Park West Staff

One of the reasons Park West is such a special place is our staff. Parents come to have a deep, abiding respect and affection for our staff and the way they care for and respect children and their ideas. We believe that all interactions between and among children and their teachers have an impact on children's intellectual, emotional, social, and moral experience and development. Children need help navigating life in a group. They need the guidance and support of experienced, caring teachers. The emotional support teachers give children is vital to their development.

Jane Nolan Director Now in her 9th year as Director. Jane’s first experience at Park West was as an assisting parent with her two children, Josh and Jenna. During that time Jane served on the Board of Directors as chair of Special Events and President of the Board. Previous to becoming Director, Jane taught at Park West for 11 years. Jane is often a guest lecturer and consultant at local universities and nursery schools. She has been an exhibit advisor for the Chicago Children’s Museum, a candidate observer and evaluator for the Kohl Award for Excellence in Early Childhood Education, a presenter at local and national conferences, and adjunct faculty at University of Illinois, Chicago, Graduate School of Education, lecturing on Piaget and Vygotsky. Jane has a Masters Degree in Early Childhood Education from the University of Illinois, Chicago.
Christine Chen Teacher Chris began her career at Park West in 1999 as a JK and 3AM assistant after graduating from the University of Illinois at Chicago with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education. This is her ninth year teaching the 2AM, 3AM, and 3PM classes. She is thrilled to be working with Ali Jennings again this year. Chris presented at the National Association of Early Childhood Education’s annual conference in 2006.
Joseph DiFiore Teacher Joseph has worked at Park West since 1985, with all the various groups and with many co-teacher combinations. His daughter Katie also attended Park West. Joseph has a Masters degree in Early Childhood Education from the University of Illinois, Chicago.
Ali Jennings Teacher This is Ali’s fifth year at Park West and she is enjoying teaching with Chris again! She has a B.A. in Women’s Gender Studies from DePaul and is finishing her Master’s degree in Early Childhood education at UIC.
Melinda Polus Teacher Melinda Polus has been at Park West since 1979. Her previous teaching experience includes Lincoln Park Cooperative Nursery School and play production at The After School Center. Melinda attended the Goodman School of Drama at the Art Institute.
Heidi Ratanavanich Administrative Assistant Heidi is returning to Park West and is ready to shine in the office again! She studied art and art history at DePaul University. In her spare time she enjoys organized sports, crafting, juggling and various sorts of maps.
Nada Riley Parent Toddler Co-Facilitator/Office Support Nada Riley has been involved with the Parent Toddler Program for the past 20 years. She has worked Camp Sunshine and has been a substitute teacher for many years. Nada's daughter Kim attended Park West. Nada is currently the Director of The After School Center.
Kerstin Schmidt Teacher Kerstin has been teaching at Park West for 10 years. She has a Master’s degree in Human Development with Early Childhood specialization from Pacific Oaks College in Pasadena, California. Other teaching experiences include the University of Chicago Lab Schools, Cottage Cooperative Nursery School in Pasadena, California, and Teacher/Director of Families Together Cooperative Nursery School on the north side of Chicago. Kerstin has presented on a couple of different topics at recent CAEYC and NAEYC conferences and teaches a class one evening a week as adjunct faculty in Columbia College’s early childhood department.
Amanda Speck Parent Toddler Co-Facilitator/JK Assistant Amanda is back for her second year as the JK-1 assist with Joseph and Melinda. With additional time being spent this year as NAEYC staff support, she will be spending time in many of the other classes as well. Outside the Park West World, Amanda has begun pursuing an M.A. in Women's & Gender Studies at DePaul University.
Anita Speck Teacher Anita has enjoyed being part of Park West since DePaul’s ECE program brought her here in 1983 as a student teacher. She’s taught a variety of classes, most recently the 4AM and JK with Kerstin. She is looking forward to Sarah joining their team for JK. Anita has presented at NAEYC and CAEYC.
Byl Adam  Parent Toddler Co-Facilitator Byl is very excited to be starting another year with the Parent-Toddler program. He previously worked with young kids as a Peace Corps volunteer in the village of Kajapati in Suriname, South America. He is currently pursuing his Master’s in Early Childhood Education at UIC.