Meet our Staff

Jeannine has been a language educator for almost 20 years.  She taught high school Spanish, ESL and Social Studies in public schools in several cities, and served as the Director of the English and Bicultural Studies Departments at Instituto Tecnologico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, Mexico City Campus.  Jeannine shifted her focus to early childhood education when she was unable to find an immersion program for her then-two year old daughter.  She co-founded CommuniKids in 2005 with Raul Echevarria and has served as Director since its opening.  Her daughter now attends a bilingual (Spanish/English) elementary school while also learning Hindi and Kannada (a South Indian language) from her father, who hails from India.  Jeannine holds degrees in Education and Spanish, and a Master's Degree in History.   jeannine@communikids.com

A native speaker of both English and Spanish, Raúl has been a language teacher for ten years.  He is the co-founder of CommuniKids and serves as the Director of Curriculum for both the DC and the Falls Church locations.  As an original member of the George Washington University's "Teacher 2000" program, he was among the first students to complete a rigorous teacher certification program designed for professionals who wish to pursue a career in language education.  Raul holds a B.A. in Political Science from Boston University, a J.D. from the University of Puerto Rico, and has completed extensive Spanish language and cultural studies at the Instituto Internacional in Madrid, Spain.  He can be reached at raul@communikids.com.

Karen is thrilled to be a part of the CommuniKids team.  As Director of Communications, she is responsible for internal and external CommuniKids communications, marketing and advertising.  She is also the Assistant Director of the DC Preschool.  Karen holds a Ph.D. in English Literature, with a specialty in Children’s Literature, from the George Washington University.  She is raising two bilingual children with her Swedish-speaking Finnish husband and taking advantage of the full-immersion environment at CommuniKids by learning Spanish.  She can be reached at karen@communikids.com

Wendy hails from Bolivia, where she received extensive training as a language teacher.  She taught children aged three and up in an intensive English program in Cochamamba where she taught classes, designed curriculum, and trained other teachers.  She then taught K - 5 in a bilingual elementary school.  Wendy attended the Universidad Privada Santa Cruz de la Sierra where she is currently completing her Psychology degree. In addition, she has completed numerous hours of pedagogical training in both language teaching and early childhood education.  Wendy can be contacted at wendy@communikids.com.

Carmen has many years of experience working with young children.  A native of Puerto Rico, she holds a B.A. in Business Administration and has extensive experience as an early childhood educator.  Carmen is the lead Spanish teacher for the Abejas and the Libélulas at CommuniKids Preschool in DC and an enrichment teacher in Falls Church.  Her teaching style includes much music and singing, and her nurturning nature combined with her high energy makes her a favorite among CommuniKids early-childhood students.  She can be reached at carmen@communikids.com.

Gladys has been teaching at CommuniKids since 2005 and has been an early childhood professional for over 24 years.  She is the lead teacher in the Mariquitas classroom in DC, and worked for many years at Saint Albans Day Care Center in Washington, DC.   A native of Lima, Gladys also taught Kindergarten through second grade in Peru.  She has years of professional development training in all areas of early childhood education and  holds a bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education from the University Inca Garcilaso de la Vega.  Gladys's happy, gentle, and thorough teaching style means that she is a great favorite of both children and parents at CommuniKids.  She can often be found in the classroom long after class is over, answering questions from parents and preparing for her next lessons.  Her email address is gladys@communikids.com.

Susanna Seltzer is a graduate of Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service and has a degree in International Law and Diplomacy.  She is fluent in English, Spanish, and French and has some facility in Arabic and Italian.  She brings years of experience teaching youngsters music, dance, art, and sport to the CommuniKids Aftercare program.  Her hands-on philosophy of learning is akin to the Waldorf (or Steiner) method of focusing on the heart of the young child and nurturing the beauty of its unique and manifold vision, which is full of the wonder and joy of life.  Susanna is in her third year of teaching home-school in this method.  She recommends "The Tao of Parenting" by William Martin as essential reading for parents.  Susanna is a singer/songwriter and musician and will be releasing her debut album, "Susanna Joy," soon. She can be reached at susanna@communikids.com.

Jessica is an assistant teacher at CommuniKids Preschool in DC.  A kind, nurturing, and thorough teacher, she has several years experience in an early childhood setting.  Her enrichment classes are extremely fun-filled and popular.  She is currently studying Psychology at UDC and is an excellent soccer player.  She can be reached at jessica@communikids.com.