Meet Our Preschool Team

All members of our teaching staff are life-long learners and have a passion for teaching preschoolers! Our full-time teachers hold a Bachelor's Degree or higher in education.  Teachers attend regular trainings on best practices in the field of Early Childhood Education.  

My name is Breanna Cleeves and I am the Director of the Little Comets Preschool Programs. Preschool is such an exciting, impressionable time in a child’s life.  It is a special time when children develop a love for learning.  I am always amazed at the developments that occur over the school year within each child.  Watching our students grow is a favorite part of my job! They are not only learning letters, numbers, and how to write, but are also developing positive attitudes toward independence, exploration, cooperation, motivation, and creativity.  I feel very fortunate to be working amongst a group of supportive, inspiring, early childhood professionals.  What an amazing team I have!    

In 2008, I graduated from Spring Arbor University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education.  I then obtained my Master’s Degree in Instruction and Curriculum in Early Childhood Education from Grand Valley State University.  Prior to re-opening Holbrook, I enjoyed teaching preschool in Atlanta and in the Lansing area.  I also taught full-day Kindergarten for four years.  I love that our program has grown and  expanded over the years, creating a need for our Delta Mills location in West Lansing!  When I am not working, I enjoy spending time with my family and friends, traveling, boating, shopping, and down-hill skiing.  I have a passion for interior design and enjoy decorating and re-decorating my home in Grand Ledge. My husband and I have two beautiful children who bring so much joy to our lives! 

Hello! My name is Devon Hampton and I am thrilled to be the Assistant Director of Neff Early Childhood Center!  I started out as an afternoon Teacher's Assistant during the 2015-16 school year and since then have enjoyed my role as the Billing Specialist for all of our Little Comets Preschool families. Interacting with preschool children is such a joy for me and I look forward each day to watching them make new discoveries in such a fun and caring environment!

I am a graduate of Olivet Nazarene University near Chicago, where I earned my Bachelor of Science degree in Social Work.  I devoted my entire Social Work career to working with children, with eight consecutive years spent as a youth counselor in Michigan's only adoption preservation program.  I also worked for two years as a Child & Family Case Manager for Northern Lakes Community Mental Health in the northern Michigan area.

I am happily married to my husband, Steve, and we are long-time residents of the Grand Ledge community.  In my free time I enjoy cooking, shopping, reading, traveling, taking care of our animals, and spending time with family and friends.

I encourage you to stop by the office anytime just to say hello or to ask any questions that you may have.  I look forward to an exciting school year with you!

Hi!  My name is Maria Dionise-Kurdunowicz.  I am the Assistant Director.  I graduated from Michigan State University in 2012.  I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Arts and Letters with a minor in Education and Spanish.  I also have a ZA endorsement in Early Childhood.  I have always worked in preschool!  During college, I was a preschool aide and in years prior I was a lead teacher at Little Shamrock’s Preschool.  I was a Lead Teacher at Holbrook Early Childhood Center location from 2013-2017. I transferred to Delta Mills as the building opened in 2017 and I am enjoying my role as Assistant Director. I love sharing my knowledge and excitement for preschool with the early childhood staff. My husband and I have two amazing children- June and Leo.  A few of my favorite things include spending time with my family and friends, MSU football and traveling to new places with my husband, our daughter and son!

My name is Ciarah Fech and I am a Lead Teacher in the Young Preschool classroom at Neff Early Childhood Center. I am a Grand Ledge graduate and so excited to be part of the Little Comets Program! I have over ten years of experience working in various local in-home and center-based programs as an early childhood care provider and educator. I graduated with a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Child and Family Development from Western Michigan University. While I was living in Kalamazoo, I spent my time working at an Early Childcare Center that emphasized a Play-Based Creative Curriculum and a Montessori Campus Area. I also interned at the Kalamazoo Nature Center, creating and facilitating their weekly Preschool Explorers Program and Jr. Nat’s Spring Break Camp curriculum. After graduation, I moved back to Grand Ledge and began working as a Lead Preschool Teacher at Looking Glass Child Development Center’s GL location. I became a member of this awesome team in February 2021. Most of my free time is spent outside and with my family. My best friends are my niece Lennox, nephew Briggs and my cat Bella. In the summer I go to my cottage on Higgins Lake nearly every weekend, and up to my cabin on Drummond Island as often as possible. I love fishing, kayaking, trail riding, rock finding and all things nature. I am thrilled to be part of this wonderful educational community and I cannot wait to see what the school year brings!

Hello! My name is Jessie Nevius, and I am one of the Full Day Preschool Lead Teachers here at Neff. This is my second year at Neff but I have been teaching in the early childhood field for 14 years. I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Education. 

For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to be a teacher. I used to line up my stuffed animals and pretend to teach them. I even assigned coloring book homework to them too. :) I love seeing the joy when a child gets excited about something they are learning or when they accomplish a new skill on their own. 

When I’m not at school, I enjoy shopping, traveling, being with my family, and snuggling with my dog Charlie. 

I am so lucky to be part of the Neff family and I am looking forward to the great year we are going to have together. Thank you for entrusting your children to me.

Hello! My name is Jennifer Lowell. I knew from a very young age that I wanted to be a teacher and I have worked very hard to accomplish that goal. I’ve realized over the last fifteen years that teaching Preschool through 2nd grade is near and dear to my heart.

I have two nieces and six nephews that I love to the moon & back. Family is very important to me and being an Aunt has enriched my life in so many ways.

Coaching & playing volleyball is something I really enjoy. I've coached 5th-8th grade volleyball along with J.V & Varsity. I enjoy tutoring students in a variety of subjects and I have done so for many years.

Thank you for sharing your children with me! I look forward to spending the rest of the school year together learning and playing! 

Hello! My name is Carmen Palmer and I am the Lead Teacher for the half-day program at Delta Mills Early Childhood Center. I graduated from Olivet College with a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education.  I absolutely love working with preschoolers, it is my passion! I believe each child has the right to learn at their own pace and I am passionate about finding what learning techniques work best for each individual child. I am married to my high school sweetheart, Eric. We have three wonderful children. Hannah, is my oldest and lives in her own condo. Cameron got married in June so I gained another daughter, Jack. My youngest child, Bella works at Volunteers of America and lives at home with us. I also have two fur babies, Delilah and Lily. I love reading books and being crafty any chance I get. I love reading and working on crafts. I am very fortunate to be working for such a wonderful preschool program.  It is a pleasure and a joy to teach here!  

Hello! My name is Cathy Starr, and this is my sixth year teaching three/four-year-old Full Day Preschool at Delta Mills. I received my Bachelor’s in Education from Central Michigan University and my Master’s in Literacy Instruction from Michigan State University. I taught Kindergarten and First Grade in Lansing for over twenty years before making the move to early childhood in the Little Comets Preschool Program. 

I have always enjoyed helping, teaching, and working with young children. They bring so much joy and life into the teaching process. I believe in creating a positive, engaging, and play based learning environment in order to meet the needs of each child.

When I am not teaching, I enjoy spending time with my husband Scott and our four children. Our daughter, Abbie teaches first grade in the area. Our sons, Nick and Gabe almost done with college, and our youngest daughter Chrissy is in tenth grade. I also enjoy reading, playing cards with friends, spending time Up North, and cheering on the MSU Spartans.

My name is Jala Howard! I am a Co-Lead Teacher in our Young Preschool Room at Delta Mills. I am a Grand Ledge graduate and I have been teaching for six years. I started off as a Teacher Assistant and soon realized that I wanted to do more in the classroom, so I started to take classes to become a Lead Teacher. I was a Lead Teacher at Looking Glass Child Development Center. I joined the Little Comets Program at Delta Mills in 2023. I absolutely love the environment and the compassion we all share. I enjoy watching children learn new things and achieve their goals on top of developing social emotional skills. When I am not teaching, I am spending time with my boyfriend, our daughter Analise and our rambunctious puppy, Louie. I enjoying kayaking and traveling.