Anne Donoghue is starting her sixth year of teaching the 5 Morning & 4 Afternoon Pre-K  Purple Room classes with Eileen Halperin.  Before her return to Cherry in 2004, Anne taught at a wonderful co-op nursery school in Michigan for 7 years. Going way back, she and Eileen taught together in the Orange Room at Cherry for several years as well as at another nursery school in Evanston. Anne was also part of Cherry Preschool’s founding staff.  Anne and her husband have three adult children: Ellen, Mary, and John.  Anne has also served as a teacher representative on the Cherry Preschool Board.

Emily Erikson is starting her second year on the staff as an inclusion aide in the 5 Morning Pre-K Purple Room.  Emily has worked as a summer camp teacher and teacher aide at School for Little Children.  She also worked at Pope John XXIII School in the after school program.  Emily is the parent of two young children, a boy entering first grade and a two year old girl. 

Eileen Halperin teaches the 5 Morning & 4 Afternoon Pre-K classes in the Purple Room.  She has served on the Cherry Preschool Board and was part of the original founding staff.  She and her teaching partner, Ann Donoghue, are an effective teaching team.  Prior to teaching at the preschool level, Eileen taught art in elementary and high school in New York State.  Her interest in the Reggio Emilia approach influences her teaching style.  Also her personal love of art, cooking, and gardening is reflected in the curriculum.  She is responsible for the hands project that decorates our front hall and the bas-relief installed across from the office.  Together with Anne Donoghue, she has created the spring flower class project that blooms in front of Cherry Preschool.  Eileen is the parent of three adult children.

Sunita Jain begins her seventh year on the Cherry staff as an aide, working as part of the 5 Morning & 4 Afternoon Pre-K  Purple Room team.  In past years, Sunita also worked in the M/W Transition Rose Room.  Sunita is from India where she taught school for 11 years.  She also holds a Master’s Degree in Sociology and has taken classes in child development.  Sunita is very interested in working with children with special needs.  She is the mother of two boys attending Evanston schools.