NOW ENROLLING IN PORTSMOUTH, RI
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.
Michelle Sawin, BS, BA, RBT
Pre-Kindergarten Lead Teacher & Assistant Administrator
Michelle received a BS in Human Development & Family Studies as well as a BA in Psychology from the University of Rhode Island. She has over 8 years of experience working with children of all ages across school, home and center-based settings. Like Kim, Michelle worked with young children and adolescents with special needs as a registered behavior technician; working one-on-one with clients to reach their individual goals in the funnest way possible! Early child development and education has always been a highlighted interest of hers as well as the lasting impact learning through play can have on young minds.
Toddler Lead Teacher
Emily Smith, BS
Emily received an AA in Child Development from CCRI in 2013 and a BA in Psychology form Rhode Island College. She has worked with children from infancy to adolescence over the course of 24 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.
Jasmine Ma
Closing Lead Teacher
Jasmine currently lives in East Greenwich and has lived in Rhode Island her entire life. She is currently entering her junior year at the University of Rhode Island earning her bachelor’s degree in Psychology. In the future she hopes to become a child psychologist and continue to work with children. Jasmine has had experience working with children through babysitting for many local families and has also volunteered as a camp counselor for various different summer camps. She loves working with children of all ages.
Ainsley Almeida
Toddler Co-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.
Jane Heath, BS
Teacher Assistant
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.
Casey Burnett
Teacher Assistant
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 and primarily teaches in the Sun Drops classroom with Ms. Michelle.
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
Our Portsmouth Educators
Kimberly Hermann MA, RBT
Portsmouth Program Director
Kim received her BS in Psychology from The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. In DC she spent time working at a local elementary school, assisting in their after-school program. She then went on to receive her MA in Education of Counseling from Providence College. During her time at Providence College, she completed an internship working at Bryant University as an Academic Advisor for Student-Athletes. Kim then went on to work with young children and adolescents with special needs in a center-based setting as a Behavior Technician. There she worked closely with Julia and other licensed behavior analysts to help implement treatment plans while working one-on-one with clients. Kim has a passion for early learning, especially enriching young minds through play and mindful experiences.
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.