Teachers

Our teachers love working at Rainbow as much as our kids love coming here. Rainbow's small size, low student-teacher ratio, and loving environment allow staff members to integrate their own strengths and interests while supporting our established curriculum. Children enjoy the benefit of being assigned to a small group according to age and development, while bonding and interacting with all teachers during daily activities. We are proud that many of our teachers have been with us for years.

Karen Peterson, Director

Karen brings enthusiasm, creativity, and a total of 24 years of professional child care experience to her role as Rainbow's director. She has been at the Center for 19 years, and has served as director for the past 11 years. She loves helping children to develop and discover their world. In addition to serving as director, she is a teacher for the oldest group, and thrives on capturing the kids' interests while working on skills including science, art, and kindergarten readiness.

There are many special things about Rainbow that keep her here, including the space, the abundance of equipment, the freedom to teach based on the group's interest, and the mixed ages format that allows for younger and older kids to learn from each other. Whether leading her group or working with the all the kids on a holiday program or a rainy-day activity, Karen keeps things running smoothly and helps continually evolve a curriculum that has been refined over the past two decades.

When not at Rainbow, Karen enjoys skiing (fast), hiking (everywhere), fishing (endlessly), and canoeing (lazily), all with her family. She also does mosaic glass work, beading, sewing, and volunteer work through her church. Karen has a 16-year-old son at Peak to Peak High School, and a one-year-old son.

Cheney Clounch, Teacher/Office Manager

Cheney has been with Rainbow for a total of 14 years, not including a six-year hiatus spent farming on the western front. Lucky for us, he returned eight years ago, and has been a fixture at Rainbow ever since. As office manager and fill-in teacher, Cheney brings a special mix of organization and pure silliness to our days. Always creative and artistic, Cheney spent time studying art in college, and now enjoys coming up with inventive and surprising activities such as filling the swimming pool in the middle of winter and going for a dip (of course, the pool is in the art room!). Among his favorite things about Rainbow are the many opportunities to learn from the kids, and the freedom that both teachers and students have to explore their world. First to arrive every morning, Cheney opens the school at seven a.m. and holds court over a "breakfast club" with the early birds.

In his spare time, Cheney enjoys working on his small farm and caring for his six horses, two dogs, two goats, three kittens, six ducks, two cockatiels, and a bunny named Trixie. Rainbow's official cowboy, Cheney also loves riding in rodeos!

Sarah Johnston, Assistant Director

Working with kids has always been Sarah's passion. She started working at Rainbow in 2004. In addition to serving as assistant director, Sarah is currently the teacher for our youngest group of 2 ½ -3 year-olds. Now in the process of getting her director certification, Sarah has been working with kids for over 13 years, including time spent as a nanny and working at a toddler center. She finds kids inspiring and energizing, and especially enjoys helping them discover their world and themselves. Her favorite activities involve getting creative and messy - whether baking with the kids, leading trips to the park, or working on art projects - and she frequently incorporates crafts and sensory skills into her lesson plans. At Rainbow, Sarah loves the good communication, sense of community among teachers and families, and most of all, the positive, happy energy throughout the Center.

When she's not working with kids or taking classes towards her certification, Sarah enjoys hiking, biking, creative projects, cooking, and reading.

Jessica Pezley, Teacher

Jessica has been working at Rainbow since August 2008. She graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder with a double major in political science and history and previously served as a teacher/mentor for incoming high school freshmen. She loves doing art projects with the kids and enjoys being surrounded by their creative energy. Her favorite thing about working with children is getting to hear all the silly and quirky things they say! At Rainbow, she enjoys the happy, playful, and loving atmosphere. When she's not hard at work teaching, Jessica enjoys being outdoors playing sports, hiking, or biking, as well as playing with her dog Kosmo. Other interests include singing loudly (and rather off-key), traveling, reading, and watching movies. Jessica's family has always placed an emphasis on early learning, and her goal as a teacher is to pass on her love of learning to the children she works with. She's always looking for creative ways to teach kids new topics and life skills, and enjoys learning from them in return. According to Jessica, "Working here, it's impossible to have a bad day!"

Catherine Cruz, Teacher

Catherine has been working at Rainbow since June 2009. She graduated from Brooklyn College with a degree in children’s issues. She worked with children as a gymnastic coach and rock climbing instructor for seven years prior to joining the team at Rainbow. Born and raised in New York City, Catherine traded the big city lights for Boulder’s more relaxing way of life and loves hiking through Colorado’s beautiful landscape with her dog, Bambi. In her spare time, Catherine loves black and white photography and can often be seen at Rainbow with a camera in hand. Catherine also loves leading the children in motor activities such as gymnastics, stretching, and dance. She also has a background in performance arts and enjoys playing theatre games with the kids and facilitating the the unique ideas they come up with. Catherine has found her true passion in teaching, and her favorite thing about working with children is that they encourage her to always be the best person she can be.

Brittany Sanelli, Teacher

Brittany joined the Rainbow team in July 2010, but has been working with children for over a decade. Over the past ten years she has worked with children of every age group, ranging from toddlers to high schoolers, but especially enjoys teaching preschool kids. Brittany graduated from Naropa University in May 2009 with a major in contemplative psychology. She was born and raised in Colorado -- and it shows! She loves to dance, hike, camp, do puzzles, run, and swim in the reservoir. She loves teaching children new things about the world, especially through art and yoga. Brittany also enjoys providing kids with the raw materials to let their creativity flourish. Her favorite thing about children is their outlook on life, and she constantly encourages children to express their own unique perceptions of the world. If a child wants to paint the moon as a purple square, Brittany will be on hand with encouragement and a jar of purple paint!

Natalie Polenychko, Substitute Teacher

Natalie has been at Rainbow since May, 2007. Her lesson plans reflect her high energy and thoughtful demeanor. She loves any activity that leads to song and laughter, as well as the excitement in every day spent working with kids. She especially enjoys the community found at Rainbow - the team of teachers and the sense of caring that drives everything we do. She loves biking and exploring - and of course, working with children! Aside from being a teacher, Natalie is an artist and writer, and has written an inspirational book for both children and adults.