2018 National Teacher of the Year Winner

At Little Sunshine’s Playhouse and Preschool, we are firm believers that our preschool teachers are the game changers. They show up each day eager to educate, connect with and inspire their students.

To continually honor our passionate educators, we identify and award a National Teacher of the Month each month. This award is highly regarded among our staff and is just one way we continually invest in our educators who make Little Sunshine’s Preschool loved by so many families across the nation.

After receiving hundreds of nominees throughout the year and a ton of great feedback from families on the 10 Teacher of Year Nominees, we are pleased to announce Teresa Obert as the 2018 LSP National Teacher of the Year.

Teresa is the lead teacher of the pre-kindergarten classroom at Little Sunshine’s of Southlake and has been in the early childcare education for 40 years.

While in high school, she was an aide in an elementary school and absolutely loved it – it’s what set her career path in teaching and mentoring young children! What Teresa enjoys most about Little Sunshine’s is the flexibility to expand on lesson plans and the freedom to provide open-ended and natural materials that broaden a child’s experience and imagination.

When asked what inspires her, Teresa said, “truly the spark of light that comes from the eyes of a small child when I connect with them. Even as a small child myself, I knew I would be a teacher. When I look at a child and I see their heart smile, it erases all of my woes!”

Southlake Co-Program Director, Emy Cervantes, said, “Her creative and Reggio-inspired activities keep her students engaged for hours at a time. She is so devoted to her classroom and students and it truly warms my heart to see. She comes in an hour before she needs to be there and works longer than required. Her dedication is always noticed and admirable. Many of our teachers go to her for advice and ideas, as she also spent a lot of her career doing teacher training.”

Even when not at work, Teresa spends most of her time reading and researching natural strategies she can incorporate into her classroom. Teresa is also in the midst of finishing her first children’s book!

“We just adore Mrs. Teresa and enjoy getting to see her children come in every day EXCITED to see what they’ll be working on that day,” Emy said. “We are confident her kiddos are on the path to be successful in Kindergarten!”

Congratulations, Teresa! Thank you for all you do for your students and their families. It is evident how much you are truly cherished. We are very grateful your path led you to Little Sunshine’s Playhouse!