Ms. Heather was born in New Jersey and migrated down south after living in New York City. She has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in dance from Rutgers University and has been a ballet teacher for twenty years. Ms. Heather worked as a teaching artist/ arts educator with a nonprofit arts organization while living in New York. She found her passion here for little ones during teaching residencies at many schools throughout the tri state area. Heather received her Montessori Teacher Certification in 2019 and has been a teacher in the preschool classroom since 2018. She is also a certified yoga instructor, nature lover, and enjoys planting veggies in her garden. Heather loves her role in guiding children towards finding their independence in the classroom and enjoys seeing their growth and confidence build each day. Ms. Heather resides in Covington with her husband Ryan, daughter Harper, chicken Zebra, and cat Dr. Honeydew.
Meet the Team - Main Campus
"One test of the correctness of educational procedure is the happiness of the child." -Maria Montessori
Vireya joined Kinder Haus in 2023 and is currently working in the preschool classroom. She recently moved to Louisiana from Chicago, where she was born and raised. Before joining the Kinder Haus team after high school, she attended the city colleges of Chicago via Zoom, where she was studying to be a paralegal, but soon found herself babysitting for various families. That’s when she realized she loved caring for little ones and decided to put a pause on her education. She enjoys working at Kinder Haus; it’s a great place for both educators and students to grow and learn. She hopes that, in the near future, she will be able to resume her education in a field that allows her to work with children.
Mrs. Chantell brings over 34 years of experience working with children of all ages, from infants to preteens. Throughout her career, she has served in a variety of roles in Class A childcare centers, including teacher, cook, and director. Her dedication to early childhood education is reflected in the more than 200 hours of training she has completed, along with numerous professional certifications.
Early on, Chantell also served as a youth minister alongside her husband, teaching and mentoring young people ages 11 to 18 at their church—a role that helped shape her passion for guiding children through all stages of development.
Now, Chantell is embracing a new chapter as a devoted grandmother. She and her husband of 10 years, Ron, share a family 5 children, 12 grandchildren, 4 dogs, chickens, a bearded dragon, and aquatic frogs. Her love for children and animals shines through in every aspect of her life.
In her free time, Chantell enjoys photography, baking, reading, and spending quality time with her husband.
Although new to the Montessori method, Chantell is no stranger to nurturing young minds. She has always had a deep passion for helping children grow into independent thinkers and confident individuals. She is excited to be part of the Kinder Haus team and looks forward to growing within the program, contributing her experience, and learning alongside her new colleagues.
Cat is our Primary Language and Culture teacher. She joined the Kinderhaus team in 2022 after moving from California to Louisiana and is one of our newest team members to complete her North American Montessori Certification for ages 3-6. She enjoys playing basketball, listening to music, writing songs, playing with her dogs Charli and Willy Jaq, and watching sports. Cat has a particular knack for gardening and loves spending time planting in our school's many garden beds, propagating new plants, and discussing nutrition and botany with her friends in class. Cat also acts as our school's maintenance person so you may see her around campus with a wrench or a hammer. If your child has an interest in tools feel free to say hi and ask what she is working on anytime she is out and about!
Madisyn loves to help the children learn and grow and aspires to bring a good influence to young minds. She is a skilled artist who spent time spent studying at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She is excited to apply her skills in all mediums of art with the children of the Primary Classroom.
Jennifer relocated to Mandeville from Biloxi, Mississippi, in 2007. She holds two Master’s degrees in Psychology—one from The University of Southern Mississippi and another from William Carey University. Additionally, she completed graduate-level coursework in Education to earn an Alternate Route Teaching Certification in English Language Arts. While attending graduate school, she also taught ninth-grade English and Literature.
Jennifer has extensive experience in the mental health field, having served as a child and adolescent therapist in both Louisiana and Mississippi. She worked as a Specialized Crisis Counselor for the Mississippi Department of Mental Health in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and later as a psychoeducational examiner in charter schools throughout the New Orleans area.
In her free time, Jennifer enjoys cooking, reading, and spending time outdoors. She lives in Mandeville with her 10-year-old son, Jennings, and their dog, Sailor.
Emma’s experience with kids started when she was 14 and wanted to begin her own babysitting business. From there, she discovered her love for kids.
She is a calm, quiet, and very positive person and believes Montessori is so impactful to young kids growing up. Emma grew up as the middle child between two brothers and lived in several different cities throughout Louisiana.
She currently does online school and in her free time enjoys being with friends and family, going on adventures and traveling, photography, and playing with her dog, Copper, and cat, Moose.
Cindy absolutely loves being around children. She spends as much time as possible with her adorable 2 1/2 year old granddaughter Josie. Josie enjoys going to a Montessori school in Baton Rouge, where she is always learning new things, singing new songs and telling stories of her day. Ms. Cindy was born in Baton Rouge and now lives in Madisonville. She has a Bachelor's degree from Louisiana State University, where most of her courses were in Psychology and Sociology.
When not spending time with her Granddaughter, her interests include, gardening, arts and crafts, taking walks and visiting with friends and family.
"I'm proud to be a teacher at Kinder Haus and very excited to get to know your babies and watch them learn and grow!" Tarian joined the Kinder Haus team from a traditional childcare background. She is currently pursuing her degree in early childhood education at Southeastern University.
Almost a decade ago, while working at a church daycare, Ms. Linden received a call asking if she would be interested in working at a Montessori school. Someone she knew had recommended her for the position. She jumped at the opportunity and has not looked back. She has been working with children since she was 16. She received her degree in early childhood education and has dedicated her career to teaching and upholding the Montessori principles. In her nine years working at Montessori schools she has worked with every age group from newborn to kindergarten. She has been working at Kinder Haus since 2020.
When she is not teaching, she loves to spend time gardening, doing yoga like it is going out of style, and cooking vegan food. She has a beautiful wife, a giant dog, and three angels in the form of cats. Her family splits their time between the north shore and the south shore.
Ali has been working at Kinder Haus since February 2020. She started working in Primary aftercare and subbing in other classrooms. When she subbed in the Bridge Room she found her soft spot for that age group. This is now her second year as the lead teacher in the Bridge Classroom using her Montessori Certification through NAMC for ages 3-6.
Ali comes from a big, close-knit family. Even as a child, she was drawn to caring for the younger ones in her family. This is what encouraged her to become a teacher.
As a child she was independent to almost a fault. Seeing an environment that encourages kids to be independent made her love the Montessori teaching approach just as much as she loves the kids. She loves seeing a child grow their confidence in themselves and how much they can do.
When Ali isn’t working she is most likely traveling. She also enjoys swimming, live music, and spending quality time with family and friends.
