Our Staff
Garland Hattman
Hello! My name is Garland Hattman. Layne Mottola and I are co-founders of The Weaver Dairy Community Preschool. We opened the school in September of 1997. During the summer of 1997, we renovated/modified the building in preparation for the fall opening. I had just had my first child, Garrett. She was just 3 months that summer when we were busy knocking down walls, painting, and ordering equipment. I’m pleased to say that we made it through the summer renovation (which was chock full of unexpected challenges/expenses), and have been evolving ever since.
I am a native of Chapel Hill. I have two children, my daughter Garrett (1997), and my son Jonas who was born in 2001. They are both graduates of Weaver Dairy!
I got my undergraduate degree from the University of Georgia, and have taken several courses in the field since graduating. My first job out of college (oh so many years ago) was working as a preschool teacher. Layne and I were co-teachers, working with preschool-aged children. We were a great team in 1991, and continue to complement each other all these years later! I love working with young children, and strive to support both the child and family. I really enjoy the meaningful relationships (with children, parents and staff) that are created by working at a warm and nurturing program.
I enjoy walking with my dogs, reading and spending time in my garden.
Layne Mottola
Garland and I met in 1991 when we taught at the same (now defunct) school in Chapel Hill. We both left that school when things took an unfortunate turn for the worse and I went on to a new job teaching at the Chapel Hill Cooperative Preschool. I taught there for 5 years before Garland and I decided to pursue our pipe dream of opening our own school. After much hard work and red tape, WDCP opened in 1997!
When we opened, I was the sole blue room teacher and Garland was the yellow room teacher. There was no one in the office! Over the next few years we added more staff and had more time to spend doing administrative tasks. My husband, Rob, and I have 3 daughters, Maeve (2000), Olwen (2004) and Lia Wolhee, (2009), all Weaver Dairy kids! We very much enjoy “country” living in town with our dogs, cats and chickens.
I was born and raised in Virginia and went to UVA as an undergrad. I transferred my graduate studies to UNC Chapel Hill, moved here, got a job teaching preschool, and never went back to my graduate work in speech pathology because I had found the work I love: working with young children everyday!
I enjoy reading, cooking, being outside in my garden and wish I could work more exercise into my life. I love working at WDCP because I get to laugh a lot, sing a lot, work with a great staff and I have a great co-director in Garland (which makes all the difference in the world in this job)! Children keep me grounded and help me remember what’s important in this life. And they crack me up!
Dana Bauer
Hello! My name is Dana Bauer. I am very excited to be part of Weaver Dairy Community Preschool and am looking forward to getting to know all of you! I really appreciate the focus on social-emotional education and learning through play that WDCP embraces. I grew up and went to college and grad school in Virginia, earning my B.A. in English, with a minor in Spanish, from UVA and my M.Ed. from George Mason University. I have taught preschool, Head Start, kindergarten and English as a Second Language. Most recently, I was a pre-k teacher and a mentor teacher at The Little School in Hillsborough, where I worked for almost 9 years.
I love exploring children’s interests through projects, natural play and books. I have an entire classroom library at my house and love sharing the books with the children in my class. Creating a classroom community is a priority for me, and families are always welcome to visit and join in.
I have lived in North Carolina for 2009 with my husband, Pete, my daughter, Andy Jaye (born in 2007), and our two dogs. In my free time, I enjoy running, reading and hiking in the woods with my family!
Allegra Berry
My name is Allegra and I am a Chapel Hill/Durham native. I went to Carolina Friends School as a student and have since returned as a high school coach. While I studied sports management in school, I continually worked as a child care provider. Babysitting, nannying, and youth camps allowed me to work with all ages in numerous settings. I joined Weaver Dairy in 2018 with the excitement of fostering a learning and growing environment centered around community. As the floater, I love being able to work with all of our classrooms. Engaging with different development milestones and being able to continue working with students as they transition through our classes!
Susan Frost
I’m originally from New England and moved to Chapel Hill in 1992 with my husband and children. Jeff and I have 3 adult children and four grandchildren! In my free time I love to spend time with my family, attend various sporting events, walk, read, and relax.
I’ve worked with young children for many years. My youngest child, Michael, enrolled in The Weaver Dairy Preschool in 1997. The next year I joined the staff as a substitute and have worked at WDCP throughout the years in several roles. In 2003, I became a Toddler Teacher and have remained with this age group as it is my niche.
I love working with young children! Every day I receive hugs, laugh out loud, and get to be silly! Watching children grow physically, socially, and emotionally is extremely rewarding.
Heather Crane
Hello! I am Heather Crane, and I work in the Purple Room (ages two and three). I am so excited to be a part of the WDCP family!
In 2010 I graduated from the Social Work program at UNC-Greensboro with my BSW and special certification in Child Welfare. However, for the past 14 years I have been a career nanny and in recent years began transitioning into the preschool setting. Fun fact, several of my ‘nanny babies’, as I call them, have attended WDCP so I have a long history with the school.
I have always known I want to work with children and have really fallen in love with the preschool setting. Watching all their developmental milestones and growth throughout the years is incredibly rewarding. I believe play is the most important way children learn and having adults who are not afraid to get down, play with them and support them is crucial to that learning. My favorite activities to do with kiddos are art projects, singing and dancing.
On the personal side, I live in Durham with my husband Kyle, two children and yellow lab! My son Sawyer was born in 2015, while my daughter Josslynn was born in 2020.
I looking forward to working with young children and their families in the years to come! :)
Maeve Taylor
Hello! My name is Maeve Taylor and I am one of the Purple Room teachers here at WDCP. I graduated from UNC Chapel Hill in 2022 with a B.A.Ed. in Human Development and Family Studies (HDFS) and a minor in education with a second major in public policy focused on school health policy. In a few years, I plan to return to school to get my Master’s in Social Work (MSW) as well.
WDCP has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. I attended preschool here, I spent my summers here, and I started teaching part time here as a substitute teacher and summer staff member in high school. Now I am delighted to be joining the staff as a full-time employee! I have gained many years of experience working with young children both through my work at WDCP and through nannying, working as a camp counselor, and my educational experiences while I earned my degree.
I currently live in Chapel Hill with my roommates and love spending my free time outside with my friends, going on walks and being active. I also enjoy being close to my family and finding times to read, rest, and create art.
Jennifer Schulz
Hello! My name is Jennifer Schulz. I am so happy to be joining Weaver Dairy Community Preschool!
I am a native Texan but have called Chapel Hill home for 15 years. Before moving to North Carolina, I was a nanny for two boys for many years while earning my B.A. in Family Sciences. Most recently I spent 12 years at Chapel Hill Cooperative Preschool before taking the last 2 years off to be home with my daughters and work on some home projects. Now I'm excited to get back into a preschool setting with this wonderful school!
I love trying new recipes and cooking with my girls, doing puzzles, being outdoors, walking my dog, snuggling with my cats and travelling around to new places with my family.