Teachers and Staff
Our classrooms employ two full-time teaching staff and are supported by classroom aides throughout the day. All full time teachers meet or exceed licensing requirements through educational background and work experience and are encouraged to pursue educational opportunities within the center, through outside agencies, and higher education opportunities.
All staff is certified in First Aid and CPR as well as completing required training in health and safety topic areas.
Meet the center staff
| Name | Title | ||
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Berni Howe | Director | bernihowe@k-state.edu |
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Terraketa Rumpson | Assistant Director | rumpson@k-state.edu |
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Natasha Freeman | Program Manager | natasha2@k-state.edu |
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Melissa Carson | Program Manager | missycarson@k-state.edu |
| Grace Duque | Program Assistant | duque@k-state.edu | |
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Anita Baker-Velez | Teaching Staff | |
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Ann Turner | Teaching Staff | |
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Belinda Rader | Teaching Staff | |
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Braden Tinder | Teaching Staff | |
| Chelsea Wolven | Teaching Staff | ||
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Chrishuna Williams | Teaching Staff | |
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Collette Lowy | Teaching Staff | |
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Connie White | Teaching Staff | |
| Gavin Purvis | Teaching Staff | ||
| Haley Booker | Teaching Staff | ||
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Hana Lewis | Teaching Staff | |
| Julie Wild | Teaching Staff | ||
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Kandi Sultz | Teaching Staff | |
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Kyle Whitney | Teaching Staff | |
| Laura Moore | Teaching Staff | ||
| Laurie Cape | Teaching Staff | ||
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Laurie Kurtz | Teaching Staff | |
| Mary Anne Shehata | Teaching Staff | ||
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Melody Padgett | Teaching Staff | |
| Valerie Babbe | Teaching Staff | ||
| Chris Blau | Custodian | ||
The University runs a background check on all full-time employees. The search checks employees’ criminal history for felony and misdemeanor convictions and the sex offender registry at county and federal levels in every jurisdiction where a candidate currently resides or has resided in the last 7 years.
In addition, a comprehensive fingerprint-based check is conducted. This consists of the following:
- A Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) fingerprint check;
- A search of the National Crime Information Center’s National Sex Offender Registry
- A search of the following registries, repositories or databases in the state where the individual resides and each state where the individual has resided in the previous 5 years:
- State criminal registry or repository;
- State sex offender registry or repository;
- State-based child abuse and neglect registry and database.
- Out of state background checks for any state other than Kansas that an individual has lived in during the past 5 years and will include state criminal history, state sex offender registry and the state abuse and neglect registry