Center for Child Development

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

The center staff includes

  • Director, Berni Howe
  • Assistant Director, Terraketa Rumpson
  • Program Manager, Natasha Freeman
  • Program Manager, Melissa Carson
  • Program Assistant, Grace Duque
  • Teaching Staff
    • Anita Baker-Velez
    • Ann Turner
    • Belinda Rader
    • Braden Tinder
    • Chelsea Wolven
    • Chrishuna Williams
    • Collette Lowy
    • Gavin Purvis
    • Haley Booker
    • Hana Lewis
    • Julie Wild
    • Kandi Sultz
    • Kyle Whitney
    • Laura Moore
    • Laurie Cape
    • Mary Anne Shehata
    • Melody Padgett
    • Valerie Babbe
  • Custodian, Chris Blau

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