About The School
Administration
Rebecca Schultz is the Executive Director of The Brookwood School. She graduated from Cooperstown Central School in 1998. In 2002 Rebecca graduated from SUNY Oneonta with a B.S in Child and Families Studies; and a minor in Special Education. Rebecca has experience working as an Assistant Director of a Domestic Violence Shelter in Newburg, N.Y. Rebecca has worked with new and expecting parents with the Building Healthy Families Program through Opportunities For Otsego as a Family Support Worker, Team Leader and the Program Manager. Rebecca also has experience with Head Stat as a Center Director. Rebecca enjoys doing fun activities with her family. She has three children; Sawyer, Parker and Ophelia. Ophelia attends The Brookwood School and is currently in the Toddler Program.
Martha Brennan is the Administrative Assistant at Brookwood. She holds an A.A.S degree in Science from North Country Community College. Martha was an aide in Special Education for 7 years, as well as, an Administrative Assistant for a medical office for 10 years. Martha had four grown children and raised them in the Saratoga Springs area. She currently lives in Edmeston and enjoys gardening, skiing, foraging, hiking or anything outdoors in her spare time.
Infant Program
Ashlie Dawson is a lead teacher in our Toddler Program and holds a B.S. in Elementary Education from SUNY Oneonta. She grew up locally and has been at Brookwood since 2004. Ashlie lives in Cherry Valley with her husband and daughter Emma, who was born in February 2017. Her free time is spent remodeling her home and enjoying her time with Emma.
adawson@thebrookwoodschool.org
April Aramini is an Assistant Teacher in the Infant Program. She has an educational background in Early Childhood Education and Marketing. She has been with Brookwood since October 2018. Prior to Brookwood, she was employed as a Lead Teacher at Head Start for several years. April lives in Cherry Valley with her husband and four children, Maddox, Mina, Macon and Meadow. When not at swim meets, her free time is spent volunteering as a Girl Scout leader, Sunday school teacher and serving on her local Board of Education.
Trista Bartl joined us in January 2020 in the Infant Program and has a degree in Health Service Management. Trista, her husband and three children live on their dairy farm in Richfield Springs. She has her own photography business and enjoys taking care of her children and the many animals.
Lyz Daley is a sewer, knitter, crocheter and a reader when awake or not napping. She just enjoys children and watching them grow, so much, that she has been here nearly sixteen years and may stay another sixteen. She has worked with infants and is presently in the Waddler Room working with those becoming grown (from 1 year to 18 months). The greatest thing for Lyz is seeing them head out into the world as self-assured kindergarteners.
ldaley@thebrookwoodschool.org
Kendra VanBuren graduated from SUNY Cobleskill with her Associates degree in Early Childhood Education in May 2014. After graduation, she worked in the Toddler and Infant programs at Bugbee Children’s Center in Oneonta until December of 2016. When Kendra and her husband moved to Brookings, SD, she worked at Bright Horizons in the Infant Program as a Teacher. In June of 2018 they returned to New York and she worked as a Toddler Teacher at the Cobleskill Campus Childcare Center. She decided to join the Brookwood family in April of 2019, and began in the Preschool Program and moved to the Infant Program in September of 2019. In her spare time, Kendra enjoys spending time with her husband going fishing and being outdoors. They are excited to welcome their first child in June of 2020.
Toddler Program
Nicki Wakefield has been with Brookwood since September of 2013. She is currently a Lead Teacher in the Toddler Program and has her Childhood Development Associate (CDA). She grew up locally and lives in Hartwick with her family. Her two children, Garrett (4) and Maddie (2) have been students at Brookwood from infancy. It is like their home away from home. Nicki enjoys playing with her children, reading, drawing and doing crafts. Her favorite part of the day is seeing the spark in children’s eyes when they accomplish something they have been working on.
nwakefield@thebrookwoodschool.org
Brittany Demorest has been with Brookwood since 2017. Her daughter Amelia attends our preschool program. In her free time, Brittany enjoys crocheting, crafts and cooking for friends and family. She has a passion for music and enjoys going to concerts.
Courtney McBride is an Assistant Teacher in the Toddler Program. Courtney has been with Brookwood since July 2019. She enjoys spending time with her family and her young son who attends The Brookwood School.
Amber Hosford is a Lead Teacher in the Toddler Program. She is currently working towards a Child Development Associate Degree. Amber has a L.P.N in Nursing from a local practical nursing program. Amber has been married for 19 years and enjoys spending time with her family. She has four children; two which are very active in varsity sports and two active in several youth sports in Richfield Springs. Amber and her family enjoy camping, sports and outdoor activities.
Assistant Teachers
Specials Teachers
Dana LaCroix has been teaching music at The Brookwood School since 2004. A critically-acclaimed singer/songwriter, she has released five CDs and continues to tour in Canada, the U.S. and Europe with her band of top New York City musicians. Her songs have been recorded by major label artists in Canada and the Netherlands and have been placed in feature films, including one starring John Turturro. Ms. LaCroix presents singing clinics and workshops at conferences and institutes of higher learning in Canada, the U.S. and Denmark. Ms. LaCroix’s passion is working with children. In music classes at the Brookwood School, she accompanies herself on the guitar, choosing material based on the conviction that children are natural music lovers and respond best to truly great songs. Her teaching is grounded in the Montessori method, which focuses on the whole child with respect for the naturally absorbent mind of the individual student. Ms. LaCroix is a graduate of the Humber College Jazz Studies Program in Toronto, Canada.
dlacroix@thebrookwoodschool.org