Westlake UMC Preschool

Eileen grew up the youngest child in a family of 6 kids in a small coal town in eastern Pennsylvania. Since the early age of 12 she has been taking care of children; first as a babysitter and later during college summers, as a day care provider. It was natural that she found herself studying in the field of speech pathology and audiology. She graduated with her BS degree in 1997 from East Stroudsburg University, Pennsylvania. During the summer before graduate school, Eileen traveled to the homes of preschoolers delivering speech and language therapy through a special education unit in her hometown of Pottsville.

Wanting to learn and live in an environment with more linguistic and cultural diversity, she moved to Los Angeles to pursue her Masters Degree in Communication Disorders. She graduated in 2001 with an MA in Communication Disorders as well as a teaching certificate from California State University, Los Angeles. During her time in graduate school, she worked as a speech therapist in the nation’s second largest school district (LAUSD). Throughout her career, Eileen has been licensed and worked in Pennsylvania, California, New Hampshire, and now Texas evaluating and treating children primarily from ages 18 months to 12 years in various settings; private and public. In 2021, while working for a private agency, Eileen joined the WUMP team so that she could assist with child developmental in a broader sense. She is delighted with her decision to the preschool environment!

When Eileen is not working, she stays busy with her family; husband, three children (ages 13, 15, and 17), and two Portuguese water dogs. From her over 20 years of experience, what keeps her fresh is knowledge that every child is an individual with unique wants, needs, feelings, and thoughts. She views every day as an exciting learning experience for both the teacher and student!