Staff

Directors

Kerri Jo Staniszewski
Owner & Director

Kerri Jo is the owner and director of Building Blocks, which she opened in 1998. Kerri Jo graduated from Washington State University in 1990 with a B.A. in Elementary Education, with an emphasis in Early Childhood Education. Her hobbies include watching her children's sporting events, scrap booking, and cooking. Kerri Jo's hometown is right here in Pullman, WA.

Denise Paikuli
Infant Toddler Specialist

Denise has been working at BBCCC since 2002. Denise has her Child Development Associates Degree and is working toward her Bachelors in Early Childhood Education. Her hobbies include cooking, decorating, and spending time with her 3 boys. Denise is originally from Dayton, WA.

Lead Teachers

Denise Paikuli

Infant Room

Brooke Barner

Infant Room

Brooke joined the BBCCC team in July of 2007, two days after her birthday. She has been working in childcare since 1997. Brooke enjoys working with children of all ages and looks forward to many more years. She was born and raised in Spokane Washington. Brooke enjoys dancing, teaching dance and anything to do with children.

Stephanie Rudd

Waddler Room

Stephanie stated working at BBCCC in 2007. Stephanie graduated from Eastern Washington University in 2004 with a B.A. in Elementary Education with an emphasis in Reading. She likes to spend all her spare time with her daughter, Keianna.

Megan Warnock

Toddler Room

Megan has been working at BBCCC since 2005. Her hobbies include decorating, rearranging furniture, and shopping. Megan's hometown is right here in Pullman, WA.

Terri Halstead

Jr. Preschool Room

Terri has been working at Building Blocks since 2005. She has many years of experience working with children in various centers and school districts. Terri graduated from Washington State University in 2002 with a B.A. in Elementary Education. Her hobbies include traveling, reading, and camping. Poulsbo, WA is her hometown.

Juanita Warnock

Preschool Room

Juanita has been working at BBCCC since 2002. She has many years experience working with children. Juanita received her Child Development Associates Credential in 2006. She also has her Bachelors from Boise State which she received in 1985. Her hobbies include music, singing, and gardening. Juanita is

originally from Boise, ID.

Jackie Rellama

AM Preschool Room

Jackie has been at BBCCC since 2003. She has many years of experience working with children, which include coaching, tutoring, volunteering, and practicum work in various school districts. Jackie graduated from Washington State University in 2005 with a B.S. in Kinesiology (Movement Studies). Her hobbies include reading, shoe and purse shopping, and visiting her family any chance she gets. Jackie is originally from Oak Harbor, WA on Whidbey Island.

Jessica Cann

Kindergarten/Pip Pop Room

Jessica started working at Building Blocks Child Care Center in July of 2007. She babysat after school starting in fifth grade and then began her college career in the field of elementary education, graduating from the University of Idaho in Dec. 2007 with a BS in elementary Education She also received her Literacy Endorsement. Jessica enjoys reading, camping, sports, and being with her friends and family. Jessica grew up in Preston, Idaho - home of Napoleon Dynamite!!

Keoki Paikuli

Cougar Kids

Keoki has been working at BBCCC since 2003. He graduated from Washington State University in 2006 with a B.A. in Social Sciences with an emphasis in History and Human Development.

Assistant Teachers

Infant Room

ToniJo Hopkins started working at Building Blocks in September 0f 2008. She has worked with children for many years, starting when she was a live-in nanny at age fourteen. ToniJo has an Associate's degree in Sign Language Interpretation from Spokane Falls Community College, and has started to pursue her Education degree at WSU. She enjoys reading, riding horses, and spending time with friends and family. ToniJo is originally from Colfax, WA.

Miryam Navarro loves being a part of children's lives, since she has been with kids her whole life. Miryam was born in Mexico, but raised in Sunnyside, WA. She enjoys jet skiing and spending time with loved ones.

Mia Palsson began working at Building Blocks in the summer of 2008. She is currently a student at WSU, working on her degree in Elementary Education. Mia hopes to teach kindergarten when she graduates. She is a member of Kappa Delta sorority, and loves Cougar sports. She is from Kent, WA.

Waddler Room

Einat Aharonovitz started working at BBCCC in August of 2008. She has a B.A. in education from the Levinsky College of Education in Israel. She worked for two years as a special education teacher in a preschool for children with autism in Israel, and as a first grade teacher for a year. Einat taught in several childcare centers and preschools during her studies. She enjoys spending her free time playing with her two children and enjoys short hikes and going to the pool. She was born and raised in Israel.

Kayla Thomas started working at Building Blocks in August of 2008. She has a B.A. in communications from WSU. She has lots of experience volunteering in kindergarten classrooms and at summer vacation bible schools over the years. She is a mother to a little girl who attends Building Blocks! When she is not working, Kayla enjoys playing with her daughter, quilting, and reading. She was born in Lewiston, Idaho and raised in many places throughout Idaho including Hells Canyon and Weiser. She has lived in Pullman since 1997.

Heather Berry started working at Building Blocks in August of 2007 after volunteering here for five months. She is attending WSU and pursuing a degree in Human Development and a teaching certificate. She has worked with children all her life through babysitting and VBS. Heather was born and raised in Puyallup, WA and Tacoma, WA. She enjoys Cougar football and basketball games and going back to Tacoma to visit her friends.

Samantha Parker began working at Building Blocks in September of 2008. She is working toward a degree in Human Development with an emphasis in Early Childhood Education. Samantha enjoys scrap-booking and playing all kinds of sports. She especially enjoys basketball. Samantha was born in Walnut Creek, CA, and moved to Spokane when she was still in elementary school.

Toddler Room

Aubrey Reynolds joined the Building Blocks team in June of 2006. She loves working with children and helping them learn. She is currently working on her Child Development Associate degree. She grew up in Pullman, WA and loves softball, photography, and scrap-booking.

Jennifer Stewart started working at BBCCC in January of 2008. She has taken many human development classes. She volunteered at Building Blocks for a few months before she started working here. she enjoys spending time with her friends, family and boyfriend. She enjoys playing tennis, dancing, shopping and watching movies. She was born in Ft. Sill, OK moving to Germany for five years and then graduated from High School in Lacey, WA.

Arianne Jackson started working at Building Blocks in the August 2008, after volunteering since February. She is attending WSU and pursuing a degree in Elementary Education. She has taken many early childhood development classes and coached for Skyhawks Sports Academy. Arianne was born and raised in Spokane, WA.

Jr. Preschool Room

Andrea O'Brine joined BBCCC in August of 2007. She is majoring in Elementary Education at WSU. She was born in Yakima and grew up in Ferndale, WA. She enjoys horseback riding, photography, agriculture, spending time with her boyfriend, and, when going to school, homework.

Christina Thornton began working at Building Blocks Child Care Center on August 1st, 2008. She taught 4th grade in Las Vegas for two years then decided that she wanted to move back to the Northwest. She taught the preschool classroom at Moscow Day School for one year before deciding to work here at Building Blocks in the Jr. Preschool Room. Christina is very active and athletic. She loves to play sports, go boating and camping, and ride ATVs. She was born and raised in Moscow, ID, but she loves Cougar football!

Amanda Muller joined the Building Blocks staff in August of 2008. She is a senior at WSU majoring in Elementary Education. She has worked at Head Start and The Learning Center. Amanda enjoys swimming, hiking, camping, books and moves, cooking, arts and crafts, live sports events, and traveling. She was born in Apple Valley, California, and grew up in various places around the west coast. Amanda graduated from high school in Ocean Shores, WA.

Preschool Room

Martha Sheridan started working at BBCCC in June of 2008. she opened a small in-home child care service while her husband served in the Navy. She has taken classes in child behavior and is the mother of two children. She loves being outdoors with family and introducing her children to new things. She writes poetry and stories. She was born in Los Angeles, California, and has lived in Seattle, WA and Hailey, ID. She graduated from Moscow High in Moscow, ID.

Kim Bierman began working at Building Blocks in April 2007. She has babysat for many years, and has taken many child development classes. Kim loves attending football games, snowboarding, camping, cooking, longboarding, playing with her kitty, and hanging out with her friends and family. Kim is from Bellingham, WA.

Susan Appel started at BBCCC in 2008. She is a senior in Early Childhood Education at WSU. She grew up in Colfax, WA and enjoys fishing.

A.M. Preschool Room

Brigitta Friel joined the Building Blocks staff in August of 2006. She has a bachelor's degree in humanities from WSU, received her Montessori Preschool Kindergarten certificate in 2007, and received her early childhood certificate in 2006. She grew up in Pullman, WA and enjoys movies, gardening, boating, reading, skiing, hiking, and going to sports events with her three children.

Kindergarten/Pip Pop Room

Jackie Rellama has been at BBCCC since 2003. She has many years of experience working with children, which include coaching, tutoring, volunteering, and practicum work in various school districts. Jackie graduated from Washington State University in 2005 with a B.S. in Kinesiology (Movement Studies). Her hobbies include reading, shoe and purse shopping, and visiting her family any chance she gets. Jackie is originally from Oak Harbor, WA on Whidbey Island.

Dustin Larsen joined the BBCCC team in December of 2006. He has two younger brothers who he enjoyed helping take care of, and Dustin has taken many human and early childhood development classes at WSU. He was born and raised in Pullman, WA and enjoys dancing, singing, acting and choreographing.

Cougar Kids Room

Torey Wilson started working at Building Blocks in 2007 and has worked in a school age classroom for many years in Ferndale/Bellingham, WA before moving to Pullman.

Jessica Lockwood started working at Building Blocks in the summer of 2008. She is attending WSU, working toward a degree in Elementary Education with a Reading Endorsement. Jessica loves painting, skiing, cooking, and going to Cougar football games. Jessica was born and raised in Sandpoint, Idaho.

Support Staff

Cook

Becky Sprague joined BBCCC in 2008. She enjoys cooking, which she says started out as a fun hobby and has progressively turned into a career. She is from Chattaroy, WA, just north of Spokane. Other than cooking, Becky also enjoys gardening, hiking, and backpacking.

Substitutes

Veronica Marcelo joined the Building Blocks staff in May of 2008. She enjoys teaching piano lessons for young learners. She grew up in Pullman and enjoys playing the piano, soccer, reading, and hanging out with friends.

Mia Palsson began working at Building Blocks in the summer of 2008. She is currently a student at WSU, working on her degree in elementary education. Mia hopes to teach kindergarten when she graduates. She is a member of Kappa Delta sorority, and loves Cougar sports. She is from Kent, Washington.

Bailey Scourey joined the Building Blocks team in September of 2008. She was born and raised in Pullman, Washington and has past experience working with children through babysitting. Bailey is interested in sports, hanging out with her fiends, school, and baking.

Hayley Kabelac started at Building Blocks in September of 2008. She has worked with children for many years as a babysitter and through Sunday school, and has loved every minute of it! Hayley is very interested in science and hopes to work in health care someday. She also enjoys cooking, walking, and reading. Hayley was born in Tacoma and raised in Federal Way, Washington.

Shannon Johnson started working at BBCCC in October 2008. She has lots of experience working with children though teaching swim lessons and running a summer camp. Shannon loves arts and crafts and being active outside. She was born and raised in Seattle, Washington.