Our Teachers

  • MS. MARIN ANNESS

    Ms. Marin comes to CONNECT with a Bachelor’s in Early Childhood Education and a passion for building a firm foundation for the next generation!

    She enjoys educating and learning from these sweet kiddos in a Jesus-centered environment. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her fiancé, friends, and family. She also enjoys traveling, drinking coffee, as well as cleaning and organizing!

  • Ms. CRYSTAL BELL

    What Ms. Crystal loves most about CONNECT is forming friendships with the little ones and their families. She loves the love and support the CONNECT staff, teachers, and families provide. She loves spending time with her granddaughter, nieces, and nephews during her free time. She also loves crafting and spending time with friends and family.

  • Ms. Raven Branham

    Ms. Raven loves building partnerships with families to help each child grow and learn in a way best suited for them. Watching the children grasp a new concept makes this job so rewarding for her. In her free time, Ms. Raven likes to bake, go on walks with her golden doodle, Brodie, and spend time with my family and friends.

  • Ms. Cierra Carney

    Ms. Cierra loves getting to see our kids grow and learn every day and watching their faces light up with joy. When she is not loving on kids at CONNECT, you can find her serving in the Nursery/PreSchool area, doing a puzzle, and spending quality time with her family.

  • Ms. Jaime Davison

    Ms. Jaime joins us with 25 years of experience in childcare. She loves being able to see a child’s eyes light up when they learn or master something new. When she is not teaching, she loves spending time with her 2 boys, crafting, and taking in a summer concert.

  • Ms. Sarah Field

    Ms. Sarah LOVES the preschool class because she loves watching them grow and learn and their personalities change throughout the year. She loves creating relationships with them, engaging with them, sitting down, and doing magnets, blocks, or whatever they are playing with. Of course, the best part for her is teaching them about Jesus! In her free time, Sarah loves spending time at church. Jesus has always been her number one, so she enjoys going to church and being with her church family. She also loves spending time with friends and family, watching movies, getting coffee, and spending time with those she loves.

  • MS. Jenny Forestal

    What Ms. Jenny loves most about CONNECT is seeing the children’s excitement as they learn and experience new things each day.

    When she’s not at CONNECT, she loves spending time with her family and friends, playing board games, trying new restaurants, hanging out at home with her three dogs, and watching Netflix.

  • Ms. Alysia Hamby

    Ms. Alysia loves being able to watch her baby friends learn and grow. She loves the excitement on parents’ faces when they see their babies accomplish one of their many firsts. She loves working for CONNECT because everybody is full of joy, kindness, and love.

    When she’s not hanging out with the CONNECT kiddos, you’ll find her cooking, camping, and spending time with her children and family.

  • Ms. Dorene Lewis

    Ms. Dorene has been with CONNECT since the launch. She loves being in our Infant Room and teaching about God’s most precious gifts. Her calm spirit is one of the first things parents and babies notice about her! When she’s not at CONNECT, Ms. Dorene enjoys time with her family and six grandchildren!

  • Ms. Audrey Morris

    Ms. Audrey comes to CONNECT with wealth of knowledge in early education and after running her own in-home daycare. She loves spreading joy in each classroom, and showing children the love of Jesus each day. She brings warmth and joy in each classroom she gets to be in. When Audrey is not at CONNECT you can find her spending time with her family, and attending ITOWN Church on Sundays.

  • Ms. Helen Payne

    Ms. Helen takes great joy in sharing Jesus with the children at CONNECT. She sees that kids are so full of energy and wonder; their constant joy reminds her to be joyful in everything she does. In her free time, she loves hiking, painting, and reading. Continuing to work on her personal fitness goals is also very important to her!

  • Ms. Stacie Rose

    Ms. Stacie has been with CONNECT since 2021. She loves teaching at CONNECT and being able to come alongside parents to show their children the love of Jesus! She has years of experience with small children and is fairly fluent in American Sign Language. When she’s not teaching you can find her serving at ITOWN Church on the nursery/preschool Go Team. Outside of work she enjoys relaxing with her family, baking, puzzles, and art.

  • Ms. Sydney Schlief

    Ms. Sydney enjoys working with children, because each child is wonderfully made and each has a story to tell. Working at CONNECT holds a special place in her heart because she gets to come alongside other parents and see their children learn to know the love that God has for them and see their relationship grow and their personalities develop. When she is not teaching children at CONNECT, you can find her hiking, exploring, and spending time with her husband, daughter and the rest of her family.