A little bit about Stefanie Ford Wadams - owner & special educator

Stefanie, co-founder/creator of Happy Hour 4 Kids, originally from Attica, NY, is a graduate from Suny Cortland where she earned a BS in Elementary Education. She also has a M.S.Ed. in Childhood Behavior Disorders/Special Education from Hunter College in NYC. Stefanie moved to NYC in 2001 and began working as an ABA therapist. Since then, she has also worked as a SEIT (Special Education Itinerant Teacher), ABA lead teacher, mentor teacher and a special instructor.

A little bit about Steffanie Lindsell Jurgens - owner & special educator

Steffanie, co-founder/creator of Happy Hour 4 Kids, originally from Washingtonville, NY is also a graduate of SUNY Cortland where she earned her BS in Business Economics. Since then, she returned to school for her M.S.Ed. in Early Childhood Special Education. She holds a NYS teaching certificate. In 2002 Steffanie started working in NYC as an ABA therapist. Since then she has worked as a SEIT, mentor teacher, ABA lead teacher and special instructor.

A little bit about Joel Maute - owner & occupational therapist

Joel is an occupational therapist who has been specializing in pediatrics since 1997. After receiving his bachelor’s degree from the occupational therapy program at Boston University, he has worked with children of all ability levels. He has extensive experience in all pediatric settings including hospitals, pre-schools, elementary schools, daycare settings and homes.

A little bit about Alyssa Kovacs - program director & educator

Alyssa, head teacher of socialization groups & program director at Happy Hour 4 Kids, was born and raised in Long Island. She graduated from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Since then, she has received her master’s in early childhood and elementary education at Hunter College and has earned her NYS teaching certificate. Furthermore, she taught pre-kindergarten for five years prior to becoming a full-time staff member at Happy Hour 4 Kids & Manhattan OT. She has been an integral part of our staff since 2005.

A little bit about Kate Winters - speech & language pathologist

Kate earned her B.A. in Speech and Hearing Sciences from Indiana University, and her Masters of Science in Speech-Language Pathology from Northeastern University. She is a certified member of the American Speech-Language and Hearing Association (ASHA), licensed by the State of New York and holds the TSLD certification from The New York Board of Education. Kate has experience providing pediatric Speech-Language Pathology services to children of all ages and ability levels. She previously worked in an early childhood preschool program as well as in the Early Intervention Program at Children's Hospital in Boston. Kate is a Certified Early Intervention Specialist and PROMPT trained.

A little bit about Wendy Gold - occupational therapist

Wendy received her Bachelor of Science and Masters degree of Occupational Therapy from Quinnipiac University. Since graduating, she has been working with the pediatric population within school, home and clinic settings. Wendy is also a member of the American Occupational Therapy Association. Wendy has taken courses specializing in sensory processing, yoga therapy and early intervention. In addition to being an Occupational Therapist, Wendy enjoys being a tennis instructor to children of all ages.

A little bit about Kimberly Silberberg – physical therapist

Kim graduated from Rutgers University with a BS in Exercise Science before being lured away from New Jersey to receive her Doctorate of Physical Therapy degree at the University of Southern California. Enjoying the palm trees and beautiful weather of Santa Monica, she worked in a variety of physical therapy settings including orthopedics, pediatrics, acute care and performing arts. During the past few years, she has spent time volunteering and traveling in Asia, but is happy to be back on the east coast and providing PT services at Happy Hour 4 Kids.

A little bit about Mary Sutton Gonzalez – educator

Mary-Sutton, a socialization class teacher, is originally from Tampa, Florida. She earned an undergraduate degree in English from the University of Richmond in Virginia in 2004 and then her Masters in early childhood education from the College of Charleston in South Carolina in 2006.

In 2007 she came to Manhattan and has taught preschool on the Upper East Side ever since. In 2009, she joined the Happy Hour 4 Kids team. She graduated from Bank StreetCollege of Education in 2011. She is now a teacher at the Stephen Gaynor School in the Early Childhood Center. .

A little bit about Shannon Sais – physical therapist

Shannon originally hails from southern California. She received her bachelors in Physiological Science from UCLA in 1999. In 2001, she relocated to New York City, where she would later receive her Doctorate in Physical Therapy from NYU. She has been living in Manhattan for the past 6 years, and working in the early intervention program as well as a preschool program for children with special needs since early 2004.

A little bit about Elena Laois

Elena earned her B.S. in communicative sciences and disorders from New York University, and her M.S. in Speech Pathology from Columbia University. She is certified by the American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA), licensed by the State of New York, and holds a TSHH certification from the New York Department of Education. She previously worked for the New York City Department of Education with children with special needs, as well as in a private school in New York City for children with Autism. Elena has experience conducting evaluations and providing speech/language therapy with children of all ages and ability levels. Her area of expertise includes Autism/PDD-NOS, language delays, articulation/phonological processing, sensory and behavioral feeding therapy, and social/pragmatic skills.

A little bit about Marisa Marino

Marisa received her Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from Sacred Heart University in Connecticut where she had opportunities to practice in orthopedic, acute, rehab, and pediatric settings. Marisa has been practicing in pediatrics since 2007 in a variety of pediatric settings including home, school, and clinic settings and has taken continuing education courses specializing in NDT Treatment of Children, Yoga and Pilates for children, sensory processing disorders and aquatic therapy. She is excited to be a part of the Happy Hour 4 Kids family.

A little bit about Meredith Spirgel

Meredith is a 2010 graduate of Penn State University, Schreyer Honors College, where she graduated with high honors publishing her thesis on "Parent/Professional Relationship of Children with Autism." She is currently enrolled in a Master's Program at New York University, Department of Communication Science and Disorders studying for her degree as a Speech Language Pathologist. Upon graduation, she hopes to continue her studies to earn a doctoral degree in Speech Pathology. Joining Happy Hour in 2009, Meredith thoroughly enjoys working with all the Happy Hour kids.

A little bit about Jillian Dunne

Jillian Dunne is a New York City native who joined Happy Hour 4 Kids in 2011 and assists with socialization groups. She first met Stefanie Ford Wadams in 2002, when Stefanie began working with her younger sister through early intervention. Her sister then went on to be a part of one of the first socialization groups at HH4K. Jillian graduated in May 2011 from University of Delaware with a B.A. in Communication and is planning on furthering her education and enrolling in a graduate program in Fall 2012 to earn her Master’s in Speech-Language Pathology.

A little bit about Jessica Goldman

Jessica is originally from Florida, where she earned her undergraduate degree in Psychology in 2005. Since moving to New York, she has been a preschool teacher in both general ed and inclusion settings for the past six years. She recently graduated from Bank Street College of Education with a Dual Masters in Early Childhood General and Special Education and has received her NYS teaching certificate. She enjoys working with children of all ages and is excited to be part of the Happy Hour 4 Kids family as a socialization class teacher and SEIT.

A little bit about Kelly Stafford

Kelly graduated with her B.S in health science and master's of occupational therapy degree from Quinnipiac University where she was able to gain experience in a variety of settings including acute rehabilitation, brain injury, and pediatrics. Since graduating she has found her niche and passion to be in pediatrics and has gained experience within the school system and clinical setting, as well as treating children with autism spectrum disorders of all ages. Kelly is a registered and certified therapist for the state of NY, and also a member of the American Occupational Therapy Association. She has taken courses specific to sensory integration and is trained in the Handwriting Without Tears© program.