Our Staff
Director
Tovah P. Klein, Ph.D has a doctorate in clinical psychology from Duke University. She is an Adjunct Associate Professor of Psychology at Barnard College and conducts research on children's social development and parents' experiences parenting young children. She is a Developmental Advisor to Sesame Street, on the Advisory Boards of Room to Grow and NYC Voices of Childhood and is frequently quoted in parenting magazines and the media. She is the mother of three boys.
Associate Director
Patricia H. Shimm, M.A. received her graduate training from Teacher's College, Columbia University. She is a founder of the Toddler Center and has extensive experience both as a teacher of toddlers and as a leader of parent groups focused on issues of parenting and child development. She is the author of Parenting Your Toddler: The Expert's Guide to the Tough and Tender Years (published by Perseus Books), served on the Advisory Board for Parenting Magazine, and is currently an expert at BabyCenter.com. She is the grandmother of four.
Head Teacher (MTh & TF A.M. classes)
Leslie A. Ross, M.A. received her graduate training from Bank Street College of Education. She has been a teacher of toddlers for over 20 years and leads the Caregiver Group, focused on developmental issues of toddlers. Her two grown daughters are Toddler Center graduates, and she is the grandmother of one.
Center Assistant Teacher (A.M. classes)
Karina Trujillo has been with the Toddler Center since 2003. She is the assistant teacher for the morning classes and makes the beautiful dress-up clothes the children wear for pretend at the Center. She is continuing coursework at Bank Street College towards her Master’s degree in early childhood education and is the mother of a toddler.
Head Teacher (MW P.M. class)
Catherine Golding-Cremoux, M.A. is the head teacher for the Monday-Wednesday afternoon class. She held all roles at the Toddler Center – student, assistant teacher and parent—before becoming a group head teacher. Catherine is currently completing her Master’s degree in School Psychology at NYU. She is the mother of two boys.
Research Coordinator / Head Teacher (Th PM class)
Liz Nofi is the Research Coordinator and head teacher in the Thursday afternoon class. She assists in teaching the seminar class. Liz graduated from Barnard in 2004 (Toddler Center student ‘03-‘04) and is currently in a post-bac program in premedical studies.
Research Assistant / Assistant Teacher
Ilana Kellerman is a full-time Research Assistant at the Toddler Center and teaches in the Monday-Wednesday & Thursday afternoon classes. She graduated from Barnard in 2007 (Toddler Center student ‘06-‘07).
Center Coordinator & Assistant Teacher
Meghanne Barker wears many hats. She is the Administrative Coordinator for the Center and can answer all your questions about the program. She also teaches in the Monday-Wednesday and Thursday afternoon classes. She graduated from Barnard in 2003 and is currently doing graduate coursework in anthropology at Hunter College.
In addition, the Center is staffed by student teachers from Barnard and Columbia Colleges. The staff-to-child ratio is 1:2.
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