Hello, my name is Melanie Hohleweg and I have been the director of Chocolate Butterflies since July 2011.After receiving my diploma as “Erzieherin“ in 1999 I have been working in different types of child care.
Prior to returning to Germany I lived for 3 years in Australia working as a Kindergarten teacher.
I was able to gain experience by working with children ranging from the age of 6 months to 6 years, both in regular preschool and kindergarten classrooms as well as classrooms inclusive of children with special needs.
Integral Early Childhood Education is important for me. This is a focus on all aspects of life. It is my goal to accompany them during this crucial time of their development, building with them a healthy foundation for both school years and the years beyond.
As director of Chocolate Butterflies, together with my team of teachers, the board and you the parents, I would like to achieve the best for your children.
Hello, my name is Nichelle Luarca. I have been living in Munich since
June 2006 and a member of the Chocolate Butterflies teaching staff
since May 2007. I grew up in Southern California in a bilingual and
biracial family so
I understand the challenges multilingualism and multiculturalism can
pose in a child’s development.I attended the University of California, Irvine and the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid in Madrid, Spain. While in college I received training to work as a behavior interventionist providing instruction to special needs children using the Applied Behavior Analysis technique (ABA). Working with Autistic children taught me that all children have unique needs and require a loving and open environment to learn.
After graduation, I moved to England to work as a teacher’s aide in a first grade class and as a special needs teaching assistant at a secondary school. There I gained important classroom experience while embracing various cultural and educational differences.
I recently continued my education here in Germany by completing a teaching qualification course sponsored by the Stadtjugendamt Muenchen (Munich’s youth welfare office) and Kleinkindertagesstaetten e.V. (Contact point and outreach center for parent initiatives).
I enjoy the unique experience of working at this bilingual kindergarten and it is truly a pleasure to be a part of the Chocolate Butterflies community.
Hello, my name is Julika Czech and I'm from Ulm (Baden-
Württemberg), the city with the highest church steeple in the world. During and after my studies to become a teacher, which I completed in Ulm, I worked in kindergartens and in a day-care center in and around Ulm and Neu-Ulm. There I was able to become familiar with elements of Montessori and Reggio teachings. That was a great enrichment for me.
I worked for 4 years at my previous job where I accompanied a child with Downs Syndrome within the framework of a single integration. During this time I had a variety of significant experiences and worked in close cooperation with the therapists and the parents.
I believe that in my work it is important to teach the children to become independent individuals, to think and act for themselves and to support them in doing so. Children should have the possibility to experience the world with all of their senses.
I am happy have joined the Chocolate Butterflies team in January 2009 and I am looking forward to positive and effective cooperation with the parents, the children and the team.
Hello,
my name is Scott Dougherty. I moved to Munich in July 2010.
Originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, I spent the past 10 years
living in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I hold a Masters degree in
Education with a specialization in Teaching English to Speakers of
Other Languages (TESOL) from the University of Pennsylvania, and a
Bachelors degree in Psychology from Penn State University. I have 2 years experience as a Kindergarten teacher, and 2 years experience teaching English as a Second Language. I have over 4 years experience working in the field of psychiatric social work with children aged 6 to 19. Additionally, I also have worked for over 3 years as a researcher at the University of Pennsylvania, School of Medicine in Mental Health Policy and Addictions Treatment. Academically, language acquisition and early childhood development are of great interest to me.
In my professional life, I have found my years as a Kindergarten teacher to be the most challenging, rewarding and certainly the most fun! I was thrilled when the opportunity to return to the Kindergarten classroom as a teacher with the Chocolate Butterflies was offered. I believe that through the warm, nurturing, predictable, and safe environment we teachers create, our young students can develop a sense of self, a sense of empathy and fair play, and the ability to express themselves.
I am happy to have the opportunity to bring my education and professional experience along with my love of early childhood education to the Chocolate Butterflies Kindergarten.
Hello,
my name is Cherie Slight and I am from New Zealand. I moved to Munich
in August 2011 and became a part of the fantastic Chocolate Butterflies
team.I have been educating and working with young children for the past five years and it is what I am truly passionate about. I graduated with a Bachelor of Education, majoring in Early Childhood education and I have worked throughout the sector in privately owned and community centres, with infants, toddlers and young children.
For the past year I have been working as a Nanny while travelling Europe, in London, Italy and Greece. It has been a fun, fantastic year but I am very excited to return back to the classroom, which is what I enjoy most. My
personal philosophy reflects the importance of respectful interactions that enable children to see themselves as capable and confident learners. This is something I model throughout my teaching practices. I look forward to meeting you here at Chocolate Butterflies!