Staff
Children’s Place is very proud of our highly qualified staff. Our lead teachers are Montessori certified, holding certificates from respected training programs. They also hold BA degrees, one in Psychology and the other with a degree in English and a MAT, Masters in Teaching. In addition, our classroom assistants are also Montessori trained teachers (1) Montessori trained assistants (3), or Adult Learners (1) with half also having university degrees. Our special teachers are also certified or highly skilled in their field. Our director, also Montessori trained, earned an Early Childhood Endorsement with her Michigan State Teaching Certificate.
Karen Lumsden
Director
Ms. Karen received her BS in Music from Grand Valley University and attended Orff Schulewerk training in Austria in 1971. She continued her education with graduate work in Early Childhood Education at Wayne State University and attended Montessori Training in 1977. Karen and her husband, also Montessori trained, started their first school in 1978. During the 13 years Open Meadow Montessori was in operation, she also taught music in public school part time while her husband taught at that their school full time. In 1991, Karen and her mother opened Children’s Place Montessori. She continued to work part time in Montessori and music until 2000 when she began working full time at Children’s Place. Karen is married with two children and six grandchildren
Emily Mallin
Ms. Emily received her BS in English from Oakland University and her M.Ed from Wayne State University. After graduation, she attended the Montessori Elementary training at Michigan Montessori Teacher Training Center, affiliated with American Montessori Society, and worked at Children’s Place in our Elementary Program for three years. When we closed our Elementary program, she attended the Preschool/Kindergarten training also at MMTEC and moved into our preschool program. Emily is married with four sons. She has been with Children’s Place Montessori since 2000.
Aruna Canchi
Aruna Canchi received her BS. and MA in English in her home country of India. In 2005, she began her Montessori journey. She attended Montessori Pre Primary training at Michigan Montessori Teacher Training Center and came to us to complete her internship. She received an Early Childhood Teaching Credential in 2006. Ms. Aruna has been an advocate for children at Children’s Place Montessori since then and has taught and cared for the children at our school with great compassion. Ms Aruna is married and has two grown sons.
Erbora Mankollari
Sreechitra Mele Aruthoottayil
Sreechithra (Ms. Sree) has her BA in Engineering. Prior to joining our school she was a web designer. Ms. Sree began working with us last year as a lunch assistant and substitute teacher. She completed her Montessori Assistant training this past summer and is now working with us as a classroom assistant. She is married with one daughter.
Uma Muthumani
Ms. Uma received B.S. in Computer Application and M.A. also in Computer Application. She completed her work on her Early Childhood Montessori Teacher Credential at MMTEC in 2016. She has worked at Children’s Place Montessori since that time as an assistant, a team teacher, and now as lead teacher in the front classroom. Uma is married with one child who is a graduate of Children’s Place Montessori.
Chitra Aravind
Yogachitra Aravind, Ms. Chitra, has a BS in Business Administration and MA in Tamil Literature. In 2021, she began working with us as a lunch assistant and substitute. In 2022, she took Montessori Assistant’s training and is currently a classroom assistant. Ms. Chitra is married with two children.
Lavanya Praveen
Ms. Lavanya completed her degree in Fashion Technology. She began her Montessori journey at another school and came to us with three years of experience as a classroom assistant. She recently completed her Montessori Assistant training and will continue to fulfill that role in our school this year. She is married with one son who is a talented tennis player, having won many accolades and national recognition for his skill on the court.