The staff is one of the most important and valued aspects of St. Paul's. The Director oversees a staff that includes classroom teachers and assistants, a music teacher, an art teacher, and an accountant/office manager.

St. Paul’s teachers are required to have a bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education or Child Development and some of them hold Master's degrees. Over 50% of the staff has taught at St. Paul’s for five years or more, and some have taught for over ten years.

All staff members belong to the Pittsburgh Association for the Education of Young Children. They have been trained in infant/child CPR and other first aid techniques and have obtained their Act 33 Clearance to work with children.

One of the most significant determinants of quality in a school is the staff-to-child ratio. The lower the number of children assigned to one teacher, the higher the quality of education. St. Paul’s historically has one of the lowest staff-to-child ratios in the area.

The Nursery School serves as an ongoing training site for undergraduate and graduate students from area schools who primarily are interested in early childhood education and child development. Also, professional consultants from the fields of psychology, occupational therapy, and/or speech and hearing visit the school as part of on-going staff development and consultation. Membership and participation in many professional organizations, conferences, seminars, and courses form the rest of the staff development program. Additionally, the Nursery School offers the opportunity for staff to meet regularly for planning and problem solving about classroom goals and curriculum.

Jane Adams
Director
BS - Dietetics - West Virginia University
MS - Child Development - University of Pittsburgh

Kim Beggs
Assistant Teacher – young 3’s
BS - Finance – West Virginia University

Mary Grace Bruni
Lead Teacher – older 3’s/young 4’s
BA - History - Holy Cross College
MS - Special Education - Duquesne University

Pam Countouris
Lead Teacher – 4’s & 5’s
BA - Early Childhood and Elementary Education -
Chatham College

Marianne DeVito
Lead Teacher - 4's & 5's and older 3's/young 4's
BS - Child Development - University of Pittsburgh
MS - Special Education - University of Pittsburgh

Joan Easton
Lead Teacher – young 3’s
BS - Elementary Education – Point Park College

Erin Egal
Lead Teacher – 4's & 5’s
BS – Communication Disorders - Penn State University
Elementary Educ. Certification - Robert Morris University

Heather Herbay
Art Teacher - 4's & 5's
BA – Fine Arts – Indiana University of PA

Margaret Hooton
Music Teacher
BA - Journalism – University of Iowa
Music Education – Duquesne University 

Martha Hudak
Assistant Teacher - young 3's
BS – Math and Computer Science – Grove City College
MS – Engineering – George Washington University

Pat Hurd
Assistant Teacher – older 2's
Kilgore College 

Dottie Lust
Assistant Teacher – older 2's and older 3’s/young 4’s
Associate Degree – Robert Morris 

Rita Neher
Lead Teacher - 4's and 5’s
BS – Elementary Education – University of Bridgeport, CT

Laura Ricci
Lead Teacher – Friday Morning Parent/Toddler
BA - Music - Indiana University
MS - Italian Literature - Middlebury College

Beth Santore
Assistant Teacher – young 3’s
RN - Washington Hospital

Eileen Sharbaugh
Lead Teacher – Older 2's and Monday Parent/Toddler
BS –  Elementary Education and Early Childhood Education – University of Pittsburgh

Diane Sweeney
Lead Teacher – older 3’s/young 4’s
BS – Child Development – University of Pittsburgh

Kathi Workman

Accountant/Office Manager
BS – Accounting – Indiana University of Pennsylvania

© 2006. stpaulsnurseryschool.com                  send questions or comments to webmaster@stpaulsnurseryschool.com           site last updated:08/18/2008