November Company-Wide Teacher of the Month

What a busy and successful month November has been!  Thank you to of the hardworking men and women who educate and love on our kiddos every day! The process of choosing just one passionate teacher this month was tough, but we are lucky to have so many to choose from! The following teachers were nominated by their Program Directors and Assistant Directors for this achievement:

• Traci Dickson, Ozark
• Rachel Davison, Springfield I
• Vanessa Villagrana, Colorado Springs
• Shelly Wessman, Southlake
• Chelsea Thomas, Springfield III
• Cherine Namwe, Rogers
• Stefanie Cipriano, Gilbert
• Samantha Davis, Leawood
• Lis Kelly, University City 
• Tammy Tropea, Lakeway
• Meggan Decker, Springfield II

Congratulations to all of these nominees! We are very thankful for all you do for the children in your care every day!

Our November 2015 Company-Wide Teacher of the Month is Fran Ellsaesser!! Ms Fran is the lead toddler teacher at our Scottsdale location in Arizona.

Program Director, Jenn Morgan, had the following to say about Fran, “This month, we are thrilled to nominate Ms. Fran Ellsaesser as our Teacher of the Month. Ms. Fran is the lead teacher of our Toddler classroom, and she is an amazing addition to our Little Sunshine’s family. The parents and children alike absolutely adore her, in fact, she has to sneak out of the room for potty breaks or to leave for the day, as some of the children love her so much that they get upset when she leaves. Ms. Fran has a calm and patient demeanor about her that makes her a perfect fit for the toddler classroom. Her classroom is always calm and well run, which we attribute largely to the positive energy she exudes every day. I hear praises for Ms. Fran and her classroom on almost a daily basis from her parents. Their only complaint is having to say goodbye to Ms. Fran when their child ages up to the next classroom. On top of the wonderful job she does in her classroom, Ms. Fran is an excellent team player. She is always willing to lend a hand where it is needed, and never has a negative thing to say. She absolutely exudes the Little Sunshine’s culture of family, love and community and I cannot think of anyone more deserving of this award.”

Fran started working in the child care industry when she was pregnant with her first daughter Isabella. Fran had always wanted to work with children and she was already going to school to get her masters in Elementary Education and counseling, so it seemed like the perfect time to get started! From the moment, Fran started and till this day, she absolutely loves what she does and working with children is her passion!

What Fran enjoys the most about working with Little Sunshine’s is the people she works with. “They are practically my family. This is such an amazing company with a lot of great people!” Fran is the lead teacher in the toddler room. She loves this age group because they never stop trying to learn new things! “I love seeing them grow and develop their own personalities. There is never a dull moment!”

When asked Fran what her favorite curriculum project was she has done in her classroom, she responded with, “My favorite curriculum project that I have done was during community helper month where each child made their own library card. I was a very fun and personalized craft that each of my students were eager to show their parents!”

Outside of work, Fran loves spending time with her children and husband. Whether it be watching a movie together or going to the grocery store, she just loves doing things together as a family. She also enjoys reading a good book!

One special fact about Fran that no one would expect is she can speak four different languages!