Fun time early childhood academy

Who We Are & What We Do

Our mission is to provide safe, quality, affordable education and care for children and parents from low-income working families and to prepare the children for kindergarten, ready to read and ready to learn!

MEET THE BOARDMEET THE TEAM
with no other options, 

Two women had a dream to nurture & educate kids close to home.

Decades ago, a band of determined educators teamed with parents to create Fun Time Nursery in the heart of Naples. Among this group were Alma and Herbert Cambridge and Ola Mae Mack. Together they dreamed and worked towards the day when children from their neighborhood could be nurtured and educated close to home.

 

“It just seemed natural to me that we had to provide for and teach our young children,” recalled Mrs. Cambridge. “At the time, there was no school for little children during the day, and the options for child care for children of color were nonexistent. We opened the doors to 12 students whose parents paid a very minimal tuition to get Fun Time started. Soon after, the United Fund began to help us, and then others in the community contributed.”

The Fun Time Nursery first opened its doors in 1961 as a small classroom within the Old Carver School under the direction of Mrs. Cambridge. The school was 100% African American until 1965, when Mrs. Pat Schultheis joined as a teacher and placed her son, Buddy, in Fun Time. Our easy relationship with integration began.

In 1967, Novella Williams joined the staff and remained until 1998, seeing Fun Time through its formative years as a center for child activities in the River Park neighborhood and as an education site for children from downtown. Mother Perry also worked at Fun Time as a cook and then Director.

Throughout its history, the early childhood development center focused on learning through a research-based, creative curriculum and worked to meet the needs of students and their parents, setting hours of operation around their work schedules. In 1975, the hours of operation were set at 6:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

In 2009, Fun Time moved from a 4,200-square-foot, 36-year-old trailer to its current 8,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility featuring six classrooms, a multipurpose room for parent meetings and staff events, the Founders’ Room, offices, a kitchen, two playgrounds and a garden.

The current building, with its safety, security and increased potential for delivery of educational opportunities, represents a vast improvement for students, teachers and administrators.

Ensuring the success of Fun Time is ensuring the success of future generations and our community.

caring for the children of our community

Meet the Team

Our dedicated staff ensure these children are learning and having fun every day.

Administrative

executive director

executive director

Jessica Campbell

 

 

education director

education director

Darlene Spano

Site director at Poinciana

Site director at Poinciana

Jamie Eskridge

 

 

DONOR & DEVELOPMENT MANAGER

DONOR & DEVELOPMENT MANAGER

Beth Sterchi

 

 

Marketing & Communications Coordinator

Marketing & Communications Coordinator

Bianca Bellido

site director

site director

fany delgado

human resources

human resources

mika nikolic

Accounting Manager

Accounting Manager

Peter Gould

Teachers

teacher

teacher

Analiz Perez

 

 

TEACHER

TEACHER

Elizabeth Pedregal

 

 

teacher

teacher

Monique Atkinson

 

 

TEACHER

TEACHER

luz de la pena

 

 

TEACHER

TEACHER

Narcisa Cappelluti

TEACHER

TEACHER

Michelle Fonte

 

 

teacher

teacher

Cester Williams

 

 

TEACHER

TEACHER

Chrislande Dera

 

 

TEACHER

TEACHER

Carmen Guerrero

 

 

TEACHER

TEACHER

Suchity Jordan

TEACHER

TEACHER

Maddie Mendez-Constable

 

 

floater

floater

sherry stanley

 

 

teacher

teacher

Carmen Starkweather

 

 

Teacher

Teacher

Rachel Thielen

 

 

Chef

Chef

Sandy Ecker

TEACHER

TEACHER

diana rodriguez

 

 

teacher

teacher

candace perez

 

 

teacher

teacher

maria granda

 

 

Teacher

Teacher

jessica henson

 

 

teacher

teacher

erin passaretti

caring for the children of our community

Meet our Board of Directors

A diverse and dedicated group of people who believe in educating tomorrow’s leaders today.

board chair

board chair

Kris pfaehler

Immediate past chair

Immediate past chair

ann olson

secretary

secretary

karen hopper

asst. treasurer

asst. treasurer

darrell balmer

treasurer

treasurer

karen lutz

director

director

Alexis Barkis

director

director

tom Campbell

Director

Director

Pam Heffernan

Director

Director

don lawson

director

director

roger schorr

Director

Director

Fran O'Sullivan

director

director

Lisa Sanchez

director

director

tony urick

director

director

kelly saylor

DIRECTORS EMERITI

RON CIESLA

JANET GABLE

DOUG JOHNSON

CONNIE MESSNER

MAUREEN O’GORMAN

VAL TROTMAN

MAUREEN DENMAN

OTTO IMMEL

JINNY JOHNSON

DICK MUNRO

BOB POLIZZOTTO

MICHAEL WATKINS

JIM DERHAM

CRAIG JILK

ROBIN LARKIN

MARSHA MURPHY

GARY ROOT

SKIP ZINK

KIM DILLON

MARY BETH JOHNS

SUSAN MANION FREY

LYNN NOLAN

RUSTY TROTH

Students Enrolled

Children graduated

Committed Board & Staff

Years Caring For Children