We pride ourselves on providing qualified teachers with strong backgrounds in early childhood education. Equally as important is a teacher with compassion, sensitivity and one who is able to instill curiosity and wonder in your children. Our teachers, assistants and staff are here because they love children. We’d like you to meet them all!
Michelle Neal: Director
Michelle A. Neal is the founder and executive director of A Child Becomes Preschool. Having begun in the basement of her home in 1989 with just 12 three-and four-year-olds, Michelle has grown this part-time play-based preschool to over 90 students.
Michelle and her husband, Ralph, also founded REACH for South Africa in 2017, a nonprofit organization converting and delivering shipping container preschools to one of the poorest regions of South Africa. In January of 2024, along with several volunteers, the sixth container preschool will be delivered and installed. (reachforsa.org)
Michelle believes that at the heart of every young child is the desire to grow and become through as many indoor and outdoor experiences as possible. With a million neurons firing every second, a young child’s brain is a playground for knowledge. High-quality preschool environments must be filled with endless opportunities for play experiences where both discovery and learning are happening simultaneously.
With a profound love for early childhood education, Michelle recently completed her educational doctorate specializing in early childhood.
She is married and lives in West Seattle with her husband. She is a proud mother of five, and grandma to one adorable grandson.
Melissa Carlstedt: Sunbeam AM West, Enrichment Co-Lead
Melissa is a fellow West Seattleite, living in the neighborhood for more than 14 years. Born in LA but raised in Tacoma, she graduated from the UW with a BA in Sociology. She spent 11 years at Nordstrom as a visual merchandiser in various stores in the Puget Sound and left the corporate world after having her second child. Spending time with her two children, Zooey and Miles is an important part of her time outside of school and you’ll find her volunteering their classrooms, and with her husband hiking and exploring the natural beauty of our area. This is her ninth year with A Child Becomes.*
Uta Rockel: Butterfly 4-Day / Math Specialist
Teacher Uta is originally from Hamburg, Germany where she has a long history of teaching. In both private and public schools, she taught English and German ‘as a second language’ to kindergarten through business level students. As well she taught math (“Number Land”) to preschool and kindergartners in and around Hamburg. She also has experience tutoring children with disabilities. Uta holds a Master’s degree in psychology and a minor in education from the University of Hamburg. She moved to Seattle by way of Pasadena, CA in 2010 with her daughter Hannah and dog Marley. Hannah is in her junior year at Cornish College on scholarships (super proud mama)! In her spare time, Uta loves to paint and art history and would love to go back to school to study these things. In the mean time, she writes, bikes, reads loads of books, and enjoys walking her dog and going to movies.
Dana Beaudry Elsner: Sunbeam AM / Science Specialist
Dana is a lifelong resident of Seattle and has lived in West Seattle since 2009. Dana is a graduate of Garfield High School and Western Washington University, where she majored in outdoor recreation. Prior to joining ACB, Dana has worked with children in many capacities: summer nanny, camp counselor, environmental educator, surf instructor, and most recently as an educator at the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture. Over her 12 years at the Burke Museum, Dana facilitated and directed many A Child Becomes’ field trips!
Outside of the classroom, Dana coaches high school soccer at Seattle Prep and enjoys being outside. Dana loves opportunities that provide energy releases (preferably outside such as walks, riding bikes, and yard work), creative releases (knitting, sewing, art projects, and story-telling) and curiosity opportunities (low tide investigating of Salish Sea marine invertebrates, stargazing, and solving problems alongside young minds). Dana is married to Brian and mother to two active and creative sons, Lincoln (12) and Felix (9).
Stacy Chung: Sunbeam AM East, Enrichment C0-Lead
Stacy is from Naperville, IL where she first found her love of working with kids as a swim coach. She went to the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point to earn a BS in Natural Resource Management, and she was a swim coach and taught environmental education along the way. She served in the Peace Corps in Slovakia working at an after school youth center teaching swimming, English Club, and coaching an Odyssey of the Mind team. She moved to Seattle and earned her Masters in Teaching from the University of Washington. She taught in West Seattle for 8 years as a kindergarten and second grade teacher at Lafayette Elementary and K-8 STEM. She has two daughters, both graduates of the ACB program. Stacy loves being a part of the A Child Becomes Preschool family.
Haley McCary: Butterfly 4-Day
Haley grew up across the Fauntleroy ferry in Port Orchard, WA. She attended college in Boise, ID then moved to New York City after graduation. After 5 years she left her job and traveled around the world for half a year. Moving back west, she and her husband found themselves in Portland, OR. After their second child was born, they moved north to be closer to family.
Haley has a BA in Business and worked in Human Resources for 12 years before moving to Seattle and being a stay at home parent. In West Seattle since 2014, she is a proud parent of 2 ACB graduates. She loves being a part of the ACB staff and is excited to work with our Butterfly students again this year. She enjoys spending time in the outdoors, reading, coaching youth soccer, and spending time with her husband and 2 elementary aged children.
Haley Steinberg: Sunbeam AM East
Haley is a proud West Seattleite. She attended Tilden School for elementary, then University Prep in North Seattle, and finally Boston University, where she earned a Bachelors in English. She returned to West Seattle and lives here with her two cats, Mozzy and River. She loves listening to records, taking care of plants & animals, and making art. She had a blast working with ACB’s camps this summer, and is excited to join the school this fall.
Jen Cassidy: Butterfly 3-Day / Sunbeam East
Jen has lived in West Seattle for almost 20 years, and has been a resident of Seattle since 1998. A proud New Englander, she grew up in New Hampshire and earned her undergraduate degree at the University of NH in Sociology, and once in Seattle, she earned her Masters in Teaching. Jen spent many years as an elementary school teacher in the Highline School District in Burien.
After becoming a mom, she started her own tutoring business where she specializes in math, at all grade levels, and she thoroughly enjoys the opportunity to work one on one with students in West Seattle.
When she’s not teaching, Jen can be found spending time with her two boys, Kyle (age 18) and Clive (age 13 and an ACB alum!), walking on Alki, traveling to Boston to see her family, rooting for the Red Sox and Patriots, dancing and singing in her kitchen, and delighting in the company of her friends.
Morgayne Lawson: Caterpillar / Butterfly 3 Day / Enrichment
Morgayne is a born and raised Seattleite who grew up in Highland Park. She went to Giddens School Elementary School in the Central District, and then Explorer West Middle School in White Center. Morgayne graduated from West Seattle High School in 2019. Now, she is studying at Highline College in the early education program. She hopes to earn her AA degree from Highline and then move on to UW to earn her Bachelor’s degree in education.
After years of experience in coaching roller derby for young girls in Seattle, she realized her passion lied with teaching and working with kids. Her goal is to work in educational policy with a focus on equity in the future. In her spare time, Morgayne enjoys spending time with her mom, friends, three papillon dogs, and traveling.
Allie Larsen: Butterfly 3 Day / Enrichment
Allie was born and raised in West Seattle and grew up by Lincoln Park. She went to Our Lady of Guadalupe kindergarten-8th grade and graduated West Seattle High School in 2019. After high school, Allie attended Washington State University and is now studying at Highline College to get her degree in Early Education. Since she started babysitting at the age of twelve, she always knew she wanted to work with kids. Her goal is to become a full-time preschool teacher.
In her spare time, she likes to read, color, and walk around Lincoln Park. Allie worked at ACB last year in enrichment, and is so excited to be working with Butterflies and Enrichment students this year!
Ken Bodensteiner: Butterfly 4 Day
Ken was born and raised in Anchorage. Alaska but has lived in West Seattle since the mid 1990s. Before teaching at A Child Becomes, Ken had a career as a software development engineer at Microsoft until becoming a full time stay-at-home parent in 2008 to children Grace (16) and Jack (14). Ken was a dedicated volunteer at Lafayette Elementary and held various positions on the PTA and helped to organize such programs as “the walking school bus”.
In his free time, Ken dabbles in the stock market and plays the drums in a band!
Megan Carney: Caterpillar / Sunbeam East
Megan grew up in Tucson, Arizona. She moved to North Carolina to attend college and has a bachelors degree in Elementary Education. She has taught first and second grade for the past 9 years. She has two children ages 5 and 3 who both attended A Child Becomes Preschool!
She enjoys spending time outside and going on walks with her children.
Sydney Washington: Sunbeam West
Sydney was born and raised in Seattle, and has resided in West Seattle post college. She graduated from Washington State University (Go Cougs!) with her bachelors in Human Development, specifying in Prenatal and Early Childhood Development. From coaching soccer, to nannying, to teaching, working with children has always been something that Sydney has whole heartedly loved. In Sydney’s spare time she enjoys traveling, being outside with her pup, and hiking when the Washington weather allows it.
Véronique Proietto: Sunbeam French Teacher
Véronique is a French native speaker, born in Paris, and who graduated from La Sorbonne University in Paris. She moved to Seattle 30 years ago to live with her American husband. She worked at Microsoft for a few years before leaving her job to raise her two daughters who are now bilingual. Véronique has many years of experience teaching children and adults in the Seattle area and especially loves working with preschoolers. Her practical experience reinforces her belief that preschool is an ideal age to learn another language. Apart from French and English, Véronique also speaks Italian, some Spanish and some rudiments of Mandarin Chinese. Aside from France and the USA, she has also lived in England and China. Véronique loves traveling, gardening and teaching!
Patti Smith: Admissions and Administration
Patti has lived in West Seattle for the past 16 years. Born and raised in Minnesota, she graduated from the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire with a degree in Finance. Patti left the corporate world in 2006 when her first child was born. Patti enjoys being outdoors, hiking, skiing, reading, cooking, and spending time with her three daughters and husband.