Somerset Staff
1385 S. Adams Rd.
Rochester Hills, MI 48306
(248) 375-2140
2005-06

Getting to know your child’s teachers....

All our teachers have:
Training in: CPR and First Aid
Membership: Michigan and National Association for the Education of Young Children
Provided: Criminal Background Reports

Our staff consists of educators trained in Early Childhood Education who have extensive experience working with young children. Our teachers are warm, interested, and committed to the children as individuals. They help children learn, while respecting each child's ability to learn in his/her own way. Our teachers emphasize the total development of each child while maintaining high standards for health, safety, and nutrition.

Careful planning by qualified and knowledgeable staff challenges each child's ability and leads him/her to make new observations and develop new skills. Learning experiences are planned in a flexible way that does not require conforming to rigid standards nor the identical learning of any other child. In order to plan effectively, the teachers must know the skills and interests of each child. In order to facilitate each child's optimal growth pattern, teachers must know what will challenge that child.

This kind of knowledge comes only through careful and perceptive observation and interaction with each child. Our teachers spend time, not only planning the environment for learning, but also communicating with children individually. We make written observations and conduct frequent developmental assessments of each child. This information is shared with parents at conferences and enables us to plan most appropriately for each individual.

Perhaps the most important thing our teachers do is create an environment where the children feel safe and comfortable enough to explore and experiment with new materials, ideas, and ways of thinking and doing. A high level of trust is essential for children to open themselves to the learning possibilities that are available to them.

Preschool Teachers

Nancy Daniels
Has completed her B.S. in Early Childhood Education from Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan. She has been with Somerset for 19 years as a Teacher and Director of preschool programs. She was the second staff person hired by Somerset in 1983. Nancy worked as a teacher in corporate childcare for the City of Southfield and Compuware from 1989 until 1997 when she returned to Somerset.

Melissa Kapolka
Has her B.A. in Elementary Education from Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI.  She is currently working on her Masters in Teaching and Language Arts with a ZA (Early Childhood) Endorsement at Oakland University.  This is Melissa’s third year with Somerset.  Melissa’s previous experience includes nine years at KinderCare Learning Centers as a Program and Center Director, Kindergarten Teacher, and Preschool Teacher, highlighted by earning NAEYC Accreditation.  Additionally, she has substitute taught for four years and provided Home Based Child care.  Melissa is very involved in chairing the Volunteer Office at Delta Kelly Elementary, coordinating parents with volunteer opportunities in the classroom, general school and PTA.

Debbie Weisman
Has her B.S. in Early Childhood Education from Rochester College, Rochester Hills, MI. Debbie also has a Child Development Associate degree from the University of Michigan, Dearborn, MI. This is her fourth year at Somerset. Debbit has taught at Macomb County Headstart Preschool for two and a half years and ran a home-based childcare/preschool program for ten years. She has presented/lectured at child development conferences, colleges, and churches here in Michigan as well as around the country.

Pat Wagner
Pat has a B.S. degree in Education and a ZA Endorsement (graduate level courses in Early Childhood Education) from Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan. This is her seventh year with Somerset. Pat taught at the Abiding Presence Preschool for six years and for three years at the Kingsbury School in Oxford, Michigan. She also has three years experience teaching young children at Children’s World in Rochester and one year at Ossining, New York. Pat provided home-based child care for five years in Rochester.

Pre-Kindergarten Teachers

Mary M. Schwach
Has a B.S. in elementary Education from California State in Pennsylvania. She has endorsements in Early Childhood Education and Preschool Special Education. Mary has teaching certificates from Michigan, Georgia and Florida. She has been with Somerset for the past fifteen years both as a teacher and director of the pre-kindergarten program. Her previous teaching experience includes five years with Special Education preschoolers in Georgia, four years as a pre-kindergarten teacher at Western School, North Lauderdale , Florida, nine years as kindergarten teacher for Archdiocese of Miami, Florida and two years at Fredrick Douglass Elementary in Key West, Florida.

Jan Donaldson
Ms. Jan Donaldson earned a B.A. in Elementary Education, with a Z.A. endorsement , and an M.A. in Guidance and Counseling from Eastern Michigan University.  She has been teaching young children for many years, and recently retired from public school where she taught kindergarten, 1st grade and 2nd grade. But she soon decided that she wasn’t ready to stop working with young children, and so she is looking forward to beginning a new career with Somerset. 

Michelle L. Grzywacz
Has her M.S. and Z.A. endorsement in Early Childhood Education from Oakland University in Rochester Hills, Michigan.  She has a B.A. in Elementary Education from the University of Detroit, Detroit, Michigan.  Prior to Somerset, she taught at Goodison Learning Center in Oakland Township, two years as a preschool teacher at St. Vincent Ferrer School in Madison Heights and six years at St. Gerard School as a Kindergarten and Second grade teacher in Detroit, Michigan.  She has also been a Children’s Director for children ages five to ten years at her church in Troy, Michigan. This is Michelle's first year at Somerset.

Gabriella Hanna

Has a B.S. in Elementary Education from Wayne State University, an M.A. and Z.A. Endorsement in Early Childhood Education from Wayne State, and an M.A. in Reading and Language Arts with a Reading Specialist Endorsement from Oakland University.  She has several years of teaching experience, including teaching 4th  grade and kindergarten in Lake Orion for five years, and teaching preschool and kindergarten at A School for the Mind and Body in Clarkston for three years.  Gabriella has three children in the Lake Orion Community Schools and frequently volunteers at Webber Elementary.  The focus of her coursework in her Reading M.A. was in early literacy.

Administration

Diane Lowes, Administrative Assistant
Has an extensive administrative background which includes six years as a Human Resources Manager for DDB Needham Worldwide Advertising.  She also was the Personal Assistant to the Chairman of the Taubman Company, and more recently, the assistant to the owner of a marketing company that specializes in web design.  Diane has completed courses in Accounting and Business as well as various training and seminars in Human Resources and Administration.  This is Diane’s second year with Somerset.

Sheela Swarup, Executive Director
Has her M.S. in Administrative Education from Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan and a B.A. in Education, History & Psychology from Allahabad University in India. She completed her teacher’s training from Vassar College, Poughkeepise, New York. She has teaching certificates from New York and Pennsylvania. Sheela has been with Somerset for twenty-four years, eleven years as the Pre-Kindergarten Director and thirteen years as the Executive Director. During her time as Somerset, Sheela has presented at the annual conference of the Michigan Association for the Education of Young Children and has offered many workshops on various topics for Somerset parents. Sheela has worked with emotionally impaired children as a therapist.teacher for the Parent League of Emotional Adjustment Development School in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and as Director/Teacher for the Village Preschool, Reston Virginia. Sheela has the honor of being invited and attending the first Early Childhood Oxford Round Table Conference in Oxford, England with colleagues from around the world.

Anne E. Porter, Ph.D., Founder/Consultant
Anne has degrees in a number of areas, all of which contribute in different ways to her work here at Somerset. She has a Ph.D. in Evaluation and Research from Wayne State University, and a M.A.T. (Master of Arts in Teaching) in Early Childhood Education , a B.A. degree in Developmental Psychology and a B.A. degree in Economics/Business Administration with a concentration in Computer Science from Oakland University.

With regard to professional experience, Anne has been a tenured professor at Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan since 1986. Her first appointment at OU was on the Early Childhood Education Faculty where her teaching focused on applied developmental principles, physical and social environments for young children, and health and nutrition for young children. Presently she teaches in and coordinates the Instructional Systems Technology Program offered through the Department of Reading and Language Arts. Other experiences Anne has had include directing the Lowry Toddler Program at Oakland University for five years, serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer in NE Brasil for two years and having a primary role developing proposals for and administering the resulting projects of a number of major state and federally funded programs related to technology integration in education.

To Apply for Employment At Somerset ECC

To apply for Employment at Somerset ECC, download our Employment Application Form. Fill out the application and mail it with your resume to:

Somerset Early Childhood Center, Inc.
1385 S. Adams Rd.
Rochester Hills, MI  48309

attn: Sheela Swarup