Meet our TLE® Center team

Joanna Siegel
Center Director
Favorite TLE® Character:
Sonar
My journey in early childhood education started almost 20 years ago when I made a drastic career change from working in the film industry in Los Angeles to becoming a 2 year old teacher in a small preschool in Pacific Palisades, California...and I have never looked back. After 5 years of being a teacher, I became the Director and have since run 3 different schools in California. When a possibility of moving to Illinois became a reality last year, I was thrilled to find a home at TLE Lake Zurich. I am excited at the growth of our center, and with every new family joined and new teacher hired, we are continuing to create an environment that instills a lifelong love of learning in all children, and a home away from home for our families. My move from California was a big adjustment, but what I have found in life is that home really is where the heart is, and my heart is right here at TLE.

Leanne Panik
Education Director
Favorite TLE® Character:
Lionstein
I have very happily been working with children for over 9 years now. After graduating from UW Whitewater with a Bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science, I started working with young children and came to the realization that this was where my true passion was. After moving to Illinois in early 2019 I began working as Toddler teacher at TLE Lake Zurich, which I loved, but after being given the opportunity to become Education Director I jumped at the chance. On the weekends you can find me at the gym working out alongside my husband, and preparing our new home for the arrival of our baby!

Michelle Aparicio
Business Manager
Favorite TLE® Character:
Miss Chievous
Before coming to The Learning Experience, I worked in the child welfare system for 14 years where I worked with newborns all the way up to twenty-years old. Working in the child welfare system gave me a wide variety of experiences that I am now able to apply to my current position here at TLE Lake Zurich. It is my goal each and every day, to make sure our families feel at home and our children are safe while they are laughing, learning and playing. When I’m not at TLE you can find me at home, having fun playing with my four-year old daughter.

Talia Barrientos
Infant B Teacher
Favorite TLE® Character:
Miss Chievous
Talia has been on our team since October 2021. Her calm and patient demeanor makes her the perfect Infant teacher. She strives to create a fun learning environment for her class and enjoys watching our littlest ones grow. Talia loves to travel and has been to 38 of our states, and has also been to Ireland, Japan and Argentina to name a few. We are happy that when she is stateside, she spends her days with us.

Anthony Skillen
Preschool 2 Teacher
Anthony is the newest member of our team and we are very lucky to have him! He has his BA from Loyola University Chicago and his CDA credential for Preschool age. He loves all sports, almost as much as he loves everything Disney. As a Preschool 2 teacher, his main focus is to get his class ready for the big K.

Harriet Nassaazi
Infant A Teacher
Favorite TLE® Character:
Bubbles
Harriet came to us from Dubai where she worked as an assistant teacher and early learning tutor using the British curriculum. She is has become a wonderful, patient and caring Infant room teacher and we are very grateful to have her on our team.

Jessie Grimaldi
Infant A Teacher
Favorite TLE® Character:
Bubbles
Jessie has been with us since we first opened in 2018. She has been in this field for 17 years and her experience is evident every day. She is an incredible teacher, we call her "The Baby Whisperer". When she's not here at the center you can find her at home being an equally fantastic mom to her two sons.

Marlene Paz
Infant A Teacher
Favorite TLE® Character:
Penny Polite
Marlene came to us through a referral from one of our families who gave us glowing reports on her interactions with their children. So it was really no surprise to discover that Marlene is an excellent and intuitive teacher and we are lucky to have her at our center.

Zyla Waters
Toddler A Teacher
Favorite TLE® Character:
Miss Chievous
In the short time Zyla has been at our center she has not only maintained a college class schedule that has resulted in her becoming Teacher qualified, but she has also received the highest accolade that a teacher can have at our center - Teacher of the Year 2021! Her goal as a teacher is to build strong relationships with every child, and we can happily say that she has accomplished that goal.

Lissette Jaimes
Toddler A Teacher
Favorite TLE® Character:
Miss Chievous
Lissette's positive and flexible attitude make her a huge asset to our center. She has proven to be a great Infant, Preschool and 2 Year old teacher, but her heart lies with our Toddlers. Her goal as a Toddler teacher is to build strong relationships with each child, and we see her doing that every day. She spends her time away from the center reading books and drawing.

Ana Gonzalez
Preppers Teacher
Favorite TLE® Character:
Grace Charity
Ana joined our team in February of 2020. She attends school while working at our center full time. When she's not at work or school, she spends her time listening to music and going for long walks. Her goal at the center is to teach her Preppers class something new every day.

Susee Gaub
Toddler Teacher
Favorite TLE® Character:
Miss Chievous
Susee has been teaching for 30+ years and loves what she does. She has a collection of puppets that she brings in to the classroom for circle time and children of all ages love seeing their favorite stories come to life through Susee and her puppets!

Jacquelynn Timmons
Floater Teacher
Favorite TLE® Character:
Grace Charity
Jacqui started with us in October 2021, but her years of experience in this field go way beyond that. She has her degree in Early Childhood Education and puts her years of experience and education to good use in every classroom at our center. We are very lucky to have her!

Deborah Dombrowski
Twaddler Teacher
Favorite TLE® Character:
Grace Charity
Ms. Deb, or Ms. D as she prefers to be called, brings many years of experience and equal amounts of passion and energy to her Twaddler classroom. She is an "out of the box" thinker and uses her creative mind to bring the classroom curriculum to life

Kelly Whitney
Infant B Teacher
Favorite TLE® Character:
Flexi Flamingo
When Kelly started at our center in March of 2019 she was a Toddler teacher, and since has worked with 2 year olds and now our Infants. She brings laughter, vitality and fun to every classroom she is in. When she's not at the center, you will find her spending time with her beloved family and friends.

Allie Farrar
Preppers Teacher
Favorite TLE® Character:
Flexi Flamingo
Allie has been working at our center since September 2019. She started out as Preppers teacher and after a few years with working with our Infants, she is back with our Preppers again! During her time away from TLE she likes to spend time with her sweet pup Belle.

Sammi Kaltenbach
Preppers Teacher
Favorite TLE® Character:
Miss Chievous
Sammy joined our center in September 2021 and quickly became an integral part of our Lake Zurich family. She attends the College of Lake County part-time and is still deciding on her major. She spends her spare time writing, baking and watching Netflix. Her every day goal while at the center is to form strong relationships with the children while engaging in fun activities.

Isabel Perez-Garcia
Preschool 2 Teacher
Favorite TLE® Character:
Bubbles
Isabel started with us in November of 2019 as an Infant teacher. Since then she has worked with Toddlers, Twaddlers, Preppers and finally landed with our Preschool 2 class! She also became a Mom and her daughter is in our Toddler class. Isabel juggles her role of Mother and teacher perfectly, giving her a unique perspective that makes her one of our very best.

Abbie Kaminski
Preschool 1 Teacher
Favorite TLE® Character:
Flexi Flamingo
Abbie comes to us with a degree in Human Development and Family Science from Northern Illinois University and multiple years of experience working with children ages 2 - 5 years. On the weekends you will find her spending time with family and friends and hitting the golf course with her boyfriend.

Kathy Bouffard
Preschool 1 Teacher
Favorite TLE® Character:
Phoebe Phonics
Kathy has been working in this field for almost 30 years and we are so very lucky to have her. Her goal every day is to help the children build self confidence and independence, make them feel safe and loved and get them ready for their next class, and she accomplishes that goal EVERY day! Kathy loves to travel and spends time outdoors in nature whenever possible.

Shannon Martin
Preschool 3 Teacher
Favorite TLE® Character:
Penny Polite
Shannon has worked in Early Childhood for over 10 years! She loves being an advocate for teaching young minds and watching the children grow and develop each day. We are so happy to have Shannon on our team and love her motto " Teamwork makes the dreamwork!"

Denise Sokolowski
Floater Teacher
Favorite TLE® Character:
Flexi Flamingo
Denise comes to us with over 40 years of experience in the Early Childhood field working with children of all ages. She is also a Certified Nurses Assistant as well as being grandma to her 15 year old grandson, which all adds up to her being a wonderful addition to our center.