Toni has been a part of the Creative Learning Center community since 2004 as the mother of Savannah and Gavin.  In 2009 she joined us as an Assistant Teacher.  Toni says, “I found a home away from home for my children, a place where learning is fun and interactive.  We found a place that accepts diversity and watches it grow and a place where parents come together for the common good of the children.  There is nothing greater than listening to the bright mind of a little one.”

For the last few years Toni has worked closely with the children of CLC to create the paper people for the art show and has gotten to know many of the children.  She has worked with children of all ages for many years in various capacities.  Toni has an Associate’s Degree in Applied Science for Nursing at the State University of NY at Delhi.  While in nursing school she had a few courses dedicated to pediatrics and in psychology where they studied the developmental stages of children to adulthood.  She also had to fulfill a rotation in pediatrics in order to graduate from nursing school. 

In 2008 she worked very closely in a team environment with a family whose daughter had emotional disturbances.  While working with this child and family she refreshed her education independently by reading developmental stages of childhood, behavior mod-ification as it applies to the developmental stage of child-ren, and refreshed on various areas in psychology.  The family she was working with generously had the attachment therapist give her some training and they also provided other training.  Of course over the years she has had on-the-job training as it pertained to her line of work.  In New York she worked approximately three years with children, and then she had on-the-job training while she was the supervisor at Horizons Residential Treatment facility.  She worked closely with the classroom that the children attended during the day to ensure continuity of care and learning.

Even though she loved nursing, there are many reasons why she did not go into the field, but instead found different ways to help people ranging in age from 3 to adulthood.  She has been working with families in a team effort to support their child whether young or old for 14 years.  She maintains contact with many of the families she has assisted over the years due to their rapport and the relationship that started as a result of them working together as a team.

Toni and her family enjoys being outdoors hiking, the arts, live music, being goofy together, making things together and just hanging out.  Toni is a lover of poetry, nature, music, making various things like jewelry and stained glass, reading, and writing in her journal.  Toni says she is excited to be a part of such a wonderful learning family in a different aspect than being a parent.