4s Teachers

4-Year-Old Teachers

Goals for our four-year-old classes include

-Comfort With Classroom Structure And Routine

-Handwriting Skill Through Fine Motor Development

-Building Independence

-Recognition of Letters & Letter Sounds

Jennifer Leonard

Young 4s Lead Teacher

Jennifer grew up in Livonia, Michigan and attended Western Michigan University where she graduated with a degree in Occupational Therapy. Jennifer worked as a pediatric OT in inpatient and outpatient settings for over ten years in Muncie, Indiana and Charlotte, North Carolina. In 2004, Jennifer began teaching in the 2s class at GFCC, a position she held until 2014. Following this, Jennifer worked for the Town of Cary as a Preschool Instructor with a focus in math, science and kindergarten readiness. Jennifer has been married to her husband, Jim, for 24 years and they live in Cary. Their children, Cameron (23) and Cooper (21) both attended GFCC. They now attend Penn State University and Mount St. Mary's University respectively, and they both play Division I sports (ice hockey and lacrosse). When she has the time, Jennifer enjoys traveling, reading, and walking her dog, Piper.

Lisa Williams

Lead Teacher M-F 4s

Lisa moved to Cary with her wonderful husband Brian in 1991, who started his commercial construction business in 1995. She received an AA from Wake Tech in Business Administration with the intent of working in the business community, but after her children were born, she realized she wanted to be on their schedule. Lisa began teaching when her children were in preschool and knew it was where she wanted to be. Lisa taught preschool at Christ the King Lutheran Church in Cary for 16 years. After a year hiatus, she began working in the preschool program at SAS where she stayed for 4.5 years before leaving in order to care for her elderly mother. In the summer of 2021, the opportunity arose to teach again at GFCC and Lisa knew the timing was perfect. She is excited to be among the smiles and energy that 4 year olds bring to school every day! Lisa and her husband Brian have been married 30 years and have two grown children, Logan (29) and Mackenzie (27). Logan works and lives in the area and Mackenzie works and lives in Denver. In her spare time, Lisa loves going to Lake Gaston, kayaking, photography, traveling and visiting her siblings who are all over the country. She lives by the mantra: “life is short, make the most of it”

Connie Carlson

Co-Teacher M-F 4s

Bio Coming Soon!

Anne Hailey

Lead Teacher MWF 4s

Anne is a Cary native and grew up on Kildaire Farm Road. Anne finished Louisburg College in 1971 and began working under John Ingram, the NC Insurance Commissioner the same year. Her tenure there was almost a decade. After the birth of her second child in 1980, Anne told us that she began her most "Noble Profession" as a stay-at-home mom. In 1993 when Anne's youngest child entered first grade, Anne joined the staff at Cary Elementary. In 2005 she decided to take an early retirement from Wake County Public School System (WCPSS). During that same year, Anne started teaching at the Methodist Children's Center (MCC) in Cary and taught there until March 2020 when the preschool closed due to the pandemic. A one-and-a-half year hiatus from teaching was definitely too long for Anne. In 2021, she was elated to join the staff at GFCC and return to her passion of teaching young children. Anne has four adult children and three FABULOUS grandchildren. Fortunately, they all live in Wake County! In Anne's free time, she enjoys entertaining, cooking, yard-work, large family meals, and spending time just hanging out with her grandchildren, family and friends! And just so you know... Anne is a huge fan of HGTV!