As Head of School, Anya focuses on strategic planning and partnerships, budget oversight, and ToTH’s longer-term vision and sustainability. She also oversees ToTH educational programs and faculty, and provides support to the parent, student, and staff communities. Throughout her time at ToTH Anya has spearheaded several major initiatives including the Access to Quality Expansion grant and the purchase and renovation of the Potomac Ave. campus location. Anya is passionate about the Montessori approach to education and raising children and she loves connecting with ToTH parents and community partners.

After helping to found ToTH in 2012, Anya served as Executive Director from 2013 until 2016, Director of Finance until 2021, and Head of Finance and Operations from 2022-2025. Anya holds a B.A. in English from Guilford College and an M.A. in Education and Human Development, focused on International Education, from The George Washington University. Anya is currently enrolled in the AMI Administrators Certificate course. She previously served as a public policy professional, specializing in U.S.-Cuba policy, and spent several years working as an International Trade Advisor for the U.S. Senate Finance Committee.

In her spare time, Anya loves spending time with family, whether is building Lego sets, watching old episodes of Seinfeld or traveling around the country in their RV. Anya's children both attended ToTH back in the earliest days of the school.

Ila joined ToTH in 2015. She oversees admissions and enrollment for the school and manages ToTH's participation as a Level II subsidy childcare vouch provider.

As a mother of two young boys and a resident of Navy Yard, Ila has been actively involved in local early childhood programs, including serving on the board of the parent teacher association at her children’s elementary school. She was even an early volunteer in ToTH’s start-up in 2012.

Ila holds a B.A in Art History and Archaeology from Emory University and an M.A. in Art History from the University of Arizona. She previously procured art and managed exhibitions in several museums and galleries in Washington, DC.

In her role as Head of Administration and Family Programs, Stephanie oversees ToTH's family engagement initiatives, including orientation and welcome events, Discovery Night, parent volunteers and ambassadors, social events and monthly parent presentations. Stephanie also manages communications, human resources, and licensing and compliance for the school.

Stephanie served as ToTH's head of school from 2022-2025. After working in higher education at the Corcoran College of Art + Design and the George Washington University, Stephanie became a mom and discovered the Montessori approach and ToTH. She served as a classroom volunteer in 2018 and officially joined the ToTH administrative team in 2019, serving as administrative director and head of administration up until 2022.

Stephanie the Montessori Administrators Certificate in 2022 from the Association Montessori Internationale and a certificate in Montessori leadership from the Whole School Leadership Institute and Loyola University Maryland in 2023. She has a B.A. and M.A. in English Literature from Arizona State University. Stephanie serves on the board of directors for DC Wildflower Public Charter School. She lives in Tucson, AZ with her husband and daughter and works remotely for ToTH.

As a young toddler, Sara’s son, Aniket, seemed to need more stimulus than his nanny alone could provide. Sara looked for a high-quality part-time Montessori program on Capitol Hill, but couldn’t find one. So she decided to build one from scratch.  After finding several like-minded Capitol Hill parents and months of effort, ToTH was born in October 2012. From ToTH’s earliest years, Sara worked to bring a broad and competitive set of employee benefits to ToTH, and, with help from parent volunteers, she built our initial scholarship program. She continues to serve as an active member of the Board. Sara holds a M.B.A. from Insead Business School. She is a former Peace Corps volunteer and specializes in supporting the use of technology in economic development worldwide.

Joy has always been passionate about building community, so when the opportunity arose to help start ToTH for the Capitol Hill community, she rolled up her sleeves. Integral to its launch and licensure by the DC Office of the State Superintendent for Education, Joy continues to support ToTH through her active participation on ToTH’s Board. She also worked to make ToTH the first Montessori preschool in the city to enroll families through OSSE’s voucher program. Joy and her husband moved to Alexandria, Virginia, to serve as Location Pastors for Capital City Church. She has since shared her passion for Montessori with her community by creating Montesshare, an in-home, Spanish bilingual, Montessori preschool.

Javacia has spent nearly twenty years teaching young children in the Washington, DC, area.

She received her Master’s Degree in Montessori Education at Loyola University Maryland and completed her Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology from York College. She received her Association Montessori Internationale Diploma for Primary (3-6 yo) from the MACTE-accredited Washington Montessori Institute and taught in Montessori environments for seven years before joining ToTH in 2018.

In 2021, Javacia completed her Infant/Toddler Montessori teaching certification through the MACTE-accredited Center for Guided Montessori Studies. Javacia also taught at the Smithsonian Early Enrichment Center for five years before joining ToTH. Javacia serves on the board of directors for DC's Wildflower Public Charter School.

Naya joined ToTH in June of 2021 and has worked in all of our classrooms at the Fifth Street campus. Since 2023 she has been a supporting teacher in the Penguin classroom. Naya was born and raised in Washington, DC, before moving to Daytona Beach, Florida. Prior to coming to ToTH Naya worked several childcare settings, including a Montessori Primary classroom.

Naya received her bachelors degree in Social Sciences, with a major in Criminal Justice and minors in Social Work and Psychology, from Bethune-Cookman University. 

Katherin joined ToTH in August 2023. She received her Bachelor’s in Science degree in Psychology from the Pontifica Universidad Javeriana in Colombia. In 2022, Katherin completed her training in Gestalt Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy from the Centro Gestaltico Perú. She has worked in clinical, hospital and rural settings as a psychologist. After reading about the Montessori Method in her coursework, Katherin became interested in working with young children in a Montessori setting. She is currently pursuing an infant/toddler teaching credential from the Center for Guided Montessori Studies. She lives with her husband, who is a Montessori elementary guide in Virginia.

After serving as a lead teacher in the full day toddler and Owl toddler classrooms from 2020-2025, in the fall of 2025 Karen took on leadership of the brand new Nido classroom at ToTH's Potomac Ave. campus.

Karen is a native Spanish speaker and grew up in Mexico. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Development from the Instituto Technologico de Morelia and has more than seven years of experience working with young children prior to coming to ToTH. Karen is currently pursuing her Infant/Toddler Montessori teacher certification at the Center for Guided Montessori Studies.

Karen's priority in working with the very youngest children is to make sure they feel truly seen and treated as whole human beings from the very beginning. Her approach is rooted in respect, patience, and connection. She believes even the smallest moments--offering choices, slowing down transitions, and creating an environment that feels safe and inviting--can empower children to explore with confidence. She strives to follow each child’s unique rhythm while fostering a sense of belonging, curiosity, and joy in their earliest experiences at school. 



Karen is a mom as well and loves raising her own young toddler using a Montessori approach.

Ayshemgul joined ToTH in April 2023 as a toddler teacher and became the lead guide in the Owl classroom in 2025. Ayshemgul holds an early childhood education degree from Xinjiang Normal University in Urumqi, China. After settling in the United States with her family, Ayshemgul earned an early childhood credential from the state of North Carolina and an Infant and Toddler Certificate from the College of Albermarle in Manteo, North Carolina.

Ayshemgul has more than 7 years teaching experience, including 4 years in Montessori toddler and primary classrooms in the District and in North Carolina. She is currently pursuing a Montessori teaching credential at the Infant/Toddler level from the Center for Guided Montessori Studies. She loves Montessori because it embodies respect for the child and love, which are fundamental to fostering a respectful and peaceful environment.

Ayshemgul speaks Uyghur, English, Turkish and Chinese. In her free time she enjoys walking in nature, spending time with her family, and reading.



Imani joined ToTH in October of 2024. She earned her Bachelor of Health Administration degree in Health/Health Care Administration/Management from California State University, Northridge. in 2013 While living in California Imani was a teacher at a childcare center for several years and provided in-home care to twins. She spent over a decade working in the health care field as an operations and HR professional.

After moving to Washington, DC (and close to ToTH) a few years ago with her husband, Imani took some time off to care for her young daughter. She had hopes of returning to the early childhood sector and decided to dip her toes back in the water at ToTH. Currently, Imani supports operations and provides teaching support at the Potomac Ave. campus. 

Victoria joined ToTH in January 2025. She earned her BS in Liberal Studies with a minor in Spanish from Clarion University in 2015. She has also earned an MA in International Education from the Universidad de Alcalá in Madrid. After teaching English abroad in Spain, South Korea, and Italy, Victoria worked for three years at The Montessori School in Soho and most recently at Aidan Montessori in DC.

Victoria is passionate about Montessori education for very young children and hopes to pursue her teaching credential and to one day be a teacher trainer. Currently, Victoria supports operations and provides teaching support at the 5th St. campus.

Sasha joined ToTH in 2018 and is currently the lead guide in the Primary classroom. She received her Early Childhood 3-6 certification from the Center for Guided Montessori Studies in 2022 and has a BA in Human Relations and Early Childhood Education from Trinity Washington University. Sasha is currently pursuing a Master's degree in educational leadership from George Mason University.

Sasha was born in Memphis, TN, and raised in the Bronx in New York City. It was during her time at Trinity that Sasha discovered and researched Maria Montessori’s teaching philosophy and methods, and that experience sparked her desire to do an internship with another local Montessori school where she saw the method in action. She was inspired to become a teacher who not only helps shape the future for the children in her classes, but also one who cares deeply for each child she encounters.

Sasha believes that one of the most important aspects of a Montessori education is that it allows children to freely explore and fulfill their individual needs. She enjoys using observation to learn what every child needs to be successful and learn about the world around them.

In her time away from work, Sasha loves spending quality time with friends, hiking, and international travel.

Gladys joined ToTH in January 2020. She currently teaches in the Primary classroom, providing instruction in both English and Spanish. Gladys was raised in Maryland and Panama and is a fluent Spanish speaker. She earned her associate’s degree in general studies from Montgomery College in 2023. She is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education from Trinity Washington University.

Gladys has been working with children professionally since 2013, and previously spent six years working in a Montessori environment at the White Flint Children’s House. She also worked in a Spanish immersion early childhood classroom, where she pioneered a Spanish program geared towards five- and six-year-olds in order to prepare them for elementary school.

Outside of ToTH, Gladys loves spending time with her two dogs and traveling to see her favorite artists in concert.

Faith joined ToTH in the summer of 2024 is an assistant teacher in the primary classroom. Prior to joining ToTH, Faith worked at Children's House Montessori in Arlington and Sidwell Friends DEAN adventure camp. She attended a Montessori early childhood assistant training workshop in the summer of 2025 at the Montessori Institute of McLean.

Faith earned a bachelor of interdisciplinary studies from West Virginia University in 2019 and then worked as a professional nanny for two years. She is excited to continue her Montessori journey at ToTH and hopes to pursue teacher certification training. Outside of work, Faith loves spending time with her golden retriever and she is passionate about animal rescue.

Cecilia joined ToTH in June of 2021 and currently works as a  supporting teacher in the Primary classroom. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Universidade Paulista and originally hails from the state of São Paulo, Brazil. She has worked as a caregiver for young children since 2013 and as a pandemic pod teacher in the DC area. Cecilia has spent time in each of ToTH’s classrooms, first as our full-time floating teacher, and as an assistant teacher in our part day toddler classroom. She is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in counseling from The Chicago School. In her spare time, she loves to travel and spend time with her family and dog.