STAFF
Jen has over 20 years experience as a teacher. She taught 12 years in the West Seneca school system as a special education teacher. Her classes were integrated with students of varying abilities and she primarily focused on Social Studies and Regents Mathematics. Jen has a Masters Degree in Education from the State University College at Buffalo and is certified for special education K-12 and elementary education N-6. She has been a preschool and early intervention evaluator in the area for the past 7 years and has worked in many of the area preschools. She is also a proud mom of two elementary school students who have introduced her to the love of Legos and the fun problem solving that comes with them. Jen brings her diverse educational background, her energy and love of learning to Idea Builders.
Growing up in Western New York as a big sister to three brothers, Katie has been building, creating, and even stepping on Legos most of her life. She credits her brother's creative play with Legos to their ability to plan, create and problem solve as adults. This was the inspiration for her to bring Legos to the classroom. In addition to her life experience, Katie's professional career has given her experience working with many differentiated and varied learners from birth to early adulthood. Katie has worked in 2 local school districts since receiving her teaching certification over 15 years ago. She is currently the Coordinator of a Preschool Evaluation program. Her background in Special Education, Early Childhood Development and Technology Integration has served her well at Idea Builders. Katie lives in Kenmore with her husband, 3 children and 2 dogs.
