Our East Greenwich Educators
Julia Smith MA, LBA
Owner/Director
Julia is a licensed behavior analyst who has worked in the field of early childhood education and behavior analysis for 13 years. She received a BS in Special Education-Early Intervention from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and a MA in Applied Behavior Analysis from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. She has experience as a preschool teacher as well as a clinician; working with young children and adolescents with special needs across school, home, and clinic-based settings. She has worked closely with teachers to develop curriculum and behavior intervention plans that support every student. Julia is passionate about early childhood education and research-based practices that facilitate learning through play, healthy environments, and meaningful relationships.
Emily Smith, BS
Pre-Kindergarten Lead Teacher & Assistant Administrator
Emily received an AA in Child Development from CCRI in 2013 and a BA in Psychology form Rhode Island College in 2022. She has worked with children from infancy to adolescence over the course of 26 years in both private and public schools as a teacher’s assistant and as a special education paraprofessional. She is also the mother of two teenaged children. Emily is honored to have the opportunity to nurture and teach young children as they play and form social connections, both in the classroom and outdoors in nature.
Ainsley Almeida, RBT
Toddler Lead Teacher
Ainsley has lived in East Greenwich, Rhode Island her entire life. She first gained experience working with young children as a babysitter for her younger cousins and for family friends. She graduated from East Greenwich High School in 2019 and is currently in her junior year of college at CCRI. Ainsley is a part-time lead teacher in the toddler classroom where she works to facilitate learning opportunities through play while keeping learning fun.
Casey Burnett
Toddler Lead Teacher
Casey is from Narragansett, RI and has years of experience caring for children in homes and childcare centers. She is currently attending URI for Early Childhood Education and spends her summers lifeguarding at Narragansett Beach. Casey joined the Paper Crown team in August 2022 as a TA and was promoted to lead teacher in August 2023.
Jane Heath, BS
Teacher Assistant
Jane has been working with children for nine years through her job as a gymnastics coach and camp counselor at Dream Big Gymnastics in Cranston Rhode Island. She graduated from the University of Vermont in 2021 with a bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education. During her time at the University of Vermont Jane had the opportunity to be a student teacher in toddler, preschool, and kindergarten classrooms. She loves working with children of all ages and is happy to be working at Paper Crown Preschool
Leane McCarthy, MA
Teacher Assistant
Leane worked as a Licensed Speech Language Pathologist for 20 years. She earned her BA in Speech Pathology and Audiology from Kean University in Union, New Jersey in 1995 and her MA in Speech Pathology and Audiology from New York University in 1997. During her career as a Speech Language Pathologist, Leane worked for 11 years in preschool and early intervention in the Randolph Township, NJ school district. She was responsible for evaluating and treating young children with a wide variety of speech and language delays and disorders. During that time, Leane was also the case manager for the preschool classified children, working closely with teachers, therapists, and families to develop the best educational plans to meet the needs of each child. Prior to working in the school system, Leane spent many years working in hospital and rehabilitation centers evaluating and treating both young outpatient children and inpatient children and adults with a variety of speech, language, and swallowing disorders. In June 2016, Leane relocated from Morris Township, New Jersey to East Greenwich, Rhode Island, at which time she made the decision to stay home to care for her family.
Leane is excited to now be returning to early education and the population she loves as a teaching assistant for these young children.
Katie Perretta
Teacher Assistant
Katie, now living in Cranston, has called East Greenwich her home for most of her life. She graduated from East Greenwich High School in 2019. She now attends Rhode Island College as a nursing student. She gained experience through babysitting and there found her passion for child care. She hopes to one day become an ER nurse, but, right now, she is passionate about her role with Paper Crown Preschool.
Maya Robertson
Teacher Assistant
Maya is from Plainfield, CT and graduated from the Marine Science Magnet High School in Groton, CT in 2021. She is attending Three Rivers Community College, where she is majoring in Early Childhood Education.
Our Portsmouth Educators
Kaitlin Hendrickx MA, LBA
Portsmouth Program Director
Kait is a board-certified behavior analyst who has worked in the fields of special education and
behavior analysis for 13 years. She received a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Johns
Hopkins University and a master’s in Applied Behavior Analysis from Western New England
University. She has worked with individuals aged 2-22 across a variety of settings, including
hospitals, private and public schools, and clinics. Most of her career has been spent working
with neurodivergent children, and she loves being a part of their big and small successes as they
grow and learn. She is passionate about helping children reach their potential, and is excited to
bring her experience and enthusiasm to Paper Crown Preschool.
Eimile Garvey, MEd
Pre-Kindergarten Lead Teacher
Hi! My name is Eimile Garvey, I am from Middletown, RI. I received my BS in Early Childhood Education from the University of Maine in Orono, ME. I also received my MEd in Special Education Early Intervention from UMaine! During my time in Orono I worked at the local elementary school substitute teaching and assisting in the PreK classroom. Ever since the fourth grade I’ve wanted to become a PreK teacher! I absolutely love working with the younger children. I’m committed in making their first school experience a positive one! My biggest passion is having the children learn through play and what those experiences bring to them.
Kaitlyn Langanke BS, BA
Toddler Lead Teacher
Kaitlyn is from Middletown, New Jersey and has worked with children of all ages for many years as a camp counselor and nanny. She received her B.S. and B.A. in Chemical Engineering and French from URI. Kaitlyn started working at the East Greenwich location of Paper Crown and is excited to continue teaching at Portsmouth!
Haley Groff
Toddler Lead Teacher
Haley is passionate about working with children and wants to help them grow and thrive! She is currently working towards becoming a RBT. She has previously worked in a preschool and ran the after school program, as well as worked in an Early Childhood Development Center. In her time she has worked closely with both occupational and speech therapists. She would eventually like to become an occupational therapist in Early Intervention.