Our Team
Staff photos by helenmccormickphotography.com
Lowellette Lauderdale
Lowellette is our director. She holds a BA in business administration and a M.Ed. in early childhood education. Her teaching experience ranges from preschool to elementary, university, and even museums. She's passionate about early childhood education and spending time with her husband, their son when he's home from college, and Mr. Puffins, their cat who allows them to live in the house. You can often find Lowellette drinking coffee, trying new recipes, or learning something new. Lowellette has been the director of Friendship Preschool since 2010.
Allie Goodman
Allie has been teaching preschool since 2005 and is passionate about early childhood education. She has an art education degree from Miami University and a M.Ed. in Administration from Xavier. She believes teaching young children is truly an art and embraces exploration, investigation and creativity in her classroom. She and her husband have three children and live in nearby Pleasant Ridge. She's been a part of Friendship Preschool since 2015.
Amanda Baker
Amanda's bachelor's degree is in exercise science. She and her husband have two children, both of whom attended Friendship Preschool. In 2021 Amanda added substitute teacher to her many roles. And starting in 2023, Amanda is part of our Explorers teaching team! We're excited to have Amanda join Jill and Elizabeth with our youngest community members!
Corey Smith
Corey received her master's degree in early childhood education, at the College of Mount St. Joseph. She completed two years of Americorps– working in classrooms, an afterschool program, and with the Cincinnati chapter of Boys Hope Girls Hope as the volunteer coordinator. She, her husband, and their two boys have been enjoying life in the Wyoming community for 5 years, and she is very excited to become further involved through the Friendship community! In 2024 we welcomed Corey into the Friendship Family.
Elizabeth O'Keefe
Elizabeth is a German and TESOL teacher who completed her BA at Ohio Wesleyan University and her MA in Germanic Languages and Literatures and State of Ohio education license at UC. She is fascinated with the way children explore, question and investigate the world from the day they join us on their journey. Elizabeth has been observing, exploring, investigating and researching nature since as far back as she can remember. She and her husband live in Wyoming with their two children. Elizabeth joined the Friendship Preschool team in 2021.
Jill Stuhlmueller
Jill holds her bachelor's and master's degrees in education. She and her husband, Chris, have 2 sons. One is a Wyoming grad and the other a Wyoming student. Jill enjoys living and teaching in Wyoming. " It is truly a special feeling to see the children from our preschool out and about in the neighborhood we share." She began teaching preschool at Friendship in 2010-the same year her youngest son began his preschool journey here.
Kylee Armstrong
Kylee is a former Friendship Preschool student! In addition to being an associate teacher, she is a full-time college student earning her bachelor's in Montessori and early childhood education. We couldn't be prouder of this former Friendship Preschool student!
Cindy Kendall
Cindy began her early childhood career in the 1990s, but took some time to pursue other interests. When her grandchild was born, her world was rocked, and she rediscovered her love of early childhood. Cindy holds a BA in Political Science. She started at Friendship in 2022, and currently serves as a sub.
Our Team Keeps Learning
Just because we have degrees and more years of experience than we can count doesn't mean that we are finished being students. For us, to breathe is to learn. We constantly learn from the children, parents, each other, and professionals from around the world. Below are some of the ways we connect and learn with other professionals.
The Curiosity Approach
Our team is working together to become one of the first preschools in the country to be accredited by The Curiosity Approach. This process will take us approximately 2 years. We're excited to embark on this adventure! Our values and philosophy are well aligned.
Ohio Voices for Learning
Our team is also a professional study group that meets monthly. Our study group is part of a network of professional study groups throughout the state that share a common topic of study each year. Lowellette, our director, serves as the co-chair of OVL.
North American Reggio Emilia Alliance
The North American Reggio Emilia Alliance exists to connect early childhood educators and advocates together in discovering, interpreting, and promoting Reggio Emilia inspired education. NAREA believes in the inherent abilities and basic rights of children and adults, particularly with regard to their competence and right to actively construct relations, knowledge, feelings, and identity.
Reggio Children
Reggio Children offers journeys of professional growth for teachers, educators, teacher educators, students, educational workers and all those interested in the themes of education and school. These range from professional development in the city of Reggio Emilia to conferences, seminars and workshops throughout Italy and around the world.
National Association for the Education of Young Children
The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is a professional membership organization that works to promote high-quality early learning for all young children, birth through age 8, by connecting early childhood practice, policy, and research.
