Explorers Teaching Staff
Marissa Suwolitch, AJ Franciscus, and Brittany Jewart
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Ms. Marissa is the head teacher of our newest classroom-The Explorers! Marissa is an IUP alumni and has her degree in Child Development. She was employed at Indi Kids when she was a student until she had her first son in 2020. Marissa says, "I am so happy to be back with my Indi Kids family! I look forward to working with AJ and Brittany while getting to know all of our Explorer families. My husband and I have been together since I graduated from IUP in 2016. We now have 4 sons, Kai, Eli, Tre, and Ian." In her free time, Marissa likes to spend her time with family-going on walks, fishing, camping, and simply being outdoors.
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Mr. AJ was hired Spring 2023 as a floater and worked mainly in our Zephyr classroom until accepting the assistant teacher position in Explorer's in the summer of 2023. He has been working at daycares on and off since graduating high school in 2019 with a total of over 3 years of experience. "I am thrilled to be working with your kids and helping them grow and learn about the world around them!" When not at work Mr. AJ enjoys traveling to Pittsburgh to spend time with friends and attend concerts, as well as crocheting and sewing in his free time.
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Ms. Brittany has been part of the Indi Kids family since August of 2015. She started as the Primary Assistant Teacher of the Dew Drop classroom. In June of 2017, she became the Head Teacher of Dew Drops. At the end of October 2019, for personal reasons, she decided on her own to step down from the Head Teacher position and return to the Primary Assistant Teacher position in Dew Drops. Then, towards the end of July 2022, Ms. Brittany left on maternity leave to have her first baby. She later returned to Indi Kids at the end of July 2023, and we were so happy to have her back! She floated between the toddler classrooms and then was an Assistant Teacher in the Zephyr classroom. At the end of April 2024, she joined our newest classroom, Explorers. Ms. Brittany says, "I love working with young children, and I enjoy the time that I get to spend with them to teach and help them to increase their learning and experience new things as they grow! There is something new to learn every day! My own learning, skills, and experience in the early childhood education field continues to increase every day as well. A professor I once had said, "Teaching should be a J-O-Y, not just a J-O-B.". Being a toddler teacher and early childhood education professional has been very rewarding to me over the past 12 years of my career. I have been a teacher at three centers since 2012, but Indi Kids is by far my favorite. I graduated from McCann School of Business & Technology in 2014 with an Associate in Specialized Business Degree in Early Childhood Education, where I was the Valedictorian of my class. I grew up in Friedensburg, PA, where I lived with my parents and two younger sisters. In May of 2015, I got married to my husband Andy and moved to the Creekside, PA area. Andy and I welcomed our first baby, a boy, at the end of July 2022, and we are currently expecting our second baby due in February 2025! During my free time, I enjoy spending time with my family, our friends, and our two cats. I also enjoy reading, art, learning, going to church, and outdoor activities such as hunting, fishing, playing sports (women's flag football)."
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Indiana County Child Day Care (Indi Kids) 570 South 11th Street, Indiana PA 15705 724-349-1821