Originally from Arcadia, California, Sarah moved to Breckenridge in 2012. Sarah completed her Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education through the University of Arizona. Sarah began working at Timberline Learning Center in 2014 where she served the youngest population of learners as the Sprouts Mentor Teacher. After six years in a classroom, Sarah accepted the position of Operations Director in 2020, then in 2023 became Executive Director. Even though she is not directly in a classroom, Sarah finds great fulfillment in her role as executive director, representing Timberline Learning Center to external stakeholders and playing a key role in shaping its mission and vision.
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Sarah Young - Executive Director
Originally from Scranton, Pennsylvania, Maria moved to Breckenridge in 2015 after completing a Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood and Elementary Education at Wilkes University. Maria had been working in the ECE field for 8 years before starting at Timberline as the Acorn mentor teacher then moved classrooms and became the Pinecone mentor teacher. After six years in the classroom, Maria became Timberline's Education Director. As she continues to utilize the beautiful nature she feels lucky enough to be surrounded by, Maria can often be found snowboarding, mountain biking, rock climbing or camping with her husband, Ben and her dog Bert.
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Maria Niedenfuer - Education Director
Originally from Buenos Aires, Argentina, Agus moved to Summit County in 2015. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education and ESL, as well as a Master's in Education. She is also currently pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Finance from CSU. Agus joined Timberline in 2016, where she gained experience in every classroom and served as a Mentor in both Acorns and Pinecones. In 2023, she transitioned into the role of Operations Director. Fluent in both English and Spanish, Agus brings over 15 years of experience in education to her work. Although she is no longer in the classroom, she remains deeply passionate about supporting Timberline’s families and community in her new role.
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Agus Ditzend Woodward - Operations Director
Ms. Jessie became a part of the TLC team in June 2021. Originally from Southern California, Summit County has been home for nearly 20 years. Jessie began working with young children as a swim instructor as a teenager and later studied Spanish education at the University of Northern Colorado. She worked at the Family Intercultural Resource Center as an Early Childhood Educator for 4 years. Jessie currently volunteers for the children's programs at her church. For the past year, Jessie enjoyed working in the two toddler classrooms and is now working in both infant classes. Ms. Jessie is very happy for the chance to love and nurture our tiniest students in this coming school year.
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Jessie Hall - Sprouts Mentor
Originally from a small town in western New York Christina started working at Timberline in 2024. So far she and her cat, Houdini, are loving Colorado! She first started working with children in high school when she became a ski instructor at her local resort. Outside of working with our youngest students she enjoys reading, skiing, cooking, and cheering for NY's only football team, the Buffalo Bills.
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Christina Adams - Sprouts Co-Teacher
I was born in Bogotá, Colombia, on August 19, 2001, and moved to the United States in 2020 to pursue my goals. I attended high school for a while before starting my first job as a housekeeper at a hotel in Breckenridge, where I worked for two and a half years. After that, I began working at Timberline as a floater, and eventually took on the role of co-teacher in the Seeds classroom. Currently, I'm a flipper. I’ve always loved working with children and taking care of them, which is why I chose this career path.
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Laura Reyes - Infant Flipper
Originally from Northern Illinois, Alyse moved to Breckenridge with her now-husband Joey in January 2013. What was meant to be a one-year adventure turned into a life-long journey in the community. After a brief stint in retail, she joined TLC in August 2013 as a co-teacher in the Acorn classroom. Over the years, Alyse worked with various age groups, including transitioning to the Little Grove and Big Grove classrooms. After the birth of her children, she took on an administrative role as the Resource Specialist, supporting classrooms and families. Missing her time with students, she returned to the classroom as a Mentor in the Seedling room. Alyse is also the SEAL (Social Emotional Action Leader) at TLC, working with a coach to implement the Pyramid Plus Approach to support social-emotional development.
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Alyse Moulis - Seedlings Mentor
Ms. Melissa joined TLC in November of 2017. She is a Colorado native growing up in the Denver suburbs and frequenting the Summit County area. She has a bachelor's degree in Art History from the University of Colorado Boulder. Before teaching at TLC she taught 3-6 year olds skiing at Keystone for 10 years. This is her 5th school year in Acorns and holds a level 3 teaching credential. In her free time she loves to be outdoors whether its skiing, hiking, biking, tending her garden or walking her cat.
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Melissa Miersch - Acorns Mentor
Hailing from Buffalo, New York, Go Bills! Ashley grew up in South Carolina where she completed her Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education through the University of South Carolina. Ashley has been working with children of all ages for over 15 years in various roles including teaching, soccer coaching, snowboarding, and on cruise ships. During her free time, she enjoys spending time with her friends rafting, snowboarding, mountain biking, and attending live music. She is also an avid traveler who values learning through cultural experiences.
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Ashley Kosobucki - Acorns Co Teacher
Ms. Sophia joined the TLC family in May 2022. Living in Colorado her whole life, she moved to Sterling while earning her A.A. degree, and then move to Gunnison to earn her B.A. in Sociology and Psychology. She spent almost two years in the preschool wing before moving into the Pinecone classroom, where she became the Mentor. She finds immense joy working with and watching the children grow and learn, hopefully doing it for a long time. |
Sophia Privette - Pinecones Mentor
Ms. Jayde joined the Timberline family in April 2023 as a Pinecone co-teacher. She is a Colorado native born in Frisco and has lived in summit ever since. She shortly attended school in Grand Junction for nursing but realized after the pandemic that she wanted to work with children. Being from Summit County, she loves to be outdoors and thinks it is an important part of learning. She is currently attending college classes to become an art teacher to further her career. She is very excited to have a relationship with her students, families, and her peers!
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Jayde Ponds - Pinecones Co Teacher
Alexandra Urbina - Toddler Flipper
Miss Sydney joined the Timberline family in April 2021. She is a Colorado Native, who grew up in Grand Junction. Sydney attended Colorado Mesa University in her hometown, where she studied Musical Theatre and Music Education. During that time, Ms. Sydney participated in the Disney College Program, acting as a ‘Fairy Godmother in Training’ as well as a Jungle Cruise Skipper. She fell in love working with families and children around the magic of Disney, and when returning to Colorado, began her studies in STEM & Early Childhood Education. Most of her time at TLC has been spent in the toddler and preschool classrooms, and she is so excited to continue to grow with these families!
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Sydney Elliot - Little Grove Mentor
Lily Arf - Little Grove Co Teacher
Ms. Ashley started working at TLC in spring of 2014. Ashley is from Goodrich, Michigan. She studied elementary education and has a license in cosmetology as well. During her time in Colorado she has studied Early childhood education at Colorado Mountain College. She is lead teacher qualified and strives to some day be a director. She has worked as a teacher in the toddler wing for many years before moving to the preschool classroom in 2020. Ashley strongly values the relationships she makes with teachers, parents and children.
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Ashley DeGrouchy - Big Grove Mentor
Growing up in Colorado, Max developed a passion for outdoor adventures like hiking, camping, snowboarding, and paddleboarding. He graduated from Western State Colorado University with degrees in Mathematics and Psychology, aiming to understand human behavior and perception. Max's love for working with kids evolved over time through roles as a karate instructor, math tutor, mentor in Big Brother programs, summer camp staff, and a behavior coach in the Garfield School District. At Timberline Learning Center, Max combines his love for games and fun with game-based learning, positive social interaction, and mindfulness to help children build confidence, social skills, and the tools to navigate challenges.
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Maxwell Crino - Big Grove Co Teacher
I’m originally from Pensacola, FL. with the beach as my backyard. I went to the University of South Alabama and received a degree in recreational therapy. I’ve been in Summit county since the summer of 2023! I work with BOEC in the summer doing adaptive outdoor therapies for people with disabilities. I have a passion getting people, but especially kiddos outside!
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Ansley Majewski - Preschool Flipper
Taylor Steer, a Kansas City native, came to Timberline Learning Center in 2022 with over six years of teaching experience. After spending time serving as the Seedling and Sprouts mentor teacher, Taylor decided to step into a floater role to be able to serve all the families of Timberline. She is passionate about building strong connections with the children and their families, nurturing children’s natural curiosity as they explore and grow, and celebrating each milestone along the way.
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Taylor Steer - Support Staff
Katie Fiedler - Support Staff
Karla Tapia - Support Staff
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About Timberline:
We are a school for young children from ages 6 weeks to 6 years. Our approach is Reggio Emilia inspired. The following principles guide our approach and curriculum: The child is an active, strong, competent collaborator in the evolution of their learning. The teacher is a guide, rather than an instructor, who observes, questions, researches, documents, reflects, and interprets. The classroom is a teacher unto itself! The relationships that develop between the children, their families, and the teachers create opportunity for growth, reflection, and support. Long-term projects are at the core of our program, using the children’s interests, and the teacher’s observations, as the guide.
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