My name is Marissa Van Heest, and I will be teaching one of the Monday/Wednesday/Friday 3 year-old classes at Grow Preschool. I have been an educator for twelve years, and I have had the privilege of teaching in a variety of different capacities over my career thus far. I graduated from Drexel University in Philadelphia with a BS in Early Childhood Education, Magna Cum Laude, in 2013. I went on to earn my Masters Degree in Special Education, with a concentration in Autism Spectrum Disorders, while working as a nutrition educator at Drexel University’s PA SNAP-Ed/Eat Right Philly program. In this role, I provided interactive nutrition lessons and programs at schools (K-12) designed to educate students and families, and support schools and communities in creating healthier environments, and improve access to healthier choices.
In 2017, my husband and I moved to Alexandria, Virginia where I was hired as a sixth grade math and science teacher at a local Catholic school. In late 2018, we welcomed our first son, Otto, and by spring of 2019, we made the move to Apex to be closer to family. We knew that we wanted to expand our family, so I took a remote job teaching ESL to students in China. In June of 2020, our twins, Ethan and Lucas, were born. Most recently, for the past year and a half, I have been working as an assistant at Grow Preschool, and I could not be happier to be a part of such a wonderful community!
I am so looking forward to teaching your children this year, and watching them grow socially, emotionally and academically!
