Teachers & Staff

The teaching staff is the most important component of any Preschool program. Several of our teachers have more than 15 years of experience here at MCP and we are excited to welcome new teaching staff to our long-standing tradition!

Megan Nies, Director

Megan Nies originally taught at MCP from 2017 and 2018 before moving out of state, and came back in 2021. She has her Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood and Special Education, while currently pursuing her Masters in Early Childhood Education. Megan enjoys reading, traveling, being outdoors, and spending time with her family and friends.

 

Sarah Bean

Sarah began working at MCP in 2019. She has her Associates Degree in Early Childhood Education from Laurel Technical Institute. She grew up in Cochranton and now lives in Meadville with her husband. She loves spending time with her family.

Melissa Howe

Melissa has been with MCP since fall 2018. She graduated with a B.S. in Elementary Education from California University of Pennsylvania. Melissa has taught preschool and public school. She lives in Meadville with her husband and two sons. She enjoys baking, reading, spending time with family, and watching Pittsburgh sports teams.

Hillary Soliwoda

Hillary joined the MCP family in 2021 after spending several years at home with her two boys. She has experience teaching preschool as well as degrees in Early Childhood, Elementary, and Special Education.  In her free time she enjoys spending time with her husband and kids, gluten free cooking / baking, reading, working out, and crafting.

Karen Moody

 

Karen has been at MCP since 2018. She lives in Blooming Valley with her husband and 2 children, Brianna and Oliver. She enjoys spending time with family and going to Steeler games.

Valerie Button

Valerie joined MCP in 2022. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary and Early Childhood.  She has also completed most of her Masters in Reading Specialist.  Valerie has been teaching Early Childhood for almost 30 years and loves the energy and enthusiasm young children bring to her life. She also created episodes for 2 seasons of a TV Show for Pre K on WQLN called PBS Homeroom (available on youtube). In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends, reading, travel, gardening, cooking, scrapbooking, and Zumba. She lives in Conneaut Lake with her husband, Keith and her son, Daniel (MCP Alumni 2009/10) and their three cats.  Her older son Nate lives in Carthage, NY.

Michelle Beers

Michelle joined MCP in 2022 as an Assistant Teacher in one of our two PreK Counts classrooms. She has been working in PreK classrooms for over 17 years now. Micheller has the Child Development Associate credential (CDA) and is currently taking classes toward her degree. Michelle lives with her husband, Bob. They have two children, Karissa and Josh, and two grandchildren, Jack and Freya. When she’s not working or spending time with her grandchildren, she enjoys reading and baking.

Kate Emig

Katelyn is going into her second year at MCP, and loves it! Katelyn is close to completing her Childhood Development Associate degree, and will be pursuing her Prek-4 Associates Degree later this year. She was born and raised in Meadville and has three younger siblings. Katelyn enjoys baking, going to the beach, spending time with her family, and friends. Katelyn doesn’t have any kids but she does have a dog Sadie who she spends most of her time with as well as her boyfriend of five years, Terence! 

Sammantha McCall

Sammantha first came to MCP as an intern from the Crawford County Career & Technical Center’s Child Care program. She returned in 2020 as a part-time employee and currently assists with the extended care sessions in the afternoon. Sammantha was born and raised in Meadville, PA and, in her free time, enjoys sketching and writing stories.

Patty Williams

Patty joined MCP in 2021 and assists during the lunch sessions. Her son is an MCP alum, having attended the preschool from 2018-2020, and she fell in love with the preschool during that time. In her free time, she enjoys reading, crocheting, and spending time with her family, especially playing Minecraft with her son!

Mary Stewart, Director Emerita

Mary Stewart, was with MCP since 2001 and retired in 2022. Previously, she was an assistant and a lead teacher in the classroom. Mary and her husband, Tim, have three children, Maura, Katie, and Daniel, who are all past alumni of MCP.