Preschool & Pre-K

Mrs. Kelsie Favero

Preschool 3-4 Class

Kelsie has lived in Sarasota most of her life. She is an LPN and still practicing nursing currently, all while taking on Pre-school teaching! She is happily married to her husband Matt. He is the youth director at Faith Baptist Church, and together they serve grades 6-12! He also helps to coach the flag football team at TCA. They have a daughter named Matelyn who attends TCA! They are a Disney loving family who loves spending all of their free time together out and around Sarasota!

Miss Stephanie Yoder

Pre-Kindergarten 4-5 Class

I graduated from Moody Bible Institute in 2005 with a BA in Elementary Education. I had lived in the north most of my life, until I moved here from Plainfield, IL. in 2006. I love living in Florida, although I do miss a few things: my sisters who still live up north with their families, Chicago, and the beautiful season of Fall. I started working at TCA in 2014 and have been teaching PreK since 2015. I love working with this age group because there is so much learning, exploring and growing that happens everyday! One of my favorite things about TCA is that we not only teach your child academically, but we also know how important it is to reach to the heart of each child through teaching and modeling the habits of virtue. In the classroom, I love reading children’s books, being creative with crafts, and conducting fun science experiments. Currently, I am also the nursery director at Faith Baptist Church.

Mrs. Chanda O’Brien

Pre-Kindergarten 4-5 Class

Chanda is a native Floridian from the east coast of Florida. She is blessed with a loving husband and two incredible daughters that both attend school here at TCA. She is a graduate of Rollins College with a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science and Mathematics. After pounding the keyboard as a web application developer and computer programmer for over a decade, she is now getting to follow a passion of hers of working with children in a classical setting, and just have FUN! She has completed and obtained the Florida Department of Children and Families Child Care Facility and Early Education Certificate, worked as a Preschool Assistant Teacher at a Christian preschool, and worked in church nursery, and is now in love with the program here at TCA and could not feel more honored to be with all of the special little preschoolers this year. When Chanda is not working she enjoys spending quality time with her family, reading, baking, Sudoku, and doing yoga.

Ms. Heather Newman

Preschool Aide

Heather grew up in Sarasota and then attended the University of North Carolina Asheville, where she enjoyed living in the mountains and spending lots of time hiking and being outdoors in the beautiful, four season climate. Having moved back to Sarasotaabout 12 years ago, she is now raising her three children in her hometown and is very blessed to have been a parent of a TCA child since the schools’ founding year. Heather caught the Classical Education ‘bug’ right from the start, and has truly enjoyed watchingher child’s Classical education take root and grow strong in its’ development of her daughter’s heart and mind. Heather is honored to be assisting in the preschool this year as well as teaching Elementary Spanish from K-4th grade. Two out of her three childrenattend TCA and the third will be old enough soon to attend the preschool and join the class of 2035.