Special Education Teacher
Michele received her bachelor’s degree in inclusive special education from SUNY Cortland, and started her career as a teacher in an integrated preschool classroom. She immediately knew that she loved working with this age group, and went on to complete a master’s degree with a concentration in early childhood education. This is her ninth year teaching preschool, and she truly enjoys the fun and excitement that each day brings.hild.”
Occupational Therapist
Alexis began her career in occupational therapy as an occupational therapy assistant and has since went back to school and earned her Master’s in Occupational Therapy. “I love working with the pediatric population because there is just something about helping children learn the foundational skills they need to thrive and be the best that they can be! And as a bonus, we get to do this through one of the most important occupations in their life, play!”
Physical Therapist
Kristina graduated from Ithaca College in 2006 and began her career in physical therapy in the outpatient orthopedic setting. While she was able to help others in that position, she found her passion after changing settings 2 years later and has been an itinerant Early Intervention provider for 14 years. After moving away for 10 years to Charlotte, NC, Kristina returned to her hometown and currently lives in Clay, NY with her husband, 2 daughters and their old English bulldog. “I truly enjoy being able to work together with families, as a team, to help their child reach their goals and celebrate each and every little success along the way. “
Physical Therapist
Staci Marshall is a New York State licensed Physical Therapist, receiving her Doctorate in Physical Therapy in 2014 from Nazareth College in Rochester, NY. Staci has been with Sprout Therapy Group since 2019. Prior to joining Sprout, Staci worked at AccessCNY, providing care for children and adults with developmental disabilities, and The Cottages at Garden Grove, a skilled nursing facility. Staci served as a member of the Nominating Committee for the Central District Chapter of the NYAPTA from 2017-2022, as well as serving as the Membership Liaison. She was awarded the APTA New York Outstanding Service to the Central District in 2022. Staci lives with her husband and son in Liverpool, NY. She enjoys hiking, hunting, and golfing.
Physical Therapist
Holly is the Team Motor Leader at Sprout and a Physical Therapist with her Doctorate degree from Upstate Medical. She also helps coordinate student clinicals for local OT/PT college programs, is a clinical instructor, and enjoys mentoring and training new therapists. Besides being a PT in the Pediatric field for 10 years, she’s a mother of 3 children. In her free time, Holly enjoys photography, fitness, podcasts, and reading.
Physical Therapy Assistant
Abby is born and raised in Baldwinsville, New York. She attended Bryant and Stratton College where she received her AAS Physical Therapist Assistant degree in 2021. Abby has experience working with children for the last 5 years in different settings, and she has 8 siblings and 17 nieces and nephews who all live in the Baldwinsville- Liverpool area!
Physical Therapist
Alyssa is originally from Schenectady NY. She attended LeMoyne College and SUNY Upstate where she received her Doctorate in Physical Therapy in 2011, and has been working in pediatrics for 9 years. She’s currently working at an outpatient clinic Chittenango Physical Therapy as well, and lives in DeRuyter with her husband, 2 kids and a small farm full of animals!
Physical Therapist
Cody Kelly has had a lifelong passion for working with kids ever since he began volunteering as a youth basketball coach in high school. He received his BS in Exercise Physiology from SUNY Brockport in 2013, and graduated from SUNY Upstate Medical University with his Doctorate of Physical Therapy in 2016. Cody began his career with Sprout Therapy Group in the Summer of 2017. He enjoys providing physical therapy services to children across different environments including school-based, home-based, and toddler program settings. In his free time, Cody enjoys spending time outdoors, running, and seeing live music.
Program Director
Special Education Teacher, EI Evaluator
Carey received her Bachelor’s Degree in Child and Family Studies from Syracuse University, and her master’s in Early Childhood Special Education from Syracuse University. She’s an NYS-certified Early Childhood Special Education Teacher. This will be her fifteenth year working in Early Intervention. She worked as a Special Education teacher in a SCIS classroom, provided home-based therapy, led Parent Child Groups for early intervention, has been part of an MDE team and has provided support to her colleagues as a Special Education Director and Programs Director.
Speech Language Pathologist
Director of Preschool Services
Corene says that there is nothing more special than helping someone being able to communicate. She has 17+ years of clinical experience with early intervention and preschool population in a variety of disorders such as receptive and expressive language impairments, articulation and phonology disorders, developmental delays, fluency disorders, apraxia and cleft palate.
Special Education Teacher
Tracey has been working in the Early Childhood field for over 15 years. She completed her master’s at SU and she’s a navy veteran. Tracey has 3 daughters and she enjoys camping, Girl Scouting, Genealogy, and Geology. “I believe in a family-centered approach as a child’s family is their first teacher and strongest advocate. As a parent of an exceptional adult child, I have a strong desire to assist the family in understanding the special education process and what the family can do to facilitate the social, emotional, physical, cognitive and language development of their exceptional child.”
General Education Teacher
Amanda is a general education teacher at Sprout with 10 years of experience. She has a bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education and she’s currently working on her master’s degree in a Literacy Specialist program. “I love my job because preschoolers are so much fun, and I get to see them grow, learn and develop every day!”
Preschool lead teacher
Shelby has a childhood education degree from SUNY Oswego. As soon as she graduated, she began working as a preschool lead teacher in an integrated setting. Shelby knew right away that this will be her career. While teaching preschool, she received her Master’s degree from Ball state with a concentration in early childhood education. Shelby is certified to teach from birth to 6th grade, and she’s looking forward to her 8th year at Sprout!
Speech Language Pathologist
Aftyn is a compassionate, dedicated & creative Speech-Language Pathologist servicing the birth-to-five population in Syracuse, NY. She graduated from Syracuse University with a Master of Science in Speech & Language Pathology in 2013. Prior to that, Aftyn graduated from the University of Connecticut with a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication Disorders. She believes that we should invest in our children as they are our future! She’s a part of the “Parent Empowerment Program”, educating families on behavioral interventions and helping to develop confidence while building a strong parent-child relationship. “I take pride in developing family-centered and multisensory approaches that are individualized to each child and their family. Outside of work I have an affinity for the outdoors. I love gardening, hiking (I am an aspiring Adirondack 46er), art, music (I love to sing & play guitar), cooking, & reading.”
Speech Language Pathologist
Kerry graduated with her Master’s in Speech-language pathology from SU in 2017 and completed her clinical fellowship with Connections in 2018. Kelly loves working with children with signs of Childhood Apraxia of speech and/or Autism Spectrum Disorders. “I believe in supporting children’s communication development using a variety of traditional and alternative communication modalities, and I often use singing and movement in my therapy sessions. I love the phrase, “When you know better, you do better,” and am always trying to grow my skills as a therapist.” Outside of therapy, you can probably find Kerry teaching or working in the speech lab at SU, dancing at a concert, or knitting on her couch.
Speech Language Pathologist
Lindsay is an ASHA-certified and New York State licensed speech-language pathologist. She received her Bachelor of Science and Master of Arts degrees from LIU-Post. Lindsay began her career working with the Early Intervention and Preschool populations for several years. She then went on to work for a private practice specializing in PROMPT therapy, working with children from ages 2-18 until January 2022, when she moved to the Syracuse area. Lindsay is passionate about helping children with motor speech disorders, language delays and autism spectrum disorders.
Speech Language Pathologist
Ashley received her speech-language pathology degree at Syracuse University in 2008 and she’s been licensed and certified SLP for almost 14 years. She’s been providing itinerant speech therapy to children ages birth – 5 throughout her career, but has also worked in nursing homes, home health and K-6 school settings. “I love that I am able to tie in my undergraduate counseling and psychology experience with my speech-language pathology training when working with people every day. I am passionate about empowering others!”