program Director
Nicole has been a part of the UCNS community since 2016, when her daughter began her 3 years attending the program. During that time she served on the UCNS parent board as the registrar and after her daughter moved onto kindergarten, she substituted at UCNS. Nicole has a bachelor’s degree from Cornell and a Master of Public Administration & Non-Profit Management from the Maxwell School at Syracuse University. She has run many educational programs and has almost 2 decades of time spent in non-profit program direction. Nicole loves putting her experience to use at UCNS!