Tovah P. Klein, Ph.D. - Director
Tovah P. Klein, Ph.D (tklein@barnard.edu) has a doctorate in clinical psychology from Duke University. She is an Adjunct Associate Professor of Psychology at Barnard College and conducts research on children's social development and parents' experiences parenting young children. She is a Developmental Advisor to Sesame Street, on the Advisory Boards of Room to Grow and NYC Voices of Childhood and is frequently quoted in parenting magazines and the media. She is the mother of three boys.
Patricia H. Shimm - Associate Director
Patricia H. Shimm, M.A. (pshimm@barnard.edu) received her graduate training from Teacher's College, Columbia University. She is a founder of the Toddler Center and has extensive experience both as a teacher of toddlers and as a leader of parent groups focused on issues of parenting and child development. She is the author of Parenting Your Toddler: The Expert's Guide to the Tough and Tender Years (published by Perseus Books), served on the Advisory Board for Parenting Magazine, and is currently an expert at BabyCenter.com. She is the grandmother of six.
Leslie A. Ross - Head Teacher
Leslie A. Ross, M.A. received her graduate training from Bank Street College of Education. She has been a teacher of toddlers for over 20 years and leads the Caregiver Group, focused on developmental issues of toddlers. Her two grown daughters are Toddler Center graduates, and she is the grandmother of three.
Karina Trujillo Sanchez - Head Teacher
Karina Trujillo (ktrujill@barnard.edu) has been with the Toddler Center since 2003. She is continuing coursework at Bank Street College towards her Master’s degree in early childhood education. She makes the beautiful dress-up clothes the children wear for pretend at the Center and is the mother of a young child.
Maria Evans - Research Coordinator & Assistant Teacher
Maria Evans (mevans@barnard.edu) is a full-time Research Coordinator at the Toddler Center. She graduated from Barnard in 2010 (Toddler Center student '08-'09).
Jennifer Oh - Research Assistant & Assistant Teacher
Jennifer Oh (joh@barnard.edu) is a full-time Research Assistant at the Toddler Center. She graduated from Barnard in 2011 (Toddler Center student '10-'11).
Elizabeth Elsass - Center Coordinator & Assistant Teacher
Elizabeth Elsass (eelsass@barnard.edu) wears many hats. She is the Administrative Coordinator for the Center and can answer all your questions about the program. She is the mother of three young children.
In addition, the Center is staffed by student teachers from Barnard and Columbia Colleges. The staff-to-child ratio is 1:2.
