Meet our TLE® Center team
Susan McHugh & Paul Mezzullo
Owners
Favorite TLE® Character:
Bubbles
Susan McHugh and Paul Mezzullo brother and sister, are the original proud owners of The Learning Experience in Northport, a family owned school established January 2010. Paul has a Master’s Degree in Computer Science and is a Principal Programmer Analyst for the State of New York, in addition to running the Business Portion of the center. Susan has a Master’s Degree in Education and a Master’s Degree in Library Science. This allowed for a 20+ year career in public education. Their combined educational studies, professional experience and understanding of childcare make them a terrific team. In the 11 years, since the school has been open, Paul and Susan have received numerous awards, including The Center of Excellence, Community Service Achievement as well as the Presidential Circle Award. Paul and Susan are excited to see what the next 10 years bring to their school!
Dawn Willie
Regional Director
Favorite TLE® Character:
Flexi Flamingo
I am thrilled to be the director of TLE Northport from when the school opened in January 2010 and I just as excited to open our 2nd location in Centereach! I feel so fortunate in my life to be able to work with young children and their families. The time I spend with the children is the best part of my days at TLE. In the past years, I have been able to see children who started as infants graduate, go to kindergarten, and come back to visit us with siblings. It has been an amazing journey with the children in the center. I find it a blessing and a privilege to spend my days with these children. I hold a bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education and a master’s degree in School Counseling and Administration.
Stacey Guardado
Director
Favorite TLE® Character:
Bubbles
My name is Stacey Guardado and I love being the Director at TLE! I have a Bachelor's Degree in History, a Master's Degree in Education, as well as a CDA. The families make me feel at home and the children are most rewarding. I love sitting in with the Toddlers to read a book or being invited to a Preschool dance party. On a personal note, I was lucky enough to have my daughter attend Preschool at TLE and watch her graduate last year. She loves coming here for Aftercare; it is like her second home! There is nothing about my job that is boring and I would not change it for the world!
Alexandra Chang-Luft
Assistant Director
Favorite TLE® Character:
Penny Polite
My name is Allie Chang-Luft and I am so excited to be a part of the Administration Team at TLE! I have both a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in Psychology. I have always loved working with children, and the families at TLE certainly make me feel as if I’m a part of their own family. I became an Assistant Teacher in the Preschool 1A classroom and I love to go visit the children in there for a Preschool dance party! I also love reading books with the Toddlers and feeding our Infants. It has been such a pleasure to watch the all the children grow and graduate from TLE!
Ms. Odeida
Assistant Teacher
Favorite TLE® Character:
Bubbles
Ms. Odeida has been working with us since May 2019! She holds a Bachelor's Degree from St. John's University, and she loves to have fun with the children and teaching them the basics.
Ms. Patricia
Infant Assistant Teacher
Favorite TLE® Character:
Hop Bop Baby Taps
Ms. Patricia works in our Infant program and loves to be around children of all ages! She loves to keep children happy by dancing and laughing while providing a safe environment for everyone!
Ms. Krista
Infant Teacher
Favorite TLE® Character:
Phoebe Phonics
Ms. Krista is one of our Infant teachers and has been with us since 2020! She loves to read with the infants, create artwork, and have a dance party with them!
Ms. Georgina
Infant Teacher
Favorite TLE® Character:
Penny Polite
Ms. Georgina has been caring for Infants for over 15 years. She has earned her CDA with specialization in Infant and Toddler care. Georgina is always taking classes to update her early childhood skills and learn new ways to guide her in caring for our babies. Georgina likes to focus on the children reaching their developmental milestones while making sure they are happy and well cared for.
Ms. Danielle
Infant Assistant Teacher
Favorite TLE® Character:
Penny Polite
Ms. Danielle has been caring for children for over 15 years, and has been with us since 2017! She loves to create cute art pieces with the infants, as well as help them develop their motor skills and independence.
Ms. Carolina
Toddler Teacher
Favorite TLE® Character:
Grace Charity
Ms. Carolina comes to our school after living in California. Her easy going way of life is so refreshing for our Toddlers. She has been our Toddler teacher since 2018 and loves this age group!
Ms. Traci
Twaddler Teacher
Favorite TLE® Character:
Phoebe Phonics
Ms. Traci is one of our two-year-old teachers and joined our family in 2016! She loves to read with the children as well as doing art projects with them!
Ms. Julia
Twaddler Assistant Teacher
Favorite TLE® Character:
Penny Polite
Ms. Julia has been a part of our family since 2021 and works in our two-year-old program, although she has worked with children of all ages! She loves to get creative with the artwork the children make!
Ms. Stacey
Prepper Teacher
Favorite TLE® Character:
Miss Chievous
Ms. Stacey has been a part of our family since 2019 and is one of our two-year-old teachers! She loves to read stories with the children, as well as getting them up and moving with a dance party!
Ms. Linda N.
Preschool Assistant Teacher
Favorite TLE® Character:
Lionstein
Ms. Linda has been with our family since 2014! She has worked with children of all ages, and loves to read and color with the kids!
Ms. Linda C
Preschool Assistant Teacher
Favorite TLE® Character:
Grace Charity
Ms. Linda has been a part of our family since 2022! She works in our three-year-old program and loves to keep the children engaged by conducting science experiments. She is always laughing and having fun with the kids!
Ms. Sam
Preschool Teacher
Favorite TLE® Character:
Two Plus Toucan
Ms. Sam is one of our Preschool teachers in the three-year-old program and has been a part of our family since 2022! She loves to read and do yoga with the kids, as well as celebrate their growth!
Ms. Rachel
Preschool Teacher
Favorite TLE® Character:
Two Plus Toucan
Ms. Rachel is one of our Preschool teachers that works with our four-year-olds! She loves to challenge her class's thinking by creating new math activities for them!
Ms. Maryann
Preschool Assistant Teacher
Favorite TLE® Character:
Phoebe Phonics
Ms. Maryann has been with our school since we opened in 2010! She has worked with all of our four year old classes as the assistant teacher and is responsible for the beautiful artwork you see in our windows when you pull into our school. Ms. Maryann is a big part of helping us put our graduation celebration together each year!
Ms. Kim
Preschool Teacher
Favorite TLE® Character:
Flexi Flamingo
Ms. Kim has been a part of our family since September 2021 has a degree in Early Childcare Education. She works with our four-year-olds and loves to help the children reach their full potential while having fun in the process!
Ms. Jenn
Preschool Assistant Teacher
Favorite TLE® Character:
Flexi Flamingo
Ms. Jenn has been a part of our family since 2019! She has worked with children of all ages, and is an assistant teacher in our four-year-old program. She loves to have dance parties with the children, no matter what age!
Ms. Alyssa
Preschool Assistant Teacher
Favorite TLE® Character:
Phoebe Phonics
Ms. Alyssa has been a part of our family since 2022! She is an assistant in our three-year-old program, but has worked with children of all ages! Ms. Alyssa loves to color with the kids and makes sure everyone is having a good time!
Ms. Olga
UPK Assistant Teacher/Aftercare
Favorite TLE® Character:
Grace Charity
Ms. Olga works with our four-year-olds in our UPK program and also works with our Aftercare children! She has joined our family in 2021 and loves to create artwork with the children while teaching them something new each day!
Ms. Caren
UPK Teacher
Favorite TLE® Character:
Bubbles
Ms. Caren joined our family in 2013 after being a Director of a preschool in NYC, now she's our UPK teacher! She has been caring for children for over 20 years! Ms. Caren loves to sing, dance, and create artwork with the kids!
Ms. Lexi
Assistant Teacher
Favorite TLE® Character:
Phoebe Phonics
Ms. Lexi joined our family in 2022 and has been caring for our toddlers ever since! She loves to sit and read with the children as well as dance and be silly with them!
Ms. Jackie
Assistant Teacher
Favorite TLE® Character:
Lionstein
Ms. Jackie comes to us from Tennessee and has been with us since 2022! She works with children of all ages, and loves to help children become excited to learn new things!
Ms. Alana
Assistant Teacher
Favorite TLE® Character:
Pablo Pigasso
Ms. Alana has worked with children of all ages and has been a part of our family since 2019! She loves art and theatre, so she loves to engage in dramatic play with the children!
Ms. Nancy
Assistant Teacher
Favorite TLE® Character:
Penny Polite
Ms. Nancy has been a part of our school since 2017, and has worked with children of all ages. She loves to have conversations with our preschoolers to learn about their day, as well as sing and dance with our toddlers and keep everyone smiling!