Our Teachers

Viral K. Davé, Owner Education: Viral (pronounced “Veeral”) holds an B.S. from North Carolina State University, where he majored in Electrical Engineering. He also attained an M.S. from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) in Systems Engineering. Experience: After working as an engineer and a management consultant in Virginia, Washington, D.C., and Atlanta for the past 12 years, Viral decided it was time for a change. Becoming the Owner of The Goddard School® located in Midtown, Atlanta allowed him the opportunity to combine one of his loves -- education -- with one of his dreams -- running his own business. Viral makes it his goal to ensure that the parents take comfort knowing their children are being nurtured, educated, and, above all else, protected. Viral is actively involved in the classrooms and the day-to-day operations of the School. He looks forward to providing the environment and the resources to give children the opportunity to become happy, confident learners.

Jamie Sanchez, Executive Director/Business Manager (Joined 2018) Education: M.B.A. in Human Resources - Capella University B.A. in Anthropology - Auburn University Experience: She began working at The Goddard School of Midtown in May 2018 as an Assistant Teacher in the Get Set class. After working hard and becoming a great asset to The Goddard team, she quickly became the Lead Teacher of her class. After a recent promotion, Jamie is back to her first passion of providing guidance, skills and training to the wonderful team of teachers at the Goddard School of Midtown. As the Executive Director, she is excited to help all of the teaching staff reach their full potential of being the best of the best. The Goddard School offers an amazing curriculum, loving environment and amazing teaching team. As the Executive Director, her goal is to continue to grow our school into the best Atlanta has to offer.

Assistant Director Joined in 2014, With a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a minor in Sociology, Miss Katie has put her knowledge and energy to work for young children. She is an experienced Goddard School teacher with 20 years of experience that she brings to our early learning and development community. She loves being around the children each day, teaching them, and watching them grow. She is an energetic and fun spirit who enjoys bowling, shopping, hiking and more as long as it is fun!

Ms. Kelly Joined the Goddard family in 2017, she started off as the Lead PreK Teacher, now she is the new Curriculum Coordinator. Ms. Kelly brings a wealth of knowledge, experience and passion for early childhood education to our teaching team with her 17 years of experience in the field. Her goals are to help the children become well-rounded, creative and independent. Ms. Kelly’s greatest satisfaction is knowing that she can influence the learning process for every child in her class and to make a lasting impact on a child’s life. She holds a Child Development Associate and has completed some foundational work in Child Psychology through the University of Cincinnati. When not teaching, Ms. Kelly enjoys photography, travel and fishing.

Lead Teacher- Infant I Joined in 2017, Ms. Lauren brings a wealth of education, experience, and a love of teaching to her work with our youngest students. She feels that being an early childhood education teacher is her calling and loves children of all ages. She believes that each student teaches her just as much, if not more, than she teaches them. Ms. Lauren has over 10 years of experience working with children, newborn to age 5. She holds a CDA and an associate degree from Georgia Piedmont Technical College and is currently working on her bachelor’s degree. In her free time, she enjoys painting, drawing, travel, and is a real movie connoisseur.

Ms. Deirdre, our school nutritionist, has a wealth of experience with over 25 years of culinary expertise and a genuine love for children and helping them grow. Deirdre is dedicated to ensuring that our students are aware of how to grow their healthy bodies and stay active while learning about nutrition. When she is not helping our nurturing our students, she enjoys cosmetology and hosting events with family and friends.

Ms. Maya, our lead teacher in the First Steps classroom, has over 8 years of experience in Early Childhood and a B.S. in Child and Adolescent Studies. When she is not in the classroom, she enjoys spending time with family and visiting new places around Atlanta. Ms. Maya believes that the early ages are really important in ensuring that children have the skills needed to grow. She wants to aide in their learning journey y equipping our students with skills that will last a lifetime.

Ms.Dhenyai, who enjoys dancing and coaching younger students, has been a great asset to our Infant program. She is currently a student of cosmetology who also enjoys working with children as a nanny and in a school environment. Ms. Dhenyai's warm and loving demeanor brings a sense of comfort and warmth to the Infant classroom as she enjoys being around babies with different personalities and watching them flourish and grow. Ms. Dhenyai believes that “your victory is right around the corner.”

Ms. Jaravia is an assistant teacher in our Infant One classroom. She joined the Goddard School family in 2022 with a love for learning and a lot of creative passion. She enjoys seeing children reach developmental goals and grow compassion; she also believes that “when you fall in love with becoming the best version of yourself, you must do so with patience, compassion and respect for your own journey”. Ms. Jaravia continues her educational journey by attending college to pursue her bachelor's degree in medicine. She is looking forward to continuing her teaching journey as she learns more from her classroom experiences here at Goddard.

Lead Teacher ~ Infant 2 Joined 2019, A new addition to Atlanta from New York, Ms. Precious came to help support her daughter's transition to college. Little did she know she would love the south and decide to stay. She has been working in early childhood education since 1998 and holds a Child Development Associate. She has worked with children of all ages but has a special place in her heart for the littlest of our learners. Ms. Precious believes in the importance of early childhood education for laying the foundations of a successful future for all children and enjoys watching them grow and sharing her experience with both children and families. In her personal time, she strives to spend time with her family and her toy poodle, Oreo, is learning to swim, and enjoys cooking and drawing.

Assistant Teacher ~ Infant II Joined in 2018, Ms. Shurmicka joins Goddard with over 10 years of practical experience in the field of early childhood education. She has experience in both infant and preschool environments. She is currently working to complete her personal education in ECE. Being an early childhood teacher has always been her dream. Her goal is to play an active role in building the foundations of our future through work with children. When not at school, she is reading, dancing, traveling, and spending time with her children and family.

Ms. Kira, as she fondly likes to be called, joined our amazing team in 2022. She comes to us with over 7 years of preschool classroom experience and is currently pursuing her degree in Early Childhood Education. Originally from South Florida, Ms . Kira enjoys reading, coloring and spending time with family and loved ones. She loves watching children grow and having the opportunity to watch them grow and develop into their true selves. Ms. Kira’s favorite quote is “keep working for it. And everything will turn out even better than you can possibly imagine.”

Simone, an assistant teacher in our First Steps classroom, has 2 years of experience, and enjoys working with all age groups. Simone is currently in Nursing school and looks forward to helping children grow as she pursues her career. She is very creative and enjoys artistic expression in the classroom as well as doing choreography and dance outside of the classroom. She enjoys working with children and wants to gain more classroom experience by engaging our children everyday. Simone’s favorite quote is “I am thankful for my struggle because, without it, I wouldn’t have stumbled across my strength”.

Lead Toddler Teacher Joined in 2017, Ms. Janise comes to us with 15 years of experience in early learning and she holds a Child Development Associate in Infants/Toddlers. She loves her work! She has always had a passion for watching children grow and finds it very fulfilling to know that she has helped them learn something new for the journey of life. When not teaching, you will find her cooking, shopping and enjoying her family.

Ms. Erinn, joined in 2022, is thrilled to learn more about the Early Childhood field. She has her B.A. in English from Georgia State University and enjoys cooking and baking in her free time. She also enjoys painting and drawing as well as collecting plants for her beautiful home. Ms. Erinn is also a black belt in Taekwondo and believes that every good ECE teacher has the power to set a child up for success.

Lead Teacher ~ First Steps Joined in 2019, Ms. Keywana is the lead teacher in our amazing First Steps classroom. She is committed to providing each child and family with a loving and developmentally sound foundation for a lifetime of learning. Ms. Keywana has been in the childcare field for over 15 years. She holds a Child Development Associate degree and is also currently working on her Bachelors Degree in Early Childhood Education. Ms. Keywana wants to pursue her education so that she can continue to provide a nurturing, loving environment where children can learn and experience new challenges that will help build their confidence while they play. She looks forward to continuing to have a positive impact on the growth of children in her classroom and to making new discoveries with our amazing team of teachers.

Ms. Morgan, joined in 2022, is an assistant teacher in our Get Set classroom. Ms. Morgan is currently a senior at Fort Valley State University studying Psychology and enjoys volunteering with young children when she is not in school and in the classroom. Sewing is one of her favorite activities and she enjoys making clothes for family and friends. Her sewing skills have allowed her to see the importance of practicing patience and she believes it has helped her be a more successful classroom teacher. Ms. Morgan enjoys working in Early Childhood Education because it allows her to gain the experience needed to help understand the way children think.

Ms. Alexandra joined the Goddard Family in the beginning of the year, 2024. Miss Alex is the oldest of 6 siblings and has been working with kids for 5 years. Miss Alex loves all things beauty and her true passion in life is helping and being their for the people she loves.

Lead Teacher - Preschool 1 After receiving her B.A. in Early Childhood Education, Ms. Nicole worked as both a lead teacher and director prior to joining The Goddard School. Watching the children grow, learn, and explore is at the heart of Ms. Nicole’s purpose for working in early childhood. Outside of making children’s learning experiences enriching and engaging, she enjoys reading and spending time with family and friends.

Joined in 2021 – Miss Alana follows in the footsteps of her mother, Ms. Precious, our Infant 2 lead teacher. Alana floats through classrooms as additional help, but her favorite rooms is the infant and 2 year old rooms. Her love for helping children learn is evident in her positive behavior and willingness to assist wherever needed. In her free time, Alana enjoys caring for her dog, Oreo.

Ms. Tierra joined the Goddard family of November of 2023. She has over 9 years of experience in Early Childhood and has worked with all age groups and has a true passion working with children. She is born and raised from Atlanta GA. When Ms. Tierra isn't working, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends. Ms. Tierra has been a great addition to the Goddard team and we are lucky to have her.

Ms. Jamie joined the Goddard School in 2023, bringing in a wealth of knowledge, and passion with over 36 years of experience in the early childhood education field. Ms. Jamie enjoys singing, reading, and spending time with her family and friends. She loves turning the interest of the children she teaches into a learning experience. Ms. Jamie also enjoys helping students learn in their own, fun way.

Assistant Teacher - Pre-Kindergarten Joined 2015, Miss Elaina is a graduate of Clark Atlanta University with her BA in Art & Advertising Design. She first discovered a draw to work with children through a church-based summer day camp program. She is an Early Childhood Education teacher because she really loves children and feels that a strong foundation in education is important for them all. Her outside interests include studio art, graphic art and world travel.

Mr. Chris joins the Goddard School after 3 incredible years of camp coordinating. In his free time, Mr. Chris loves to draw and plays the piano. Mr. Chris loves working with children, particularly in Arts and Science. He believes every child, no matter their age or background; deserves a dedicated teacher who can adapt to fit their learning style. Mr. Chris strives to be teacher he never really had.

Assistant Teacher ~ Preschool 1 Joined in 2016, With 12 years of preschool work experience, Ms. Erica’s smooth and dependable demeanor provides a sense of comfort and security to the students. She enjoys coming to work each day to play alongside the children and support their growing and learning. In her free time, you’ll find Ms. Erica curled up and reading a book she enjoys. Sharing her love of reading with the kids is a highlight of her day every day!