Meet Kari Planz – Director, Head Teacher

I am so happy you are interested in our school! I am the Director and head teacher of the 4 yr old class. The students have been calling me Mrs. Planz, but the rest of my coworkers have recently changed over to using their first names and I am feeling a little left out… and old! I am ready to join them and let the kids call me Miss Kari. I grew up in Latham, but my family and I have spent some time living in North Augusta, South Carolina and Kansas City, MO. I attended North Colonie schools, HVCC, and Clarkson University, where I received a BS in Mechanical Engineering. It didn’t take me long to decide that engineering was not the right field for me, so once we started our family in 1993, I went back to school for Early Childhood at Augusta College. Since then, my husband Eric and I have added 4 more children, yes we have 5 kids, they range in age from 27 to 15. The oldest is Megan, who is also a teacher, then Brian who is an Engineer in Chicago, Jenna who is a newly graduated Occupational Therapist, Emily, who is our head 3 yr old teacher, and a graduate student at SUNY Albany and Stephen, who is 15, and a junior at Niskayuna High School. We also have 2 dogs at our house, their names are Molly and Lennon. This is my 12th year in a preschool setting, I have done preschool gymnastics and assistant teacher positions, before becoming a head teacher and then director at Calvary. I am very excited to get to know your children and your families this year.

Meet Emily Planz – Head Teacher

Hello there! I am the teacher for the three-year-old class this year! This is my fourth year working at Calvary and I absolutely love it! My degree is in Human Development and Psychology and a lot of my studies focused on Educational Psychology! I’m currently in school working towards a Master’s in Mental Health Counseling.

Some of my favorite activities include nature walks, cooking, baking yoga, and ice cream. My favorite animals are dogs, sharks, and hedgehogs. Some of my favorite books are No, David! or Uni the Unicorn. I can’t wait to meet your children!

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Meet Charity Preston – Assistant Teacher

Hi! My name is Charity Preston and I am honored to be your child’s teacher! I grew up in Eastport, Maine which is the Eastern Most city in the United States. I graduated from Elmira College with a B.S. in Psychology and I have a Paralegal Certificate. I am a mom to a son, Matthew, and twin daughters Katherine and Abigail. I am an upbeat and positive person. I absolutely LOVE teaching preschool! I am excited to grow and learn with your child with lots of reading, play, and laughter along the way.

Meet Stacey Hartman – Assistant Teacher

Hi! My name is Stacey Hartman and I am so excited to be back at the preschool. I am from and currently live in Colonie with my family. I have a son Ayden who is 11 and is in the 5th grade at St.Pius X and I have a 3 year old Ellie who also attends school here. I have an associates degree in Early Childhood and a Bachelors degree in Elementary Education. While at home I love to do DIY projects around the house and you can always find me in the kitchen cooking for my family which I enjoy. I am looking forward to the year ahead with your children and getting to know them.