Teachers
All About Brittney Simmons
Lead Teacher and Director
My name is Brittney Simmons and I am delighted to be joining The Little Learning Grove as the new director and lead teacher. I graduated from The University of Texas at Austin with a degree in Early Childhood Development and a minor in Music Education. I have certifications in Early Childhood through Grade 4, Gifted and Talented, English as a Second Language (ESL), Montessori, Whole Brain Learning, and Children’s Yoga and Mindfulness. I am also currently working on my Reggio Emilia certification. I am beyond excited to use my training and experience to create a child-centered and play-based environment at The Little Learning Grove.
I have 17 years of experience teaching music, second grade, and kindergarten in both public schools and public charter schools in Austin, Kyle, and Buda. I was honored to receive Teacher of the Year at Carpenter Hill Elementary in Buda. I was also named the HEB “Excellence in Education” Teacher of the Year at the state level. Although these awards were great honors, it is a greater honor that I have lasting and lifelong relationships with my students and their families.
I believe that children are unique, strong, and full of potential. My approach to learning is student-centered. I believe that through self directed learning and strategically planned environments and experiences, children will help guide meaningful and memorable learning outcomes. Early childhood education should enrich the whole child. We will use music, movement, self expression, and mentor texts to explore the world and learn from firsthand experiences. I cannot wait to get to know you and your children and experience the world together.
Thank you for trusting me with your kids and I promise to keep them safe, show them absolute love every single day, and guide them in their first educational experiences.
All About Casey Jensen
Teacher and Assistant Director
My name is Casey Jensen, and I am excited to work with all the kiddos! I taught in public school for 15 years. I was able to teach fifth grade, third grade, social skills, and my absolute favorite was my eight years in kindergarten. I loved being everyone’s first teacher and building relationships with students and parents that I still continue today. Once you are a Jensen, you will always be a Jensen! I quit teaching to be a mommy to my incredibly busy boys who like to join every activity they can, and I am their number one fan. I have missed my daily interaction with all of my smallest friends, so I am very much looking forward to a new school year and new friends to meet. Teaching social skills is my passion! I was able to spend a few years working with teachers and students on positive ways to learn social skills and I feel like being able to explicitly teach social skills to little learners will set them up for a lifetime of positive interactions with children and adults. I will absolutely continue to learn about these skills myself, and look forward to sharing with your children all the ways we can interact with others!
All About Maria Contreras
Teacher
Bio coming!
Founders
All About Allison Hillman
Founder
In 2015 I earned my Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education at Texas State and eagerly began teaching kindergarten. In 2017 I continued to pursue my passion for learning by completing a Master's in Education. This launched me into a now decade-long dedication to teaching in public schools as a primary teacher. Although I have excelled as a kindergarten teacher earning the distinction of "Exemplary Teacher" for my students' exceptional growth in reading and my consistently high scores on teacher evaluations; I crave something different. I want to work with preschoolers laying the foundation and creating connections that will wire their brains for a lifetime of learning. Transitioning into this new chapter, my goal is to make a significant impact on the lives of the little ones stepping into the magical world of kindergarten. As a mom of a preschooler, I know that investing time in these pivotal early years while they are absorbing new knowledge like a sponge will build confidence, social skills, and increase long-term educational outcomes. Kids deserve to have the very best engaging, play-based learning alongside their peers with highly qualified teachers and this is exactly what you will find at Little Learning Grove.
All About The Carrigs
Founders
Hi! We are the Carrigs. We have 4 kids under the age of 5 and we have dreamed of creating a school since we had our first son. My husband works in tech and I am in med school. We love Brittney, Casey, Maria and Allison so much and we are beyond lucky to have them heading up this place for children to learn and grow. We also live next door to the school so I’m sure we will see you around!
"If you want to build a ship, don't herd people together to collect wood, and don't assign them tasks and work, but teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea."
—Antoine de Saint-Exupery, "Wisdom of the Sands"
