The Little Ones Staff
All of the Little Ones’ staff are experienced preschool teachers who participate in conferences, workshops and in-service training to remain informed of current trends and research in the field of Early Childhood Education. Every lead teacher has a four-year degree in Early Childhood Education or a related field.
All of the teachers are caring individuals who establish close relationships with the children in their classrooms and with their parents. The preschool staff also work together to ensure smooth transitions for the children from classroom to classroom and from program to program.
Meet the Leadership Team
Andi Carr, Owner
Andi graduated from the University of Illinois with a Bachelor’s degree in Finance. Andi worked in the technology industry for 9 years in various finance and operations roles before deciding to stay home full time with her children. Most recently, she was the head of finance for a startup advertising agency in Chicago. Andi currently lives in Northbrook with her husband Matt and two children, Brady and Jordyn. Brady attended Little Ones Preschool and Jordyn started in the You and Me class with her favorite teacher, Mrs. Tasman!
Stephanie Tasman, Owner
Stephanie graduated from the University of Illinois with a Bachelor’s degree in Human Development and Family Studies, focused on child development. She received her Master’s in Education from National Louis and brings over 15 years of educational experience, including 9 years as a Kindergarten teacher. Most recently, Stephanie taught the You and Me class at Little Ones Preschool and is thrilled to continue sharing her love for children and teaching with all of the families. As a native of Northbrook, Stephanie is excited to now be raising her family in Northbrook with her husband Shawn. They have two children, Braden and Talia who both attended Little Ones Preschool and had exceptional experiences!
Kim Resnick, Director
Kim attended Michigan State University where she earned her BA in Speech and Language Development. Since that time, she has taken many Early Childhood Education courses with a focus on administration. Her experience at Little Ones began with her two children, Logan and Delaney. During that time, she became chair of the Little Ones’ parent committee. Little Ones left a lifelong impression on Kim and her children, and in 2012, she began her teaching career at the school. Since then, she has taught children between ages 2-5, as well as assisting and learning the role of Director. She is dedicated to the school and loves watching children grow and develop into kind, confident people. Kim lives in Northbrook with her two children and her partner, Jordan. In her free time, she loves to read, garden, bake (she is a certified pastry chef!) and spend time outdoors kayaking, walking the family dog and and spending time in Wisconsin’s Northwoods.
Meet the Teachers
Debbie Appelbaum (3 day 2’s) Prior to coming to Little Ones she worked for another local preschool for 22 years. Debbie had many roles such as teacher, camp director, site director, and director. However, her true passion is being in the classroom with the children. Debbie graduated from the University of Arizona with a degree in Rehabilitation and a minor in Special Education. After graduation she came back to Illinois and attended Loyola University where she received a Masters in Social Work. Debbie has two children, Robbie and Carlee, and a daughter-in-law Keri.
Megan Brooks (3 Day 3’s) Prior to joining Little Ones, Megan has had a wide variety of teaching experiences, ranging from the ages of preschool through high school. Megan has earned her Bachelor’s of Science in Education, along with other, advanced degrees, including Special Education and Reading. Megan currently resides in a very lively household in Northbrook, which includes her husband, son, daughter, 2 cats, and a dog.
Karen Edelstein (4 day 3’s) Before coming to Little Ones, she worked as a speech pathologist with preschool through junior high school kids. Karen has a Master of Arts Degree in Speech and Language Development from New York University, as well as a Bachelor of Science Degree in Education from the University of Wisconsin. Karen has been at Little Ones for over 18 years and has worked with a variety of ages from 2 through 5. She also has two children of her own.
Susan Goldberg (PreK) Prior to joining Little Ones, Susan taught at another local preschool. For over 9 years, she taught enrichment, transition classes, and summer camp, as well as 2 years teaching in the Pre-K classroom. She has a degree in Primary Education from Roosevelt University, teaching in the city for a number of years before starting a family.
McKenzie Gratz (assistant to the director) has been working at Little Ones since 2022. McKenzie has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology from the University of Michigan, Juris Doctorate of Law from DePaul University and many hours in Early Childhood Education from Oakton College. After practicing law for 10 years, she has been at home raising her two young children. In 2022 she began subbing at Little Ones in both the 2’s and 3’s classrooms and is now in the role as Assistant to the Director.
Marcy Howell (2 day 2’s) Prior to joining Little Ones, she taught preschool in Cave Creek, AZ (2’s, 3’s, and kindergarten classrooms), taught preschool and elementary school in Milwaukee, WI, and was an elementary and middle school counselor in NYC. Marcy has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology from New England College and a Master of Social Work Degree from Fordham University with a Clinical Concentration and many hours in Early Childhood Education and Human Development. Marcy has 4 children of her own.
Soo Kang (3 day 3’s) Prior to joining Little Ones, Soo taught 6-8th graders for many years before leaving to start a family. She has a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from UIUC, a secondary education certification from NIU, and many hours in early childhood education. She has two boys – the younger one being a graduate of Little Ones!
Amanda Katz (PreK) Prior to joining Little Ones, Amanda was an English Language teacher at a Chicago-area elementary school before transitioning to early childhood education. She received her BA from Tulane University and went on to receive a Master of Arts in Teaching from National Louis University, with an endorsement in English as a Second Language. Amanda loves getting her hands dirty alongside the children with lots of messy art and hands-on science experiments. In her free time, Amanda enjoys traveling with her family, playing pickleball, and watching her children’s sports games. As a fun fact, three of the talented Little Ones teachers taught Amanda’s own children when they were in preschool!
Suneela Khan (Pre-K) Prior to joining Little Ones, she taught grades 6-8 in Pakistan and student-taught Kindergarten in District 21. She has a Masters degree from National Louis University in Early Childhood and also received her ESL endorsement. She also co-teaches a teacher licensure course at National Louis University. Suneela has been teaching Pre-K at Little Ones for several years . She has 2 kids of her own and a guinea pig ‘Mojo’.
Amanda Neidhardt (4 day 3’s/PreK) Prior to joining Little Ones, Amanda taught children’s dance classes and was the artistic director of a children’s dance company. She has a Bachelor of Science Degree from the University of Texas and a Juris Doctorate of Law from the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law and many hours in early childhood education at Oakton. Amanda is thrilled to be a part of Little Ones and share her love of art and movement. She lives in Northbrook with her husband and two active boys!
Stephanie Krasny (2 day 2’s) Before coming to Little Ones, Stephanie was a preschool teacher at another local preschool for many years. She has taught in the 2’s, 3’s and pre-k classrooms. Before having children, she also taught elementary school as well. Stephanie has a Bachelor of Science in Education from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She also has 2 Masters degrees from National-Louis University and Northeastern Illinois University. Stephanie has 2 daughters and a son.
Jackie Roiter (3 day 2’s) Prior to joining Little ones she has taught for over 20 years in a neighboring preschool. She has taught the 2’s, 3’s and 4’s. In the beginning of her career she taught children ages 3-5 in an early childhood special education classroom. Jackie has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Special Education from the University of Illinois, along with an Early Childhood Approval. Jackie has two grown boys, and a dog, Ziggy!
Sarah Share (TrueNorth Lead Teacher) Prior to joining Little Ones, she has previously taught at a neighboring school districts. She spent the majority of that time in preschool as an early childhood special education teacher in a blended classroom. She is part of the TrueNorth Educational Cooperative and is looking forward to supporting students and families at Little Ones. She is passionate about inclusive, neurodiversity affirming practice. She graduated from National-Louis University with a Bachelor’s in early childhood education/psychology and later received a combined Master’s in special education and teaching English language learners. When she is not at school, her favorite thing to do is to spend time with her family – she and her husband have a son, Mason and a cat, Ozzy.
Robin Tehrani (PreK) Prior to joining Little Ones, she most taught the 3s class at a nearby preschool in Northbrook and worked with the 2-year-olds before that. She graduated from the University of Kansas and earned a degree in psychology with many hours in early childhood education. Robin has been teaching Pre-K at Little Ones for several years. She has a daughter, son, and dog, Oreo.
