Staff Bios

THE OWNERS

Pat DePan - Patricia DePan is the Owner and Administrative Director of Care-A-Lot. She founded Care-A-Lot, which was originally located at Rt. 5 and Beach Roads, in 1985. She designed and contracted construction of the current building built for the specific needs of young children in 1987. She has a BS in Child Psychology and Certification in Early Childhood Development. She is a member of the National Association for the Education of Young Children and has attended national conventions of the NAEYC in Chicago, Washington, Toronto and New York City as well as most local conferences. Her business education was accomplished at Bryant and Stratton Business Institute. She has also completed the Red Cross Infant- Child CPR Course. Mrs. DePan has four children and five grandchildren. She lives in Angola with her husband of 40 years! In her spare time she can be found with her grandchildren doing art activities, singing and reading children's books

Mr. Bill - Bill DePan joined our staff as Assistant Administrative Director on June 1, 2002. He has a degree in Business Management from Empire State College, which he earned during his 20 years with Ford Motor Company. He retired from Ford to run our office full time. He successfully completed our recent Red Cross Infant/Child First Aid Course. Bill is Pat DePan's husband and father of four children and four grandchildren. He brings us not only his talents in the office, but a variety of handyman skills!! You will often find him on an errand with a young 'handyman assistant'. Welcome Mr. Bill!

THE DIRECTOR

Miss Karen - Karen has 33 years experience in the Early Childhood field. She has an associate's degree in Early Childhood Education and a bachelor's degree in Business Management. Karen's previous experience includes ten years as Director/Head Preschool Teacher for Little Peoples PreSchool, four years Head Teacher at Campus Child Care Center, SUNY Buffalo and, most recently, Head Preschool Teacher for Doodlebugs!, Orchard Park. She has certifications in First Aid and CPR and Medicine Administration Training. Karen has volunteered for the Mercy Hospital Pediatric Unit, the Lions Club, Muscular Dystrophy Association, American Lung Association, American Cancer Society, Pioneer Clubs (coordinator), Quaker Marching Band and Orchard Park Winterguard. She has taught Sunday School and Vacation Bible School. She is also the busy mother of five children!! Karen has a passion for making a difference in the lives of children and hopes to continue this ambition with yours!

THE TEACHERS

Miss Jen - Jennifer Florio is our Nursery 1 lead teacher. She has her Bachelor's degree in Childhood Education from Buffalo State College. She is also First Aid and CPR certified, as well as MAT certified. While at Care-A-Lot, Miss Jen loves to snuggle with the babies! She also loves that she is helping to shape and mold little lives. Miss Jen lives at home with her husband Dominic, their son Brayden, and their two cats Max and Oliver! When she is not at Care-A-Lot, Miss Jen loves to read, scrapbook, cook, bake, and is a Buffalo Sabres fan! Her creativity and love for children make her a great addition to the staff!

Miss Renee - Renee Yauch has an Associates Degree in Early Childhood Education from Erie Community College, Buffalo Campus. She is certified in CPR and First Aid and has attended trainings in SIDS and Shaken Baby Syndrome. Renee lives in Buffalo with her four boys; Matthew and Joseph - 19 year old twins, Nicholas - 15, and Ryan - 14, and her Fiancée. She loves dancing, spending time with friends, reading magazines and, most of all, spending time with her boys. Renee says that her love for children in general makes her look forward to coming to work each day.

Miss Chris - Christine Voit is our Nursery 2 lead teacher. She has both her Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Education from Canisius College. She also holds two New York State certifications - one in Elementary Education Grades 1-6, and one in Reading Grades Pre-K- 12. While at Care-A-Lot, Miss Chris enjoys doing one-on-one art projects and many other delightfully creative projects with the children. Miss Chris lives at home with her 18 year old son Kevin and her cat Meowfers, who is 11.5 years old! When she is not at Care-A-Lot, Miss Chris enjoys reading a good book! Her love for making a difference is apparent everywhere in her classroom and makes her a great addition to our staff!


Miss Sue - Susan Sherman is our Toddler 2 lead teacher. She has her Bachelor's degree in Sociology from Buffalo State College. While at Care-A-Lot, Miss Sue loves doing art projects with the toddlers. Miss Sue lives at home with her husband Kevin, their daughter Cora, their dog Skittles, Bob the turtle, and some fish! When she is not at Care-A-Lot, Miss Sue enjoys cooking, reading, and camping! Miss Sue brings consistency and fun to our Toddler 2 classroom! One interesting thing about Miss Sue… she has a four year old grandson named Landon!

Miss Sabrina - Sabrina Wright is our Preschool lead teacher. She has her Bachelor's degree in Childhood and Special Education from Daemen College. She also has pending New York State certifications in Childhood/Special Education grades 1-6, and Early Childhood/Special Education birth-grade 2. Miss Sabrina is currently attending Daemen College at night to receive her Master's degree in Special Education. While at Care-A-Lot, Miss Sabrina loves watching the children grow, learn new skills, and have fun together. Miss Sabrina lives at home with her mom and her dog Jenny. When she is not at Care-A-Lot, Miss Sabrina loves reading, shopping, and dancing! Attention to the needs of preschoolers and the skills necessary to prepare for Kindergarten make Miss Sabrina a terrific addition to our staff!

THE TEACHER AIDS

Miss Nicole - Nicole Morreale is one of our teacher assistants, but more importantly, she is our cook! She has an Associate's degree in Animal Management from Niagara County Community College. Miss Nicole has plans to go back to school in September 2011 for Medical Administration Assistant. She is also certified in CPR and First Aid. While at Care-A-Lot, Miss Nicole enjoys watching the children experience new things and teaching the children new signs in sign language. Miss Nicole lives at home with her husband Kevin, their daughter Sophia, and their two dogs, Max and Buddy. When she is not at Care-A-Lot, Miss Nicole enjoys reading and spending time outdoors with her family. Miss Nicole's organizational skills, ability to stay on task and great cooking are great assets to our staff! One interesting thing about Miss Nicole…she is learning sign language.

Miss Vanessa - Vanessa Verso is one of our teacher assistants. While she can be seen in almost every classroom, she is seen mostly in the preschool room. Miss Vanessa graduated from Tonawanda High School. She is currently attending classes to work towards the completion of her Bachelor's degree in Sociology, with minors in Psychology and Legal Studies from Buffalo State College. She hopes to be a law guardian or social worker in the future. While at Care-A-Lot, Miss Vanessa loves the interaction and learning processes that children have. She loves to color and draw with them. She especially loves how they make her laugh! Miss Vanessa lives at home with her fiancé Jason, their daughter Brooke, their cat Miley, their dog Coffee, and a Sugarglider named Gizmo. When she is not at Care-A-Lot, Miss Vanessa enjoys dancing, running, reading, and spending time at the beach. Miss Vanessa's fun spirit and playfulness are an asset to our staff! One interesting thing about Miss Vanessa…she is a member of Alpha Epsilon Sorority who provides a lot of volunteer opportunities for causes for both children and adults such as Toys for Tots and breast cancer walks.

Miss Amanda - Amanda Fetes is one of our teacher assistants. She is currently "floating" from classroom to classroom, getting to know all of the children and meeting needs as necessary. Miss Amanda is a graduate of Grand Island High School. She is currently attending classes at Niagara County Community College, working towards a Human Services degree. Miss Amanda is certified in CPR and First Aid. While at Care-A-Lot, Miss Amanda enjoys singing with the children and reading books with them. Miss Amanda lives at home with her new husband Jim, their cats Boomer, Baby, Bella and Gizmo, and their dog Miley. When she is not at Care-A-Lot, Miss Amanda enjoys scrapbooking. Miss Amanda's experience with children and gentle nature make her a great addition to our staff!

Miss -