Joyful Journey
Preschool
Our Teachers
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Parent Testimony
Christy Parfet - Started December 2023
Lead Preschool teacher AM/PM
Dana Moritz - Started August 2024
Assistant Teacher AM Pre-K
Dana was born in Colorado but has spent the past 20 years in North Carolina. She attended Mesa State College majoring in Elementary Education and minoring in Psychology. She has her MA from Colorado University Boulder in instruction and curriculum. Dana has spent the last 30 years teaching all grades levels (except 4th grade) with most of her time in kindergarten. She married her high school sweetheart and is glad to be back in Grand Junction to be close to family. Dana loves teaching young children, hiking with her 3 dogs and spending time with family. We are so happy she joined our JJP family!
Credentials/Certifications
Christy was born and raised in Grand Junction. She received a bachelor degree in Theology and a masters in divinity. She started her early childhood career in 2017 and has worked with infants as young as six weeks to six years old in various religious preschool settings. She has played the violin since she was three and a half and now works with kids that age! It has been an incredible blessing and she has traveled many places due to music. Christy also teaches water aerobics and swim lessons (both individual and group) at Fruita Community Center in the evenings. She also loves traveling and geocaching. She is an avid Avalanche fan and an occasional Broncos and Nuggets fan. She loves cats and has volunteered in several non-profits as well as fostered kittens. Her cats are Zazzles, Zazu, and Zulu.
Lucie began her love of early childhood education at just 15 years old while she volunteered at a local preschool. Since being part of the JJP family she has expanded her education in ECE going back to school to obtain her lead teacher qualifications. Her passion includes helping children learn and grow, supporting their mental health needs, and exploring social and emotional skill building techniques through enrichment lessons. Lucie enjoys spending time with her two teenage kids. They love taking each of their own dogs, Norah, Mable, and Reggie to the dog park. She enjoys going for walks and spending time in the mountains. Lucie and her kids enjoy watching movies together, coloring and doing arts and crafts.
Wendy Kiesow - has been with JJP since day one 2005!
Preschool Director/Lead PreK Teacher
Wendy is a Colorado native, originally born in Collbran, CO. She is a Mesa State College graduate. There she earned an A.A.S degree in Early Childhood Education. Wendy lived in California for 15 years where she had experience as a Preschool Director and a Pre-K Teacher. Here in Grand Junction Wendy has worked at local preschools and ran a home daycare program. She has been with Joyful Journey Preschool since it started in 2005. In her free time Wendy enjoys being with family and friends, likes to crochet, work in her garden and refinish furniture. She was born to be a teacher! She enjoys sharing the love of God with children and truly loves the families of JJP and her co-workers.
Ali Gross -started July of 2019
Preschool Assistant Director / Lead TK Teacher
Ali has been an Early-Childhood Education teacher for over 20 years. Along with teaching she loves being a mentor, helping new and seasoned staff with curriculum, classroom management, and any concerns they have about their students. Ali was born and raised in Palisade, CO. She moved to Denver after college but after being away for 18 years, she decided it was time to move back to Grand Junction. Early-Childhood Education is her passion. She looks forward to fostering children's natural ability to grow, learn and explore the world around them. Ali and her husband like to cook together and watch sports. Their daughter attends CSU in Fort Collins studying English Ed to eventually become a Middle School English teacher. Ali loves all the outdoor recreation that Grand Junction has to offer! She is a HUGE Broncos fan, so you'll be seeing a lot of blue and orange in her classroom.
Lindy Bryan - started July of 2019
Lead Enrichment Teacher AM
Lindy graduated from Grand Junction High School and went on to Mesa State College where she received her bachelor's degree in psychology, associate degree in early childhood education, and a Minor in Dance. She taught at the Montessori Preschool of Grand Junction for 14 years. During her time at Montessori, she learned how to help young children grow socially and emotionally through playing and how to encourage children to interact positively with one another. She is happily married and has two wonderful adult daughters. Her oldest daughter works at Community as a lab technician and her youngest is going to Online College for Sustainable Business Management. Her youngest (Ms. Erica) also works with her as the assistant teacher! Lindy and her family enjoy hiking, bike riding, and family vacations and dancing together.
Lucie Strippel - started August of 2021
TK Assistant Teacher / Afternoon STEM & Skill-building program
Our oldest daughter started at Joyful Journey Preschool (JJP) in 2012 when she was 3 years old. She is our first child so finding the right school was so important and was hard. We wanted a preschool not a daycare, we wanted it to be faith based, and we wanted to feel comfortable. We looked at over 12 schools and when we walked into JJP we instantly knew it was the best choice. We felt at peace and welcomed. The most important thing for me was I felt the presence of God!
The teachers are genuine and you can tell they love what they do; we feel so blessed that our children are taught and cared for by some of the most wonderful individuals! The school is always clean, safe, organized and decorated with the current weekly projects. I feel very comfortable talking to any of the teachers about anything that comes to mind, and they are attentive to our feedback as well. I’m so thankful for the love and knowledge they have shared with my kids.
CPR and First Aid Trained
Lead Teacher qualified
Medical Administration
Universal Precautions
Licensed by the State of Colorado
Erica was born in Grand Junction. She is currently taking online college classes to earn a degree in Sustainable Business Management. Teaching has been a passion of hers for years! She has taught dance classes at a dance studio here in the Valley. Outside of teaching she loves being outdoors, writing, traveling to the ocean and dancing! She is looking forward to spending more time with her wonderful students and helping them grow and flourish.
Erica Bryan - started April 2023
Assistant Preschool Teacher AM/PM