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OUR TEAM
Where collaboration and inspiration work together
Owners
Thomas & April Garcia
Thomas and April opened Kids ‘R’ Kids Learning Academy of Matthews in May 2005. They are both certified Level III Administrators by the North Carolina Division of Child Development and are very involved with the school’s operation. Thomas is onsite daily and is very hands-on with the directors, teachers, children and parents. They strive for top quality from every angle and are both committed 100% in making this school the best program possible for their staff, the school’s students and their parents.
Thomas and April have three children, Ava, Anderson and Owen, whom are all proud alumni of Kids ‘R’ Kids Learning Academy of Matthews. They take pride in the balanced education the Kids ‘R’ Kids program provided their children, and are driven to provide that same opportunity for every student that comes through their door!
Meet the Administration
Krissy Vinson
Co-Director of the School
Krissy’s experience in early childhood education goes back 20 years, of which over half has been right here with Kids 'R' Kids Learning Academy of Matthews. She is very passionate about the education of young children and believes that maintaining a loving foundation while they are young leads the way to a great educational experience!
Krissy joined Kids ‘R’ Kids Learning Academy of Matthews in 2007 as a teacher in one of our infant classrooms. She has since had the pleasure of working as a teacher with other age groups and has also enjoyed a couple of other roles outside of teacher, including serving as our School Age Coordinator for our Afternoon Scholars and School Age camp programs, the Assistant Director of the School for five years, and in 2017 became School Co-Director alongside Lindsey Soban. Such a well-rounded experience from both a teacher’s and management perspective while at our school has helped her gain a wealth of knowledge and understanding in doing things the Kids ‘R’ Kids way, where quality is the driving factor in every decision.
Krissy holds her Associates Degree in Early Childhood Education, has earned numerous Early Childhood Education certifications, and is a qualified Level II Director certified by the NC Division of Child Development.
Krissy and her husband Don live in Union County with her two children Cody and Katie, both longtime alumni of the Kids ‘R’ Kids program.
Lindsey Soban
Co-Director of the School
Lindsey joined our team in 2017 and immediately fell in love with the Kids ‘R’ Kids program, particularly our philosophy that children should be “Hugged First, Then Taught”. Her passion for working with children began in 2000 and she felt the “Hugged First, Then Taught” philosophy was such a great way to sum up the dedication she has always had for providing children a consistent loving environment.
Prior to becoming School Co-Director with Krissy Vinson, the last nine years of Lindsey’s experience was for a large corporate childcare center where she served as a teacher for multiple age groups before eventually being promoted to their management team as the Assistant Principal for two years, and ultimately serving as the Principal of the School for seven years.
Lindsey earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Master of Science in Child Development and Family Relations both from East Carolina University. She also holds numerous Early Childhood Education certifications and is qualified as a Level III Director by the NC Division of Child Development, the highest level possible.
Lindsey and her husband Jason live in Union County and have three children Brody, Reid and Paisley, all of whom are students at Kids ‘R’ Kids Learning Academy of Matthews.
Jaime Frank
Administrative Specialist
Jaime Frank has been a part of almost everything at our school since joining us in August of 2005, just 3 months after the school opened. Starting as a teacher in one of our two year old classrooms and proving to be an eager learner and fantastic team player at every position she was called upon to fill since then Jaime was asked to join the Administration Team in 2012. As the school's Administrative Specialist she primarily provides a great deal of support to the owners administratively while also managing special projects, events and vendor coordination for them, all things food and kitchen related, as well as providing assistance to the Directors and support to the teachers when needed.
Jaime believes a child's preschool or childcare facility should be a healthy, happy and safe environment where they can become the best version of themselves, and she takes a lot of pride in being part of a program that provides exactly that! Jaime and her husband Ryan live locally in Indian Trail with their two children Adelyne and Jonah, both students at our school.
Stacy Davis
Program Coordinator
Like other members of our leadership team here at Kids ‘R’ Kids Learning Academy of Matthews, Stacy’s experience since joining us in 2010 extends from the classroom to the management team and most things in between. Stacy is very enthusiastic about children's education and her passion for what she does is contagious. She believes children are like sponges and when presented with new experiences can become so intrigued, soaking up every piece of new information!
As Program Coordinator Stacy is primarily responsible for ensuring the implementation of our extensive curriculum schoolwide, providing ongoing training, education and assistance with all things curriculum, as well as providing classroom support. You will often find Stacy in a classroom assisting a teacher with the lesson plan, monitoring activities, or simply observing and admiring the magic that happens in each classroom here at Kids 'Kids Learning Academy of Matthews.
Stacy is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte where she earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Child and Family Development, with a major in Birth-Kindergarten Licensure. Her and her husband Russ live in Waxhaw with their son Cooper.