The Team Behind It Takes a Village

We are a homeschool community seeking to supplement your home study curriculum. Our biggest strength is adaptability. Your children are learning, and so are we. We encourage families to provide feedback on areas of improvement and expansion.

ITAV will focus on time spent outdoors in our expansive green space. Our teacher(s) will instruct students in core competencies including Reading, Language Arts, and Math, plus we’ll introduce age-appropriate lessons in Science and Nature Studies through visitors and workshops. Lesson plans will be part of a transparent curriculum that’s published ahead of time online.

​We are excited to partner with you and support your family on your homeschooling journey.

Ms. Deanna
​Founder & Director

Deanna Ruzanski is a mom of two with a passion for homeschooling. During the pandemic, Deanna organized a small preschool class in her home, which helped inspire her to create ITAV as a learner-centered program rooted in the belief that childhood should be honored, education should be meaningful, and community should be the foundation.

Deanna created ITAV to offer families something different: a place where children are known, valued, and supported as whole people—academically, socially, emotionally, and creatively. Drawing inspiration from Waldorf, Montessori, and Reggio Emilia philosophies, ITAV blends structure with wonder, independence with connection, and high expectations with deep care.

She is deeply committed to creating spaces where children feel safe to take risks, explore their strengths, and rediscover the joy of learning.
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At the heart of Deanna’s work is a simple belief: children thrive when they are surrounded by adults who see them, believe in them, and build a community strong enough to hold them. ITAV was created to be that community — a village where learning is alive, childhood is protected, and families feel they truly belong.

Ms. Amy
Head Teacher and Curriculum Director
Elementary Educator | Reading Specialist | Waldorf-Inspired Teacher

Ms. Amy is a certified educator with 20 years of experience and a true gift for nurturing both emerging and confident readers and joyful learners.

Throughout her career, Ms. Amy has taught children from preschool through fifth grade and has even served as an adjunct professor, helping to instruct and support other teachers. Her experience spans a wide range of educational settings, including public school, preschool, homeschooling, and most recently, a Waldorf charter school — an influence that beautifully shines through in her teaching.

At ITAV, Ms. Amy brings a calm, earthy warmth that instantly makes children feel safe, seen, and capable. Her Waldorf background is evident in the gentle rhythm of her classroom, her beautiful hand-drawn visuals, and the way she naturally weaves imagination, meaning, and wonder into everyday learning.  She has a rare ability to connect with children in a way that feels both steady and deeply compassionate.

Ms. Amy’s passion for homeschooling is also personal. She homeschooled her three boys through the primary grades, and through that experience, she came to understand the beauty of a truly authentic, customized, and flexible learning journey. She also wished her children had access to a classroom environment that reflected their family’s values, a space that could balance real-life experiences with the support and expertise of a trained educator.
That desire is what inspired her to team up with Deanna and help shape ITAV into what it is today: a homeschool hybrid community that blends the best of both worlds. Ms. Amy is drawn to working with families on a smaller scale, where learning can be deeply individualized and relationships can truly flourish.
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To our learners and families, Ms. Amy is a light, the kind of teacher who makes children feel loved, capable, and excited to learn. In many ways, she is our real-life Ms. Honey, and we are grateful every day that she is part of the Village.

Ms. Anne
Elementary Educator | International Teaching Experience | Whole-Child Learning Guide

With over 20 years in education, Anne Leone brings both depth and joy to It Takes A Village. She has taught students from Pre-K through 3rd grade in the New Jersey public school system and through international teaching contracts in Egypt, India, and Bangladesh — experiences that shaped her into a globally minded, deeply responsive educator.
Anne’s presence truly transforms our learning spaces. Her energy is infectious, her care is intentional, and her ability to connect with learners is immediate and genuine. She creates classrooms where children feel safe to take risks, ask questions, and grow into confident, curious thinkers. 

At ITAV, Anne is more than an educator she is a catalyst. Her presence quite literally changes the atmosphere of our learning spaces. With infectious enthusiasm, intentional calm, and a natural ability to connect with learners, Anne creates environments where children feel both deeply supported and joyfully challenged.

What makes Anne such a perfect fit for ITAV is how seamlessly her philosophy aligns with our own: learning as a shared journey, rooted in curiosity, relationship, and wonder.

She views teaching as the work of a learner and facilitator — guiding children toward independence within an inclusive, cooperative community.

At the heart of Anne’s practice is wonder. She is deeply committed to creating environments where “how,” “why,” and “what if” are celebrated, and where children are encouraged to explore, imagine, invent, and discover. Her classrooms are places where curiosity leads the way, learning feels joyful, and each child’s individuality is honored.
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Anne’s philosophy aligns beautifully with the heart of It Takes A Village: nurturing the whole child through connection, curiosity, and meaningful learning experiences.

Ms. Kelly 
Math & Science Educator | Multi-Age Learning Specialist | Project-Based Teacher

Kelly Moyer is the kind of educator who makes learning feel both brilliant and accessible. With a deep love for math and science and a rare ability to make complex concepts feel exciting and doable Kelly brings an energizing blend of creativity, precision, and heart to It Takes A Village.

Her zone of genius is taking an everyday project and turning it into something unforgettable. One moment, learners are creating a simple Valentine’s bag craft that turns into a full René Descartes-inspired Cartesian coordinate plane lesson with learners mapping points to write “LOVE” in a way that makes math feel magical, meaningful, and real.

Kelly has an exceptional gift for meeting learners exactly where they are. In a group of just ten children, she can often be seen naturally running three different learning groups at once — adjusting pacing, scaffolding skills, and offering just the right challenge so every learner stays engaged and supported. Her ability to differentiate in real time is one of the many reasons learners thrive in her classroom.
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Kelly brings nearly two decades of experience working with students across a wide range of ages and learning needs. She has taught in both traditional and alternative learning environments.

She previously taught multi-age students ranging from Kindergarten through 8th grade at The School at Kirkridge, where she led literature circles, scientific explorations, Saxon Math instruction, and student-driven, project-based learning.

Early in her time at ITAV, Kelly shared something that perfectly captures why she belongs here: being part of ITAV “truly fills her soul.” We feel the same — and our learners do too.

Ms. Nikki
​Learner Support Teacher | ELA & Special Education Certified | Joyful Classroom Guide

Ms. Jess
Early Childhood Educator | Passionate Crafter | Spanish-Speaking Teacher

Ms. Nikki brings a rare blend of structure, warmth, and joyful energy to It Takes A Village — and her smile is truly infectious. After just five minutes with her elementary group, you would never guess that much of her career has been spent teaching middle school. She has a natural way with younger learners, creating a space that feels safe, encouraging, and genuinely fun.

What makes Ms. Nikki such a strong fit for ITAV is the unique combination she brings to the Village: a deep understanding of how children learn, a calm and steady classroom presence, and the ability to support a wide range of needs without making any child feel singled out. She has spent years working with learners who learn differently, need extra scaffolding, or thrive with thoughtful structure which makes her an incredible support in a homeschool hybrid setting where every child’s path is beautifully unique.

Ms. Nikki is certified in both English/Language Arts and Special Education, and her background includes teaching in public school classrooms, learning support settings, and therapeutic emotional support environments. That experience has shaped her into the kind of educator parents instantly trust: attentive, proactive, and deeply committed to helping children feel confident and capable.

Her middle school experience has also been invaluable in helping us shape and strengthen ITAV’s Middle Years Program — bringing insight into what learners truly need during that important bridge between childhood and adolescence.
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At ITAV, Ms. Nikki helps learners build skills, grow independence, and feel proud of their progress — all while keeping the energy light, positive, and connected. She is the kind of teacher who brings steadiness to the room, joy to the day, and support to every learner in a way that feels natural and empowering.

Based on her background, it’s no surprise that Ms. Jess creates some of the most magical learning environments at ITAV for our youngest learners. Her classroom is the kind of place where wonder feels natural, learning feels joyful, and creativity is woven into everything.

Ms. Jess has a true gift for turning everyday moments into meaningful learning experiences. She is constantly crafting, building, exploring, and creating always tying projects into literacy, math, science, and social-emotional learning in a way that feels playful and purposeful. She also brings an energy that is contagious: she regularly shares the little moments that make her day and speaks with genuine excitement about how much she loves the work she gets to do with children at ITAV.

Ms. Jess holds a Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Education and brings a wide range of experience across early learning, elementary settings, and program leadership. She has served as a Kindergarten Teacher, a Head Start Lead Teacher and Site Supervisor, roles that reflect not only her learning environment strengths, but also her deep understanding of child development, family partnership, and what it takes to create high-quality learning environments.
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Ms. Jess is also bilingual in Spanish and has knowledge of ASL, which allows her to connect with learners in inclusive and meaningful ways.

At ITAV, Ms. Jess brings warmth, creativity, and an incredible ability to make children feel both celebrated and capable. Her presence adds something truly special to the Village, the kind of magic that makes learning feel like an adventure, and childhood feel exactly as it should.

Ms. Paola
​Early Childhood Educator | Multilingual Learning Guide | Whole-Child Teacher

Ms. Paola is one of those educators who instantly makes you feel grateful she’s in the Village. She is warm, grounded, and always the first to jump in and help — the kind of teacher who quietly goes above and beyond in ways that make a huge impact on learners and the team.

Ms. Paola brings over six years of early childhood experience, with a strong background in classroom management, lesson planning, and supporting children with diverse learning needs. She has worked as a lead teacher in multiple early learning settings, including classrooms serving ages 0–6, and has experience creating individual learning plans and collaborating with behavioral health teams to ensure every child feels supported, included, and successful.

What makes Ms. Paola especially special at ITAV is her ability to treat young learners with deep respect not by placing pressure on them, but by inviting them into rich experiences that feel real and meaningful. Imagine being five years old, building an igloo outside in the snow with real ice cubes, and then coming inside to reflect on the process using words like hypothesis and conclusion not to “master,” but simply to be exposed, to wonder, and to begin thinking like a scientist. That is Ms. Paola. She doesn’t rush children. She doesn’t force outcomes. She leans in, listens, and creates space for learners to go deep in a project at the kindergarten level with joy, curiosity, and confidence.

Ms. Paola is also fluent in Spanish and Portuguese and has knowledge of Italian, which adds a beautiful layer of connection and inclusivity to our community.

Beyond the classroom, Ms. Paola brings leadership, creativity, and real-world experience from many roles including business ownership and service in the U.S. Army, where she earned an Army Achievement Award for leadership and communication. That combination of steadiness, initiative, and heart shows up in everything she does.

At ITAV, Ms. Paola helps create learning environments where children feel safe, capable, and genuinely excited to explore. She is the kind of teacher who makes learners feel seen and makes the Village stronger simply by being part of it.

Ms. Emma 
​Music & Theater Educator | Vocalist | Homeschool Learning Guide

Mr. Sebastian
Founder of Spark | Artist | Mindfulness & Creative Learning Guide

Ms. Emma is a homesteading, homeschooling mama of two and she brings that same heart, creativity, and intentionality into everything she does at It Takes A Village.

A passionate music educator with over a decade of experience teaching in both New Jersey and Maryland, Ms. Emma holds a Bachelor of Music from Moravian University and a Master’s in Educational Leadership from Centenary University. Her primary instrument is voice, and her beautiful singing voice is one of the many things learners instantly connect with.

At ITAV, Ms. Emma is so much more than a “music teacher.” She creates hands-on, meaningful experiences where music becomes a doorway into creativity, confidence, collaboration, and joyful self-expression. Her lessons often include projects, movement, storytelling, and interactive learning; the kind that meets children where they are and invites them to participate fully.

As a homeschooling parent herself, Ms. Emma deeply understands the rhythm of homeschool life and the hopes families carry for their children. She brings that understanding into her work at ITAV, partnering with families and supporting learners in a way that feels personal, encouraging, and deeply aligned with the heart of the Village.
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Ms. Emma’s warmth, passion, and hands-on approach make her an irreplaceable part of ITAV, a true learning guide, creative partner, and steady presence in our community.

Sebastian’s journey has been shaped by movement, culture, and curiosity. He studied abroad in Berlin and São Paulo, lived and worked in San Francisco and New York City, and served as a Creative Director for a startup before making a life-changing decision: leaving corporate America behind to pursue what had always been his first love — art.
That leap became a defining chapter. Sebastian committed to creating art every day for a year, a project called Sketch 365, which culminated in a backyard-style art show in his small Upper West Side apartment with his wife — officially launching his career as an artist. In 2015, while searching for what was next, a dear friend suggested he teach art to children. That single suggestion sparked something powerful… and Spark was born.

While Spark began with art, it quickly evolved into something much bigger: a program that now blends art, creativity, yoga, mindfulness, meditation, and nature-based experiences. As a South Indian man, Sebastian considers it a deep honor to bring elements of Indian tradition — especially yoga and mindfulness — into the lives of children here in the United States in a way that is grounded, accessible, and joyful.

His work has become a true service — and it’s clear to anyone who meets him that he genuinely speaks the language of children: patience, laughter, imagination, and presence.

Sebastian’s teaching is rooted in the belief that every child deserves to be welcomed exactly as they are. Over more than a decade of working with children, he has helped countless learners feel seen, confident, and free to express themselves — often in ways they’ve never experienced before.
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At ITAV, Mr. Sebastian brings something rare: a blend of artistry, reverence, play, and deep respect for childhood. His work is not simply enrichment — it is connection, self-discovery, and belonging. He considers it the greatest honor to work with children and families, and he is grateful every day to be doing the work he feels he was meant to do

Contact us

ADDRESS:
701 Cherry Street
​Wind Gap, PA 18091​

EMAIL:
[email protected]

PHONE:
(610) 730-8408

​"Because we truly believe it takes a village."

701 Cherry Street
​Wind Gap, PA 18091

(610) 730-8408

​[email protected]

All rights reserved by It Takes a Village. 2022.