Educating Children Twelve Months through Kindergarten

Telephone:

2404 Kirby Road, Memphis, TN 38119

Our Story

In the fall of 1970, Emmanuel United Methodist Church opened its doors to young children through Emmanuel United Methodist Kindergarten. Nelie Waller founded the early childhood program which began with one class of four year olds and one class of kindergarteners.

EUMK has grown to a school of 30 teachers and nearly 115 students in age groupings from Toddlers to Senior Kindergarteners. The teachers and staff strive to encourage the development of the whole child while helping students to develop a positive attitude toward learning.

 

At EUMK we believe in a developmentally appropriate curriculum where learning takes place through active exploration and play.

 

In 1988, EUMK received accreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). Emmanuel has continually received re-accreditation from NAEYC and is proud to follow the NAEYC guidelines. EUMK is licensed by the Tennessee Department of Education.

 

EUMK offers Early Care and After Care for all students.

OUR CORE

VALUES

1 .  Relationships

Our staff's first priority is to build relationships with our students and their families.

2. Developmentally Appropriate Practice

We want EUMK to be a place where children can be children! 

 

Our teachers meet each child where he or she is and adjust the program to their needs.

3. Play

EUMK is a play based school.

 

Children learn best through play because it allows them to explore, experiment, and engage with the world around them in a natural, enjoyable way.

 

Play promotes cognitive, emotional, and social development, helping children build problem-solving skills, creativity, and language abilities.

 

Through play, they also learn to cooperate with others, mange their emotions, and develop a sense of independence and confidence.

 

Play is not just fun - it is a vital part of how children make sense of their experiences and acquire essential life skills.

OUR STAFF

Maribeth Jeffreys

Director

Maribeth Jeffreys is delighted to be joining EUMK as School Director. She holds a B.S. in Elementary Education with a concentration in Early Childhood Education from Mississippi State University. 

Maribeth is entering her 10th year in Education. She previously taught third grade and Kindergarten at Tara Oaks Elementary in Collierville. 

Assistant Director

Rena Hiatt has 25 plus years experience as a classroom teacher and administrator at EUMK. Rena joined the office staff as the Student Relations and Enrollment Coordinator in May 2016. She was promoted to Assistant Director in September 2019.

Staff Relations Coordinator

Liz Taylor has 12 years experience as a classroom teacher at EUMK. Liz joined the office staff in the fall of 2016 as the School Staff Coordinator.

Ann Heuberger

Office Administrator

Ann Heuberger has worked at EUMK for over 15 years . She has taught in the classroom and most recently provides office support to the EUMK Administrative team. Ann has a BBA in Finance from the University of Memphis. She is a proud parent of a former EUMK student.

 


Kindergarten...

Carole McGee & Beth Crout

M-F

Carole McGee earned a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Early Childhood from the University of Memphis. She taught kindergarten in the parochial school system in Memphis. For the past ten years, she taught Junior Kindergarten at Buntyn Preschool.

Beth Crout graduated from the University of Memphis with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Elementary Education. She loves being a Senior Kindergarten teacher.

Fours...

Pam Dickey & Ashley Eggers

TWTH

Pam Dickey has been employed at EUMK since 1993. She earned a BA from the University of Mississippi. 

 

Ashley Eggers is excited to join the EUMK staff this year. She has a BS in Integrative Studies with a focus on Early Childhood and Elementary Education from the University of Memphis. She is married to Hamilton Eggers and both of their children were previous Emmanuel students. She has many years of teaching experience in various grade levels of early childhood education.

Jocelyn Scott & Char Ulander

M-F

Jocelyn Scott has over 20 years of teaching experience. She has a BS in Early Childhood Education from the University of Memphis. She has been employed at EUMK since 2006.

 

Char Ulander has over 30 years of teaching experience and has taught at EUMK since 1999. She earned a BS in Elementary Education from Memphis State University. 

Threes...

Clara Gwen Waller

& Amy Elmore

TTH

Clara Gwen has 25 plus years as a classroom teacher. She has a BA in Elementary Education from the University of MS. She has her MSW in Children and Families from University of Tennessee. 

 

Amy Elmore has both BS and Masters degrees in Early Childhood Education from Auburn University. She has 15 years classroom experience as an early childhood educator and taught at Auburn University as an adjunct instructor for two years. Amy is excited to start her first year with the EUMK staff.

 

Ragan Martin

Kelly Klinke

TWTH

Ragan has a Masters in Elementary Education from the University of TN and has been teaching for 10 plus years. Ragan joined the EUMK family in 2018 and is a wonderful addition to our K3 program.

 

Kelly Klinke is so happy to have joined the EUMK family. Both of her sons were once students at EUMK. She earned a BS in English and French from Vanderbilt and a Master of Arts from the University of Memphis. She has sixteen plus years of teaching experience. 

Ann Satchfield 

& Ramona Sanders

M-F

Ann Satchfield is originally from the MS Gulf Coast. She went to the University of  Southern MS and has taught for over 25 years. Ann is married (Esco) with three children and five grandchildren. Her daughters attended EUMK.

 

Ramona Sanders has a BSE and MEd. in Elementary Education from Delta State University. She has a total of 22 years of teaching experience. She taught elementary and middle school with Shelby County schools for 10 years, 2 years with Desoto County Schools and has taught at EUMK on and off since 2010. She has taught in K1, K2 and K3 at EUMK. She and her husband, Jeff, have two children that went to EUMK as well

 

Twos...

Eliza Ray

& Dixie Weimar

MWF

Eliza Ray has 5 years of classroom experience. She has a BS in Mathematics from Hollins University and an MS in Psychology from the University of Memphis. She is married and has two children at Riverdale. Eliza is excited about her first year at EUMK!

 

Dixie Weimar has an undergraduate degree from the University of Mississippi and a Masters from the University of Memphis. She was an elementary school counselor before becoming a teacher at EUMK. Dixie has been part of the EUMK family for over 15 years. 

Lea Nowak

& Wendy Jenkins

TTH

Lea Nowak has a BS in Elementary Education from Illinois State University and a Masters Degree in Early Childhood Education from Georgia State University. She has over 10 years of elementary and preschool teaching experience. 

 

Wendy Jenkins has a B.A. and a M.S. in Psychology and a M.Ed. in elementary education. She has been teaching preschool and elementary school for more than 11 years. Wendy started teaching at EUMK in 2017.

Ashley Young & Elizabeth Zanca

TWTH

Ashley Young graduated from Covenant College with a degree in Family and Child Counseling. She is married to Matt Young and a mom to four girls- Ella (21), Olivia (18) and twins Clayden and Collins (11). Ashley is a freelance artist and offers weekend art sessions and weeklong summer camps teaching art to ages 5-13. 

 

Elizabeth Zanca began teaching at EUMK in 2023. She is a parent of current and former EUMK students (and is married to an EUMK alum, too!), has been a substitute teacher at the school, and was previously a member of the Parent Council leadership team.

Elizabeth earned her BA in Religious Studies from Rhodes College.

Ashley Robson,

Colleen Shallow, 

& Meghan Ewing

M-F

Ashley Robson earned a BA in Psychology from Fontbonne University in St. Louis, MO. She has 5 years of classroom experience and is excited to be teaching at EUMK.

 

Colleen Shallow has an undergraduate degree from Louisiana State University. She was the After Care Director for the 2022-23 school year and an assistant teacher in the five day 4 classroom. She and her husband Tom have seven children. Colleen is so excited and blessed to be teaching the five day 2s.

 

Meghan Ewing has a Master of Education degree and has been a teacher and/or parent since 2017. She previously taught music and is beginning her 4th year teaching the 2s.

 

Toddlers...

Megan James 

& Amanda Sorrier

TTH

Megan James has three children. In high school, she studied early childhood education and was a substitute teacher at a small daycare in Bartlett. She worked in chiropractic for 11 years. Her favorite part was taking X-rays and caring for and playing with the children that would come in, which lead her to go back to childcare. Megan has worked in childcare for 3 years since. When she's not working, she enjoys spending time with her children, working out, and reading.

 

Amanda Sorrier has been a part of EUMK since 2022 as a parent and began substitute teaching in 2023 in the K1 class. She is an active member of the Parent Council and is excited for the year to begin and watch all the amazing accomplishments of her K1 students.

Lisa Spiotta

& Shannon Pressler

TTH

Lisa Spiotta has a BA from University of Memphis and an Art Degree from Grad School in Atlanta, GA. This is her fifth year working with toddlers.

 

Shannon Pressler has a BA in Music Education from the University of Memphis. She has been teaching at EUMK for 15 years and lives in Germantown with her husband, two sons, and their doodle, Dolly.

Megan James

& Emma Woodard

MWF

Megan James has three children. In high school, she studied early childhood education and was a substitute teacher at a small daycare in Bartlett. She worked in chiropractic for 11 years. Her favorite part was taking X-rays and caring for and playing with the children that would come in, which lead her to go back to childcare. Megan has worked in childcare for 3 years since. When she's not working, she enjoys spending time with her children, working out, and reading.

 

Emma Woodard has been working with children for over 10 years. She has experience in various settings, including special education classrooms, one-on-one, and small groups. In her free time, she enjoys spending time outdoors with her husband and dog, as well as teaching gymnastics!

Becky Wishnia,

Heather Gavin,

& Alicia Miller

M-F

Becky Wishnia is originally from New York and moved to Memphis from Florida. She has a BA from the University of Richmond and attended the Early Elementary Education Masters program at the University of Central Florida. She is excited to be teaching at EUMK.

 

Heather Gavin has a Bachelor Degree in Professional Studies from the University of Memphis. Heather has been at EUMK since 2007 as a parent and substitute and started teaching in 2014 in the K1 classroom.

 

Alicia Miller has a BS in Elementary Education from the University of Memphis.  She has three years of teaching experience as a first grade teacher and two years of teaching at another preschool.  This is her fourth year at EUMK.

Music

Kim Williams

M-F

Kim Williams is a Memphis native and has been a member of Emmanuel UMC for over 40 years.  She has a BS in Chemistry and a BS in Medical Technology but has many years of experience leading children in music through accompanying and directing children’s choirs, VBS music, and music during Music, Art, and Drama camps (MAD Camp) at Emmanuel.  She and her husband, Darren, have 2 grown sons, 2 sweet Doodle pups, and 1 orange tabby cat.  She loves children and all things music and is really excited to be a part of the EUMK staff and family!

Spanish

Ashley Pera

TTH

Ashley Pera has a Masters in Education and brings over 15 years of teaching experience. Ashley has been at Emmanuel for over 12 years as a parent, sub and/or teacher.