Our Teachers
Infant/Toddler Teachers
Erin Wills-Fuhrman
Erin is so excited to be the lead teacher in the infant room. She has been married to her husband for 24 years and they have 3 fabulous kids. Her oldest daughter is starting her senior year at Purdue, her middle son is starting his sophomore year here at IUPUI and her youngest just started his freshman year of high school. She enjoys sporting events, baking, playing games and spending time with family.
Erin has been blessed to work with a wide age range of children for the past 29 years. The last 5 years she was the lead Pre-k teacher in a PK-8th grade school setting.
Erin enjoys the fun and differences in each day and looks forward to making your child feel loved, happy and secure in her classroom.
Grace Estes
Grace is a recent graduate of The University of Alabama with a Bachelor’s degree in Human Development and Family Studies with a concentration in Early Childhood Education. Grace has been working with children the past 5 years in a child care setting and teaching Taekwondo classes to people of all ages. She is originally from Dallas Texas.
Amanda Ottolino
Amanda graduated from Indiana University in 1989 with a Bachelors of Art degree in Psychology. She has over 25 years of experience working with children from birth to 18 years of age. Five of those years she worked in a special needs classroom in Perry Township with children ages kindergarten through 5. Amanda is married and has two children.
Karen Crawford
Karen has been working in her career as an early childhood provider since 1995. She joined the Center for Young Children in 2004 as an assistant teacher. Recently, she was promoted to lead teacher of a toddler classroom. She also received her CDA Credentials in March 2019. She is the mother of 3 children, a son and two daughters. She is also the proud 'G’ (grandmother) of 5 grandchildren (2 grandsons and 3 granddaughters).
Christina McKee
Christina has been in the Early Childhood field for 15+ years and has a Bachelor's Degree in Early Childhood Education. In her past experience, she has worked with all ages as a teacher, safety coordinator, curriculum specialist, and assistant director. She is married to her wonderful husband Charles and they have four amazing kids. In Christina's free time, she likes to spend time with her husband and kids at home but occassionally travel as well. She looks forward to working with the IUPUI Center for Young Children staff, families, and children!
Wee-School Teachers
Linda Orr
Linda has worked at the CYC since the summer of 2006. She earned her BS in Education from IUPUI. She taught a first and second grade class for five years at a private school on the eastside of Indianapolis. Linda is married and has two daughters in college who keep her very busy. In her spare time she enjoys scrapbooking and crocheting. Linda loves coffee, chocolate and getting to know all of the families that pass through her room.
Ellen Perry
Ellen is a graduate of Indiana University with a degree in Early Childhood Education. Early Childhood Education has always been her passion. She has been working with children and families for over 40 years, has owned her own home day care center and has experience with children from birth to age 18 in a multitude of settings. Her classroom is play based with an emphasis on literature, she feels children are never too young to develop a love for reading. She is married and has four children; two daughters, two sons and two grandsons.
Kaiti McKee
Kaiti started working at the center in February of 2023, but has been working with kids for years. Her passion has always been working with kids and she's been trying to decide if she wants to pursue a degree in education. On her days off, Kaiti enjoys relaxing, listening to music and hanging out with friends and family. She is excited to see where this opportunity takes her.
Multiage Teachers
Alana McClain
Alana is an 2022 IUPUI graduate with a Bachelor's degree in Social Studies Education. She always knew that she wanted to work in education and with children. She started babysitting and working as a Sunday School assistant at her local church in high school and she did her service learning hours at the CYC in 2018. Alana likes to teach using hands-on-learning and exploration as well as helping children learn to problem solve through play. In her spare time, Alana likes to spend time with family, friends, and pets as well as reading and singing.
Ruth Mezali
Ruth is a graduate from IUPUI with a Bachelor's Degree in Elementary Education. During her time as an IUPUI undergraduate student, Ruth spent 4 years as a classroom assistant at the CYC. Ruth was born in Burma, also known as Myanmar, and in 2010 she and her family came to Indianapolis. Ruth began working with children in high school by teaching Sunday School and taking care of other families’ children. Ruth, who is trilingual, (Chin, Burmese and English) also enjoys spending her time with children and learning together. In her spare time, she loves to go on a hike with friends, bullet journaling and watching movies/ TV shows.
Dana Meyers
Dana is a graduate of Ball State University with a degree in Early Childhood and Primary Elementary Education. She has been working with children for 30+ years and has experience with children from 6 weeks to 5 years old. Dana recently moved back to Indianapolis from Charleston, South Carolina to be closer to family and friends. On the weekends, she likes to enjoy hikes and activities in nature.
STEM Teachers
Vicki Tucher
Vicki started her career at the CYC in 2000 as a Kindergarten teacher and is now teaching one of our two
Taylor Gardner
Taylor graduated Ball State University in 2011 with a Bachelor of Science with a concentration in Early Childhood Education. She has over fifteen years of experience working with children from birth to 12 years of age. Taylor joined the Center for Young Children in the winter of 2023 and is excited to bring her knowledge and love of learning to her classroom. Her favorite part of teaching in the STEM classroom is developing hands-on, child guided lessons. She is married and has two children. When she is not in her classroom, you can find her writing or hiking with coffee in hand.
Assistant Teachers
Resa Underwood
Resa has been working at the CYC since 2003. She enjoys working with children. She has completed some college course work and her child care credential. She is planning on pursuing a Business degree in Finance in the near future. Her hobbies include: reading, painting and singing.
Danielle Williams
Danielle is a child enthusiast who enjoys showing excitement and interest in the development of a child’s life. Ms. Danielle has designed a classroom where children are young scientists, free to explore and test their ability to be creative, engaging and reaching limitless abilities to learn. Ms. Danielle has been an educator for the last 25 years devoting her time to early childhood. She has been with the Center for Young Children for 15 years and counting. She is currently serving as an interim teacher for the Multi-Age classroom. Her hobbies are learning, reading, meeting new people, shopping and spending time with her lovely family.
Adria Crawford
I have been working at Center for Young Children since August 2010 where I started as a student. I worked as the Aide for the wee-school room for a few years and then was promoted to my now current position as the STEM Assistant Teacher. I am also a full-time student (online and face-to-face classes) and am working towards recieving my CDA credentials. This past semester I made the Dean's List. I have twins Adalynne and Aydan who are enrolled in a multi-age classroom here at CYC. They are definitely happy here and I couldn't imagine a better fit for them. I am the middle child with my brother who is 10 years older than me and my younger sister who is eight years younger than me. I enjoy movie/game night with my family, praise dancing, and watching my children and students grow daily.
Abby Stewart
Abby graduated from Earlham College in 2022 with a Bachelor's degree in Psychology and Medical Humanities. She is currently working on her Master's of Clinical Social Work at IUPUI and will finish in 2024. Abby plans to use her extensive experience working in mental health and with children of all ages to become a therapist for young children. In her free time, she enjoys discovering new coffee shops, shopping at antique stores, and spending time with her dog, Maeve.