Kaitlyn has been working in the Early Education field for 8 years. She started her journey as an Assistant Teacher at Timberline Learning Center in Breckenridge, CO where she eventually was promoted into a Lead Teacher role. Falling in love with the field and with the desire to grow, she found herself as the Assistant Director of a center in Lakewood. By getting her early education roots in a school that practiced the Reggio Emilia philosophy, she was excited to join Alaya and dive into their Contemplative education style.

Originally from New York, Kaitlyn moved to Colorado for the mountains. She is an avid skier, hiker and biker. She spends most of her time off enjoying the great outdoors with her partner, Patrick, and their pup, Bean Sprout.

Hanna is a passionate nature enthusiast and outdoor educator who thrives on exploring the wonders of the natural world. With a deep love for bugs and a keen interest in sharing her knowledge, she dedicates her time to teaching others about the intricate beauty of nature. Hanna's engaging teaching style and infectious enthusiasm inspire her students to appreciate and protect the environment.

Hanna has been a caregiver for over 10 years and has been a teacher in preschools since 2020. Her experience in early childhood education has enriched her approach to teaching, allowing her to connect with young learners and foster a love of learning from an early age.

In addition to her love for the outdoors, Hanna enjoys engaging in crafts, collaging, and baking with her students. These activities provide a creative outlet and a fun way for students to learn and explore their imaginations.

Whether she's leading a nature walk, conducting hands-on studies, or sharing her favorite nature facts, Hanna brings a sense of wonder and excitement to every outdoor adventure. Her mission is to foster a deeper connection between people and nature, encouraging everyone to become stewards of the environment.

During the school breaks Hanna enjoys gathering with friends for potluck dinners, climbing, highlining, and aerial arts. She enjoys traveling and experiencing outdoor adventures with her partner and dog Rango.

Amy taught preschool throughout her twenties, and was a teacher at Alaya in 2003-2006. She earned her Master’s degree at Naropa in 2004, in Environmental Leadership and Contemplative Education. Amy took a break from teaching in the classroom after she had her first baby, and has spent the last 15 years focused on being a mom, homeschooling her two boys, studying herbalism and aromatherapy, and teaching an assortment of yoga classes. Her older son, Isaiah, was a Tiger at Alaya in 2011, and her younger son, Quinn, was a Garuda in 2015. In between, their family lived in Bath, Maine for four years, where they enjoyed spending time with her extended family on the east coast, and playing by the ocean.

At home in Longmont, Amy loves gardening, baking, books, arts and crafts, being outside, and snuggling with her cat and three dogs. She and her husband Joe love to hike, camp, and take the kids on road trips to explore the country. Amy is delighted to be teaching again at one of her favorite places, Alaya Preschool!

Brooke is a teacher at Alaya, where she has taught since moving to Colorado in 2009. She has been an educator for 25 years, mostly in preschool settings including 10 years at schools serving children who need extra support. Brooke holds a B.S. in Early Childhood Education (E.C. Ed.) and is completing coursework toward her Master's in E.C. Ed. Contemplative Movement and Insight Meditation are Brooke's main contemplative practices.  

When school is not in session, Brooke can often be found on a mountain trail. She also has 3 grown children and a life-partner to spend treasured time with.

Ben is a second-generation Longmont native with a background in children's television animation. After fifteen years in Los Angeles, he returned home to Colorado and refocused his energies on meaningful work - education. After half a year of acting as substitute teacher around Boulder County, Ben found his way to Alaya. He is grateful for it every day.

Christina is a born and raised Coloradan, growing up in the beautiful city of Arvada. In 2010 she started working with children, later transitioning to teaching preschool. She received her

Lorna taught at Alaya for 4 years before taking a break from the classroom in 2020. She is delighted to return to the magical land that is Alaya Preschool, where she first landed upon arriving in Boulder from New York City in 2016. She has been a preschool teacher for over 15 years, and has a profound love and respect for the work of of nurturing and fostering the growth of the young children in the community. With extracurricular backgrounds in dance, poetry, theatre, and public speaking, she enjoys bringing music and movement into the classroom and witnessing the children joyfully explore language and self expression.

Mikayla has the cheerful distinction of being both a graduate (Garuda Class of ’93) and a beloved teacher at Alaya, since 2006. Mikayla revived her B.A. from The New School University in New York City, where she studied education and social justice. She specialized in working with refugee youth through the International Rescue Committee, which inspired her to write her thesis on disaster education in New Orleans and Haiti. Mikayla was raised in the Shambhala Buddhist community, which Alaya is associated with through our shared founder, Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche. As part of her Buddhist community, Mikayla has staffed many contemplative education programs both in the U.S. and abroad, including a role as both director and teacher of the international Aloka Childcare program in France. 

As a trained hip hop dancer, Mikayla can be found dancing in grocery store isles, along sidewalks or most anywhere that music is playing. She enjoys photography - especially printing photos in a darkroom. She also loves painting, making jewelry, the occasional woodworking project and going to see live music. 

Sigridur Gudmundsdottir has been with Alaya since 2016. Everyone calls her Sigga. The mother of grown children, her ease and expertise with young children is immediately apparent. Her three children live in Iceland, Sweden, and France and her three grandchildren live in Iceland and Sweden.

A native of Iceland, she and her husband have lived in the United States since 2015. In Iceland, she taught children ages 6 to 15 years old in elementary and secondary schools. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Education from the University of Iceland in 1977 and then continued her studies, first in Denmark and then in the United States.

Sigga has called Boulder home for the past 7 years. Shortly after arriving, she began meditating at the Shambhala Center where her instructor connected her to Alaya Preschool where she was very happy to start teaching again. 

Sigga loves to travel and has lived in Iceland, Denmark, England, New Hampshire, and Minnesota.  She is especially appreciative of the beauty that surrounds us here in Colorado. She also enjoys getting to know her surroundings and generally just loves life in all its beauty. To relax, Sigga also loves to read, knit and cook.