Our Staff

Ms. Jenette Dean is entering her fifth year as HPUMP Director. She holds a B.A. in Developmental Psychology from the University of Maryland and teaching certification from Middle Tennessee State University. She also recently earned a Master's Certificate in Early Childhood Emergent Curriculum from East Tennessee State University.

Jenette has over 34 years of experience in early childhood education. She worked as a teacher's aide at the Kansas School for the Deaf, as a classroom teacher for military families in Aschaffenburg Germany, and in the Preschool for the United States Military Academy at West Point. She has many years of experience with children of all ages in preschools and elementary schools as a military spouse. Most recently, she was the Early Childhood Education Manager with the Creative Discovery Museum, where she developed the current PlayGym Program. She has served on the board for Chattanooga Area Association of Education of Young Children, CAAEYC, renamed ChACEE. She served a year on the Board for the YMCA and also on the Chattanooga Gang Task Force Early Literacy Board.

While at the Creative Discovery Museum, She organized and conducted numerous early childhood workshops for educators throughout the area. Jenette is the recipient of the 2015 Hilda Avant Service to Young Children Award.

Jenette has three grown children - daughter Kaitlyn who recently graduated from law school at U.T. College of Law, and sons, William and Patrick who recently graduated from the University of Chattanooga. Jenette's husband, Paul, is a retired United States Army officer who is also an educator for Hamilton County Schools and an adjunct professor at Chattanooga State Community College.

Ms. Marcia Harris, after being one of our substitutes for  3 years,  last year joined us as a co-teacher in the Twinklers class. She has previously worked as the director of Children's Ministries at Hixson United Methodist Church as well as their CDC Program. She also held the  position as the Site Director of Aftercare at St. Jude Catholic School where she worked for 15 years.

She and her Husband, Cornelius, are members of HUMC where they facilitate a Sunday School class of 25-45 year olds that include her son Brandon and his wife Stephanie. She was blessed to keep their grandchild,  Lena, now 7, and be Nana to Milah and Kylie from birth until all 3 went off to school. Her daughter, Brittany, lives and works in Knoxville as a case-worker.

When she is not caring for children, she spends most of her free time sewing and doing alterations.

Ms. Kelly DeJong returns to our team for her seventh year as co-teacher of the Starshine Friends class. Kelly has a Masters of Rehabilitation Counseling degree from the University of South Carolina.  She has worked in homes and classrooms providing support and training to families and teachers of children with autism for over 10 years.  Her previous work experience was as a classroom coach at Siskin Children's Institute and a consultant providing home support for families and professionals of young children receiving early intervention services.  Kelly has two children, Jakob, 14, and Zayda, 13, who attend Chattanooga Center for Creative Arts. . Her husband, Ray, is an engineer at Komatsu.

Ms. Anna Kirk returns to our team for her sixth year. She is  a co-teacher in the Moonbeams class. Anna has an associates degree in Early Childhood Education at Chattanooga State.  She graduated Suma Cum Laude with her ECED, and is now working on her B.A. through Liberty University.

 Prior to coming to Highland Plaza Preschool, Anna taught 3 year olds at Burks United Methodist Child Development Center and was the 2–4 year old teacher for the Parents  Morning Out program for 4 years.  She enjoys teaching VBS and volunteers her time on Wednesdays and some Sundays teaching in the children's department for Red Bank Cumberland Presbyterian Church where she is a member. Anna discovered her passion for children while volunteering her time with kids as a teenager at the church her father pastored. 

 Anna’s two daughters are Sarah Grace, age 14, and a 9th-grader, and Katie Beth age 11, a 5th-grader. Anna's husband Brandon works for Publix. In her spare time Anna likes to read, hike and spend time with family and friends. She  also likes going to the beach as much as possible!

Sarah Grace age 14, plays the clarinet for the Soddy Daisy High marching band. Katie Beth, her youngest is a 5th grader at Allen Elementary and loves playing volleyball.

Anna loves  working with children in the Reggio-Inspired philosophy so she can help them become co-collaborators to their own learning and plant the seeds to becoming lifetime learners.

.

Ms. Kim Jackson is a co-teacher in the Sunshine Gang class. She is a classically-trained actor and storyteller with a heart for teaching. Kim is a member of SAG-AFTRA and has spent most of her professional life working in theatre and film and finding ways to create opportunities for fellow Creatives. Before moving to Chattanooga over a decade ago, Kim lived and worked in Los Angeles. Prior to joining our team, she has served as Special Events Director at Rock City and as Interim Executive Director at the Chattanooga Theatre Centre while continuing to work as a freelance performer. Although Desdemona, Electra and Juliet remain an integral part of her soul, her greatest role to date is Mommy to HPUMP alumni, Mac and Millie. Kim’s husband, Will, is the Senior Manager of Innovation for See Rock City, Inc.

 Ms. Lyndsay Slaten is honored to be a part of the HPUMP family. She received her Bachelor’s Degree in Human Development and Family Studies from Samford University and has several years’ experience teaching in early childhood education. She was privileged to be able to take a six year break to be stay-at-home and homeschool Mommy to Shepard and Sally Ann. They both attended HPUMP and talk frequently about how much they miss it. They now attend Chattanooga Christian School where her husband, Chris, teaches high school English. During the summers, they all get to enjoy their favorite family activity of traveling around the country for Chris to play house concerts. The Slatens attend North Shore Fellowship and share their home with a fabulous tabby cat named Berdie.