Meet our Teachers
Angela McCoy
Director
Mrs. McCoy brings a variety of experience to her role as Preschool’s director and teacher. She taught preschoolers while earning teaching certificates in both elementary education and special education, and she also has a certificate in child care. Angela taught middle school and high school students, ran an after-school program, and worked as a behavioral specialist, but preschool has always been her favorite age to work with. She taught part-time at a Christian school before spending 9½ years as the Director of Family Ministry at her church in Salem, Ohio. A big part of her job was working with preschoolers. Angela and her husband have a son, two daughters, and a cat. She loves scrapbooking, doing Pilates, the color purple, and drinking vanilla or caramel lattes.
Alyssa Garza
Teacher
Alyssa Garza joined the preschool team in 2021. Her two daughters went to Sylvania First Preschool and during those years Alyssa volunteered and substituted in the classrooms. She really enjoyed those opportunities to spend time with children and was excited to join on as a teacher. Alyssa loves the smiles and endless joy preschool children bring into the classroom each day. She enjoys spending her free time with family, walking through the Toledo Metroparks or playing board games. Some of Alyssa’s favorite things are coffee, popcorn, chocolate and sunflowers.
Abby Chelstowski
Teacher Assistant
Abby, or as the students call her Mrs. C, has been assisting the teachers at Sylvania First Preschool since 2021 but has been in education since 2009.
What she enjoys most about teaching is when her students succeed. She loves to see her students grow and learn through interactive play.
When she is not teaching, she enjoys spending time with her husband, Adam, and her two children, Ava and Brian (who is a graduate of Sylvania First), shopping, watching Netflix, baking, and getting in naps when she can!
Abby Soucek
Teacher Assistant
Abby Soucek has three kids (14, 11, and 6). She has been married for 18 years. Sylvania has been her home for most of life, except while attending Kent State University. She returned home after college to work as a nursing Home Administrator at a local retirement community. She worked there for many years and loved it, but her desire was to be home with her children. She has spent the past 11 years at home and now heryoungest is in Kindergarten. Throughout the years, she has enjoyed volunteering in classrooms. It has always been something that has brought her so much joy to be able to work with the kids.