At Smart Start Preschool we are blessed to have wonderful staff! Each of our teachers and assistant teachers have a degree in Early Childhood Education and/or many hours of on the job training. We even have multiple children of our staff who have gone through our program. We all have a joy in seeing young children learn and succeed, and enjoy being able to be a part of a small part of that!
Ashley Larck is our preschool director and our lead teacher for our 3/4's classes. She holds her BA in Early Childhood Education, and has been a part of our staff for 10 years. She has three children of her own, two of whom who have attended our program here. Ashley and her family enjoy spending time in their large garden, and camping as a family.
"My favorite thing about teaching preschool is the excitement! Everything is exciting and new, and it is a joy to experience it all with my students year after year!"
"My favorite thing about teaching preschool is the excitement! Everything is exciting and new, and it is a joy to experience it all with my students year after year!"
Ruth Scott is our lead teacher for our 4/5's classes. Ruth holds her BA from Muskingum College and has been a valued part of our staff for over 10 years. Ruth has five grown children and spent over 20 years homeschooling all of them through their high school graduation.
Joanna Wooddell is the assistant teacher in our 3/4's classes. She has been a part of our staff for three years, and will be taking the lead teacher role for this class in the Fall of 2025. She earned her Associates in Early Childhood Education from Edison Community College, and has worked in childcare in a variety of settings for the past 20 years. Joanna has also had two of her children attend our program.
Kendra Giblin has been a part of our staff since 2023, and is our 4/5's assistant teacher. She holds her BA from Wright State University in Early Childhood Education, as well as several Montessori certifications. She has worked in multiple different school settings, and with her children in school, this is the perfect fit for her. Kendra has also had two of her children be a part of our program. Kendra and her family enjoy spending time outside, playing and riding bikes. Two of her children are also a part of the Pop Rocks!
"My favorite thing is watching kids learning new things, and the excitement that they have."
"My favorite thing is watching kids learning new things, and the excitement that they have."