Kelly Niebergall

I have had a special connection with The Growing Place for the past eight years—both of my daughters went here and now I am in my third year of working for this wonderful school. I still remember the first time I walked into the classrooms and felt the warmth and safety of them and I knew that this school was the right fit for my daughters and family!

I have an undergraduate degree in English Literature from UC Santa Cruz, a masters in English from San Francisco State University, and received my Child Development Associate Teacher Certificate from Moorpark College. I love sharing my own love for reading and books with children, and enjoy using felt story boards, dialogic reading, and extension activities to further find joy and meaning in the book. I live in Thousand Oaks with my two lovely, feisty daughters and my supportive husband. All things books, writing, gardening, and hiking bring me a lot of enjoyment and balance to my life. 

Ms. Karen Smith
 
Ms. Karen has been in the field of Early Childhood Education for 40 years. She has taught in the 2 1/2 year olds, 3's, 4's, and Young Fives programs all here at The Growing Place for 29 years! Prior to teaching at The Growing Place, she owned and operated a large family day care for 12 years. So children have been a huge part of her life. She holds an AA in Early with many certificates in this field. She looks forward to providing a safe, nurturing and fun preschool experience for each child in her class. She feels each child is unique with eagerness to learn and explore the world around them by using their 5 senses.
She has 6 children of her own along with 8 beautiful grandchildren. She is proud to say that all 6 of her children and one of her grandsons all attended The Growing Place Preschool. 
 She and Chuck enjoy traveling as much as they can, along with visiting her kids and grandkids in Las Vegas and Florida.