Meet Us

Staff

Kim Turnbull

Founder

Kim Turnbull (she/her/hers) founded Brooklyn Schoolhouse in 2015.  Kim was Lead Teacher of the first class, and then continued on as Director.  Before starting Brooklyn Schoolhouse, Kim was Lead Teacher at Beginnings Nursery School from 2009-2015.  Prior to teaching at Beginnings Nursery School, Kim was a teacher at City & Country School, the Sarah Lawrence College Early Childhood Center, ABC Cassidy’s Place, and Central Park East 1 Elementary School.  She earned a BA in Literature and Painting from Sarah Lawrence College in 2004 and a dual MS in Early Childhood and Childhood Education from Sarah Lawrence College in 2009. 

In 2010, Kim completed Reggio Emilia’s First International Summer School program, spending the summer in Reggio Emilia, Italy, immersed in the preschools’ philosophy and pedagogy.  Kim believes that respecting each child’s unique way of creating and learning is paramount.  Joining the child in the joyful and exciting processes of discovery is key to instilling a life-long love of learning.  She believes in inquiry-based learning, and the power of play and wonderment in the process.    

Most recently, Kim is enjoying nurturing the growth of her toddler, and is present to the profound depth of parenthood.

growth, work with loose parts and exploration of the natural world and community. He is a strong advocate for play and has been influenced by the teaching philosophies and practices of Reggio Emilia, Maria Montessori, David Sobel and Fred Rogers. 

Brian is a proud parent of a six year old daughter and a 1 year old son. He loves exploring what it means to be a parent, playing with his children and observing their remarkable growth. Brian also has strong interests in photography and music.

Ju-milia Garrett

Teacher

Ju-milia Garrett (she/her/hers) joined Brooklyn Schoolhouse in 2023 as an Associate Teacher. Ju-milia has an educational background in Psychology from Elms College and holds the Citation of Honor Award from the Office of the Kings County District Attorney in recognition of outstanding leadership, character, and service in promoting "Progress through Justice" in her alma mater Nazareth Regional High School and community. Her prior experience includes tutoring and mentoring at Homework House and Creative Youth Leading at Patrick E. Bowe Elementary School in Chicopee, MA, along with serving in the Childcare Provider space as a Babysitter and Nanny for ten years. Ju-milia's previous work has also included providing support and guidance to young children in the areas of life skills, educational learning, and individuality. She thrives on cultivating safe spaces for learning, care, empathy, resilience, effective communication, and supporting young children's social-emotional growth and development. Ju-milia's positive attitude and kind nature position her to seamlessly encourage and embrace young children as the future; while enthusiastically paying it forward and supporting the growth of young children in all aspects daily.

tony soll

Music

Tony Soll (he/him/his) began singing with the enthusiastic children of the Brooklyn Schoolhouse in January of 2023. Inheriting his family’s love for music, he played bass and guitar with blues, rock and folk bands, including with John Hammond, the Neville Brothers and several Irish groups. After graduating from CCNY with a BA in world history, he worked in publishing for several years before receiving an MS in Education from Bank Street College where he taught in the School for Children for 11 years. After helping to begin an alternative public school he came to Brooklyn Friends School, teaching middle schoolers, English, History and math. Although retired now, he is still there once a week with his guitar.

At Brooklyn Schoolhouse we sing songs from the vast folk music tradition exemplified by Pete Seeger, as well as tunes by such writers as Bob Marley, Bob Dylan, Guy Davis, Ella Jenkins and Tony. Some are stories, others are “zipper songs” where the children suggest what words to “zip” into the verses - foods, colors, animals - depending on the subject. Many songs have hand and body motions to correspond to the story. We sing songs of the seasons and songs that expand on the classroom curricula. We build community spirit while having fun and working together to create a “joyful noise”.

Simone Forsberg

Yoga

Simone (she/her/hers) joined Brooklyn Schoolhouse in the fall of 2023. She is a Brooklyn-based yoga and mindfulness teacher for all ages. She earned her M.A. in Child Development from Sarah Lawrence College and completed her 200-hour yoga teacher training under the tutelage of Julie Dohrman at Brooklyn Flow and her children’s yoga teacher training with Sarah Harrington of Om Schooled. Prior to teaching yoga, Simone taught at the Early Childhood Center at Sarah Lawrence and then as a teacher and associate director of the early childhood psychosocial program at The Quad Preparatory School in Manhattan. She explores aspects of mindfulness and yoga through play, breathwork, creative movement, music, and literature. She is passionate about sharing yoga and mindfulness with children as a practice of building awareness, cultivating community, and fostering self-love and care.

Board of Advisors 

Sara Soll

Interim Director, Brooklyn Schoolhouse, Spring 2023

Former Director, Brooklyn Friends School

Sara Soll (she/her/hers) has been an Early Childhood Educator for 50 years. Most recently she retired from Brooklyn Friends School after 35 years, as a teacher, administrator and the Director of the Family Center at Brooklyn Friends. Before Brooklyn Friends, she worked in Beth Elohim Preschool and Terrific Twos, a Parent Coop, and at Bellevue Hospital working in the Child Life programs. Sara earned her BS in Early Childhood Education in 1972 at City College of New York and completed her MS in Early Childhood Special Education at Bank Street College of Education in 1997.

Sara considers herself very lucky to have known at a very early age that she wanted to be an Early Childhood teacher. The commitment to each child as an individual guides children as they become learners, adapt to group experiences, and learn to respect the feelings of others. The children become confident, curious, motivated and competent learners as they practice social skills and become valued members of the classroom community through varied, open-ended opportunities to play, experience and experiment. In partnership with families, Sara has never tired of being a part of this extraordinary time in the lives of children.

Mary Hebron

Former Director, The Art of Teaching Graduate Program, Sarah Lawrence College

Mary Hebron (she/her/hers) is the Interim Director of The Art of Teaching Graduate Program at Sarah Lawrence College. She has been a professor in the program since 1985 and was previously the Associate Director of the Graduate Program. Mary is a former elementary teacher and coordinator of primary education in the Mamaroneck, New York public schools; curriculum and assessment consultant in New York City and Westchester; and coordinator of teacher study groups, including The Sarah Lawrence College Art of Teaching and Learning for the Classroom Professional Saturday Series. She served on the Board of The Prospect Archive and Center for Education and Research in North Bennington, Vermont. Mary has a BA and an MA from New York University.

Jane Racoosin

Director, Beginnings Nursery

Jane Racoosin (she/her/hers) has been the Director of Beginnings Nursery since 2005 and took ownership of the school in 2011. Jane has over twenty-two years of teaching experience and has had extensive training in the Reggio Emilia Approach to early childhood education. She has attended workshops at Reggio-inspired schools in St. Louis, Missouri, Boulder, Colorado Northampton, Massachusetts, and has attended two study tours in Reggio Emilia, Italy. Currently Jane is the exhibit chair of the 2015 New York City initiative to bring to New York The Wonder of Learning Exhibit, the traveling exhibition of the infant-toddler centers and preschools of the municipality of Reggio Emilia, Italy.

In 2010 Jane presented “Living in spaces: Children translate their ideas about iconic architectural spaces through various artistic media” at the Educating the Creative Mind Conference at Keene University where Howard Gardner was the keynote speaker, and The European Early Childhood Research Conference in Birmingham, England. Jane received a BA in Psychology from the University of Vermont, a Masters in Early Childhood Education and a Masters in Supervision and Administration from Bank Street College. She has served as an adjunct lecturer in the department of Early Childhood Education at Hunter College and has a seat on the Board of the College of Education and Social Services at The University of Vermont.

Laura Sedlock

Pre-Primary Program Director, Blue School

Laura Sedlock (she/her/hers) is the Director of the Pre-Primary Program at Blue School in New York City, and was the Educational Director at Beginnings from 2008-2014. She has also been an adjunct lecturer in the department of Early Childhood Education at Hunter College. Laura has over fourteen years experience in the field of early childhood education, having taught at the Bank Street School for Children, City and Country School, P.S. 321 in Park Slope, Brooklyn, and Beginnings Nursery School. Laura has a BA in English from Wesleyan University and a Masters in Early Childhood and Elementary Education from Bank Street College. Before entering the field of childhood education, Laura taught English to adults in New York and Indonesia, where she lived for four years. Laura grew up in New York City, where she attended the Bank Street School for Children and the Fieldston School.

Consultants and Specialists

COLLEEN GODDARD, PhD

Child Development Consultant

Colleen Goddard, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) works as the Child Development Specialist at Beginnings Nursery School and The Brooklyn Schoolhouse. She has over 22 years experience in early childhood education. Colleen received an Excellence in Teaching Award from the NYC Early Childhood Professional Development Institute in 2009. She also received a Parent’s Choice Award for Excellence in Educational Programming for a film she wrote and performed in, which addresses the social-emotional and psychological aspects of childhood cancer. She has worked as a contributing writer for the New York State Early Learning Guidelines as part of the New York State Early Childhood Advisory Council and has been published by Psychology Today Online and Changing Minds.Org.  Colleen presents parent and teacher educational workshops and roundtables, at early childhood schools and centers, on a variety of topics related to human and child development. Colleen also works as an Assistant Adjunct Professor at Hunter College, Brooklyn College and with the NYU School of Professionals Studies CDA Program and as a fieldwork supervisor for New York University graduate students in general and special education programs. She holds a Master’s Degree in Human Development with a Specialization in Early Childhood Studies from Pacific Oaks College and earned an additional Master’s Degree in Human & Organizational Development from Fielding Graduate University where she completed her Ph.D. in Human/Child Development - her dissertation examines the significance of transitional objects at the beginning and end of life.