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Amanda Merritt – Acting Director

Amanda Merritt – B.A. Early Childhood Education, Type 04 Certification – Assistant Director

Hello Sprouts families! My name is Amanda DuBay and I am excited to join Sprouts Academy as a teacher. I graduated from DePaul University in June 2011 with a Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education and a Type 04 teaching certificate. I am originally from Kewanee, IL (known to some as the Hog Capital of the World!), a small town near the Iowa border. I moved to the city to begin my college career and loved it so much that I decided to stay! I love the opportunities and experiences that the Windy City offers.

I’ve been working with young children in one way or another for many years! I am the oldest sibling and cousin in my family so I gained plenty of babysitting experience early on. During high school I volunteered as a kindergarten teacher’s aide and really became passionate about educating young children. Throughout my college career I worked in the childcare program at DePaul’s fitness center and nannied for many families. I also had the chance to visit various types of educational settings and interact with different ages of children while completing my college courses. These experiences range from volunteering in a HeadStart program, visiting 3rd graders in Wicker park, and even spending time in a Bright Horizons daycare center infant room. However, perhaps the most influential learning experience for me was student teaching in a public preschool classroom where special needs children and typical developing children learned in the same environment. I gained experience adapting lesson plans to fit the needs of different students, working with large and small groups, and changing behaviors that negatively affect learning into positive ones.

I look forward to meeting and collaborating with the students and families of Sprouts Academy. I hope to bring my variety of experiences together to create the best environment possible for all of my students.

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