Our People

OUR PEOPLE

Carrie Chaloner

Director and Owner

Carrie Chaloner was born and raised in the Cayman Islands and educated in Cayman, Canada and the UK. Although not a teacher, Carrie has three young children and is passionate about Early Years Education as well as protecting our environment. Combining the two felt natural, so she founded Sprogs Garden Playschool, a nurturing place where children are encouraged to be children, as well as young ambassadors of our planet.

Jen Stein

Director

Jen is Caymanian and was educated in Cayman, Canada and the UK. She has a BSc Hons in Medical Microbiology and a Postgraduate degree in Law. Jen was a solicitor in London and moved back to the Cayman Islands in 2009 where she worked in law and the financial services industry for the past 13 years managing large teams and dealing with all aspects of corporate services in Cayman. She left the financial services industry in July 2022 to pursue other interests and has joined the board of directors of Sprogs alongside her sister Carrie. Jen handles many of the financial aspects of Sprogs.
 

Emily Harris

Head of School

Emily comes to us from the United Kingdom and has a background in both the arts and education, with the theatre being her first true love. Emily’s career to date has been dedicated to developing early years excellence and inclusion, evolving her craft as both an educator and leader as well as expanding her professional pedagogy. She wholeheartedly believes in a child-centered play-based approach to teaching and learning.

 Emily studied for her BA Hons in Drama Applied Theatre and Education at The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, University of London. During this time, she was involved in numerous educational projects including writing and performing an educational play and the development and facilitation of coinciding workshops that were delivered both across London schools and at the renowned Edinburgh Fringe Festival.  Soon after finishing her degree, Emily was delighted to have been chosen to undertake her teacher training with the Ark Network where she trained as a teacher primarily within schools with lower socioeconomics and high levels of SEN. Alongside her teacher training, Emily also completed her Postgraduate (PGCE) at Goldsmiths University alongside her teacher training specializing in the early years field.

Throughout her career in the UK, Emily was part of a select committee of  Early Years Educators that worked with the Department of Education (DFE) to rewrite the British National Early Years Curriculum as well as pilot and review its supporting documentation and her role within this was, not only to advocate for Early Years excellence, but to also consider how this is done in practice with a core focus on personal social and emotional development and communication and language development both pre and post-pandemic within the UK education system. Within her roles as an Early Years Lead, Emily took her settings from ‘Good’ to ‘Outstanding’ in Ofsted Inspections and became a Lead across the network supporting schools and training and coaching teachers within the field both across London and the Midlands.

 Emily joined the amazing Sprogs Community in 2022 as SENco and is extremely passionate and dedicated to providing both excellent and inclusive provision and practice within both Sprogs and the Cayman Islands. Thus far, she has enjoyed working closely with professionals within the field, supporting staff professional development and advocating for inclusion across the Cayman Islands.

Emily feels hugely privileged to be taking on the role of Interim Head of School and continuing as SENco from September 2023 and is immensely proud of the incredible team of professionals sheis leading at our amazing and very special Garden Playschool.  A school that provides excellent play-based early education within a nature and nurture-focused environment that puts the individual and holistic needs of each child and family at the very core, all within this beautiful island paradise!

Dayna Scott

Lead Practitioner

As a dedicated toddler lead practitioner, Dayna comes to us from Trinidad and Tobago and has made Grand Cayman her home for the last five years.  Dayna is honored to be a part of the vibrant and nurturing learning community at SPROGS Garden Playschool. With a profound passion for early childhood education and over seven years of experience in the field, Dayna is committed to crafting a secure, engaging, and enriching environment for our toddlers. Dayna holds a certificate in ECCE from Trinidad and Tobago and has also successfully completed the Certificate program for Early Childcare and Family Development at the University of The West Indies here in Grand Cayman. Dayna firmly believes that the foundation laid during these crucial early years profoundly influences each child's future. Dayna is devoted to nurturing children’s development, sparking their curiosity, and celebrating their every milestone. Dayna is enthusiastic about being a part of this remarkable educational journey and eagerly anticipates witnessing our toddlers flourish into self-assured, capable learners.

Nikki Brown

Lead Practitioner

Nicky comes to us from Jamaica and has been living in the Cayman Islands together with her family. She brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the institution and has been a pioneer since its inception in April 2018. Armed with a Bachelor’s Degree in Primary Education and additional certificates in Early Childhood Education, including one from the prestigious Harvard University, which was sponsored by the school, Nicky has over nineteen years’ experience teaching and managing early years centers in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands. These qualifications are a testament to her commitment to quality teaching. What truly sets her apart; however, is her ability to shine in creating a nurturing relationship with students, colleagues and the school community alike. Her knack for fostering a stimulating and engaging learning environment has not only enriched the lives of the young minds she educates but has brought an aura of positivity and enthusiasm to the school community. Nicky has been an integral part of the establishment of our school over the past several years and is appreciated by us and loved by all in our school community – especially the children! Her leadership skills combined with her expertise, positive energy, dedication to the children and outstanding work ethic continues to have an enormously positive influence on our school community.

Kyla Salter

Senior Practitioner

Kyla's fascination with the field of child development and education started in 2016 when she began volunteering with children. This inspired her to pursue a career in childcare and education, working in many schools across the South East of England as one-to-one support for children with special needs. In 2021 she completed her teaching degree at Brighton University where she specialised in Personal, Social and Emotional education. She wrote her dissertation on teaching children about climate change, as she is passionate about environmental activism in schools and outdoor learning. A key part of her practice in Early Years Education is empowering children to develop the emotional and cognitive tools necessary to act as an advocate for the eco-systems and societies of planet Earth. Kyla whole-heartedly believes that this generation of children will have all of the curiosity, courage and independence to lead us into a bright future!