Amy Cardin joined First United in 2005, as an Assistant Teacher in a Threes class. Amy is a graduate of University of Illinois with a degree in business. After working at First United a few years Amy earned a MEd from Dominican University in Early Childhood Education. She has been a teacher of Four and Five-Year-Olds, a teacher in Alpha Club and Young Sprout Day Camp and is now the Director of First United Nursery School. Amy enjoys presenting at professional conferences and parent workshops. Amy has two adult daughters.

Ann Bell joined the staff of First United in January 2014. She has a BS in elementary education from Indiana University and taught elementary school in Chicago Public Schools for nine years. She also has been a Sunday School teacher and Bible School teacher for a number of years and co-directed the Christmas Pageant at First Presbyterian in River Forest for ten years. She, her husband and four children and live in Oak Park.

Jane Bell joined FUNS as the Assistant Teacher in Room 23 Afternoon class January, 2019. Jane is an alum of First United and spent considerable time here as a teen working alongside her mother. She subbed during December, 2018, and was such an asset we were able to add her to the staff. Jane is currently a student at Triton College.

Tisa began working at First United Church Nursery School in 2004 and has been on staff for several Young Sprout Day Camp summer sessions. Tisa has a Bachelors Degree in Political Science from Calcutta University in India as well as the completion of several online courses in Early Childhood from Kendall College in Chicago. Prior to joining the First United staff, Tisa worked for five years with the International Labor Organization project (UN) and the International Program for the Elimination of Child Labor (IPEC) and taught for three years at Singing Winds School. Tisa and her husband have one son.

Stacey Duncan joined the staff of First United School in September 2015, working in the Fours class in Room 20. Stacey has a BA in English Literature and an Elementary Teaching certificate from Madonna University. She has taught second and third grades in Bloomfield Hills and in Detroit, Michigan. Since moving to Oak Park she has provided child care to the children of District 97 teachers and is excited to be back in the classroom. Stacey has two sons.

Leah has been joyfully singing, dancing, playing instruments and teaching children in the Chicago area for over twenty years and is thrilled to join FUNS as a Teacher in the Twos classroom. She holds a degree in K-12 instrumental music education from Roosevelt University, she is Kindermusik licensed and has brought her early childhood music program to many schools, daycares, libraries, preschools and private businesses in her career as a music educator. Inspiring little minds to be inquisitive, creative and playful is her favorite part in working at First United Nursery School. Of working with the twos, Leah says, “Twos are not terrible they are terrific! A two-year-old is full of wonder, a walk down the block can take an hour when a two-year-old is engaged in exploration”. She lives in Oak Park with her patient husband, four lively children (FUNS alums), one naughty dog and two busy bunnies.

FUNS has felt like home since 2014 when Nicki’s oldest started in the 3 year old program. Her sons followed in their sister’s footsteps with the last one graduating in 2022. During the time Nicki's kids attended FUNS she was on the preschool board & served as the Room Parent Coordinator.

Nicki has BS & MS degrees in Family Sciences. She previously worked as a counselor in non-profit organizations before her kids were born. She lives in Oak Park with her husband, Matt, three kids & two dogs.

Lisa Laible has been a part of First United Church Nursery School for many years. While her three children attended FUNS, she served as a board member, and was a substitute teacher. In 2019, Lisa joined the staff as an assistant teacher for Lunch Bunch. Currently, she is delighted to be a teacher of four year olds. Lisa loves building a classroom community where children can learn and grow!

Lisa has a BS in Elementary Education from the University of Iowa. She taught first grade for ten years in Naperville, IL, district #204. Lisa and her husband have lived in Oak Park for 27 years. She enjoys hiking in national parks with her family.

Tammy Meyer is thrilled to join First United School as an assistant teacher in Room 21. She has a BA in Secondary Education with a concentration in English. In her first job after college she worked as an assistant teacher at a preschool in Lakeview. In her career in volunteer management she worked for a non-profit starting a free tutoring and mentoring program and free arts education program in New York City. She also worked at a hospital in Brooklyn creating and managing various volunteer programs. She moved back to her hometown of Oak Park ten years ago. Both of her daughters attended First United Nursery School and loved every minute of it. She is excited to rejoin the FUNS community.

Marybeth has been a teaching assistant at First United Church Nursery School since 1998. Previously, Marybeth taught for four years at the Academy of Movement and Music in Oak Park and worked for fourteen years at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. Marybeth has attended Eastern Illinois University and has one adult son. Marybeth finds working with young children to be very therapeutic and enjoys watching “the wonderful strides they make from the beginning of the year to the end.”

Jessica subbed for several years before joining the staff at First United Nursery School in 2019. However, she and her children attended FUNS, her mother taught at FUNS, and she was on the Nursery School Board when her children attended! Jessica has a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois in Kinesiology and an Associate’s degree in Nursing from Triton. Jessica’s favorite thing about working in Room 20 are all the funny things 4-year-olds will tell you.

Christopher Nied is an alumni of First United Church Nursery School. He worked at First United as an Assistant Teacher September 2007 through May 2011, all on a part time basis while attending college. Christopher returned to the staff in April 2012. Christopher has completed a great deal of Early Childhood Education course work at Triton College and at Concordia University. A special gift Christopher brings is an extensive collection of musical instruments from around the world which he generously introduces to children in his classes throughout the course of the school year.

Rebecca began working with children as soon as she was old enough to be a ‘big kid helper.’ She has an undergraduate degree from Washington University in St. Louis in Latin American studies. After college, she worked as a translator in Chile and met her husband. When she returned to the U.S., she worked as a director of the bi-lingual School Age Care at Casa Central in Chicago for five years. After completing a Master’s degree in Early Childhood Education from the Erikson Institute, she taught in CPS Head Start in the Little Village neighborhood of Chicago. She then worked at the Academy of Movement and Music in Oak Park teaching preschool, ballet, and Spanish classes. She taught in Oak Park d97 as a long-term substitute teaching Spanish. Rebecca lives in Oak Park with her husband and three children. Her youngest is a FUNS alum and Rebecca volunteered on the board during his time.

Julie Ross joined the staff at First United Church Nursery School in September 2021 as Co-Teacher in Room 26. Julie is excited to be back in the classroom after spending time at home with her two little girls during E-learning. Prior to that, Julie ran the After-School Program at Concordia University where she also worked as a sub during the day and assisted in the kindergarten. Julie also worked at Dominican University in their Early Childhood Education Center where she received her Master's Degree in Early Childhood Education. Julie has a Bachelor's Degree in Education and Child Study from Smith College. She also has experience working at the Chicago Children’s Museum and as a Sunday school teacher and Awana Leader. Julie is inspired by the children here at FUNS where they can thrive in a nurturing and loving play-based environment! Julie, her husband Michael, and her daughters Vivian and Clara live in Elmwood Park. They love exploring the local forest preserves and spending time at Village Creek Bible Camp in Iowa every summer!

Aly began teaching at an early age (her favorite game was “school”). Since then, her education career has included a variety of roles including swimming instructor, high school social studies teacher, Religious Education teacher, TEFL volunteer with the US Peace Corps in Ukraine, afterschool program director, and in 2022, she began teaching in Room 26 at First United. Aly loves the joy of preschoolers and nurturing them as they learn, grow, and explore. She holds a BS in Education from the University of Missouri (Go Tigers!) and a MPA from NYU. When not at school, Aly loves to curl up with a good book, cook (and eat), grow her garden, travel to new places, snuggle her boys, and do almost anything outdoors with her family. Aly lives in Oak Park with her husband, Matt, their two boys (First United alumni), and their dog.

Katharine Thurman is a graduate of Point Park College in Pittsburgh, PA with a BA in Theater Arts. She has been a Girl Scout leader for 12 years, teaches Church School at First United and was Executive Director of Schola Children’s Choir for five years. She brings a wealth of experience in theater, music and dance to her work in the Alpha Club classroom. Her family includes three daughters.

Manuela has been part of the First United Church Nursery School community for several years as a parent and as an active Board Member. Her two children, now alums, had a wonderful time in the 2's, 3's, 4's, lunch bunch and Sprouts Camp. The thought of their time at FUNS coming to an end was too much to bear and last year, Manuela joined our staff as a substitute teacher's assistant . Manuela is thrilled to be joining Room 26, 'officially' this year and is looking forward to supporting your children while they play, learn and grow.

Manuela, her husband Ash, Ruby and Jack live in Oak Park. They enjoy travel, family days out, cooking, crafting, reading and simply being together.

Andrea has been engaged with First United Nursery School for many years; initially as a parent to her two children that attended, then as a board member and a substitute teacher. She was a co-teacher in the Two year old classroom for two years starting in 2018. She is now back working in the office for a couple of days a week.

Andrea holds a bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education from Ohio University and has worked with children from preschool through middle school grades. She enjoys gardening, running, reading, and shopping in her spare time. She and her husband live in Oak Park with their two children.