Joanna Ireland, the Frogs teacher, has been teaching at Downey for 10 years. She became a member of the co-op 14 years ago when her son was 3. Her other three children have all been Downey students including her 2 year old who starts as a Tadpole this fall. Joanna received her BS in Psychology from Purdue and was working on her Masters in Marriage and Family Therapy at Christian Theological Seminary when she was called to teach. She has also worked for the Indiana Youth Institute, Youth as Resources, and the Indiana Association for the Education of Young Children. Joanna is passionate about Downey and the co-op experience. Her enthusiasm for learning and playing is infectious. Some of the moms she co-oped with 13 years ago are still some of her closest friends! She loves camping, gardening, reading and being a mom.

Lenore Friedly, our Polliwog teacher, has been teaching children for over 20 years and has been teaching at Downey for the last 9 years. She received an Associate’s Degree in Early Childhood Education from Indiana State University and a Bachelor’s from IUPUI General Studies with a minor in Sociology. She is the mother of two Downey co-op alumni and held various board positions while her girls were in preschool. Lenore also currently works at Child Care Answers as the Resource Assistant. She does workshops for other preschool teachers as well as organizing and running the lending library. Lenore really listens to the children in her room and uses their ideas to enhance her teaching. She also enjoys yoga, pottery and playing with play dough.

Melissa Egan started teaching the Tadpoles at Downey in 2007 after seven years of being a co-op parent. Her past experience as a preschool teacher from toddlers to four year old and a grade school volunteer make her a great fit for the Downey team. As a co-op parent, she held a variety of positions including President and serving on the board of ICPC. Melissa has a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from Western Kentucky Universizty and received specialized training in early childhood education at Gateway Technical College in Kenosha, WI. Melissa is a calming presence in the classroom and enjoys building relationships with the parents. She loves being in nature, spending time with her family and laughing as often as possible.