People
Tovah P. Klein, Ph.D. - Director
Director Tovah P. Klein, Ph.D (tklein@barnard.edu) is a faculty member in Psychology and author of two highly regarded books, Raising Resilience: How to help our children thrive in times of uncertainty (HarperCollins, 2024) and bestselling How Toddlers Thrive: What parents can do today to plant the seeds of lifelong success (Simon & Schuster, 2014). She holds a doctorate in developmental and clinical psychology from Duke University.
Her research focuses on children's social-emotional development, parental influences on children’s development, responses to stressful and traumatic events, parental experiences and challenges, including work and family and being a parent during the pandemic, as well as children's use of play to process emotions and stressful experiences. She is on the Advisory Boards of Room to Grow, Ubuntu Pathways, Children’s Museum of Manhattan and Hunts Point Alliance for Children. She was an advisor to Sesame Street and is a consultant to children's media. She is frequently quoted in the media as an expert on child development, parenting, and stressful world events.
She is the mother of three, all Toddler Center graduates. Her love of this age stems from the joy of observing and being inside children's worlds. Outside of Barnard, she enjoys being with family and friends and wandering the city. Social Media: @tovahklein
Alison Davis - Associate Director
Alison Davis (aldavis@barnard.edu) joined the Toddler Center as Associate Director in 2018. She holds a Masters in Social Work and a Masters in Early Childhood Education. Alison spent several years working with children and families as a social worker in NYC hospitals prior to discovering her love for early childhood education when her own children were in preschool and she joined a parents-as-subs program. She left the field of social work and began teaching when her children entered elementary school. Alison loves witnessing the joy in young children's discoveries and the confidence they develop throughout their year here. In addition, she enjoys supporting parents through what can be a challenging time as toddlers begin to exert their own will and wishes she had the Toddler Center when her own children, now young adults, were young. In her free time, Alison likes to travel, spend time with her family (and dog), see shows, and go hiking.
Robin Otton - Center Administrator
Robin (toddlercenter@barnard.edu) holds a Master of Science degree and began working at the Toddler Center in November of 2022 after 25 years of administrative and admissions work within the NYC independent school world. Supporting and interacting with Toddler Center families and staff instills her with satisfaction and joy. Away from work, Robin enjoys time with family, birding in Central Park, and solving puzzles–crossword and jigsaw.
Ketaki Krishnan - Research Coordinator/Asst. Teacher
Ketaki (kkrishnan@barnard.edu) graduated from Barnard in 2023 with a degree in Psychology. Ketaki will be coordinating the Toddler Center's research projects and also teaching in the Monday/Thursday afternoon and Wednesday morning classes. In her free time, she enjoys swimming, cooking her favorite South Indian dishes, and making art inspired by nature, childhood, and nostalgia.
Hannah Corrie - Teacher
Hannah (hcorrie@barnard.edu) is a Barnard College graduate with a master's in English literature and a recently earned master's in Early Childhood/General Ed from Bank Street. This is Hannah's fourth year at the Toddler Center and she will be teaching in all 2-day classes at the Toddler Center. Writing poetry is her favorite pastime.
Alison Itzkowitz - Teacher
Alison, also known as Ali, (aitzkowi@barnard.edu) received her bachelor's degree from Princeton University in 2015 and has a graduate degree in Early Childhood Education from Brooklyn College in May 2023. Ali has been teaching preschoolers for 7 years (including 2 in Japan) and is excited to be in her second year at the Toddler Center. In her spare time, she likes to swim, do yoga, bake, and hang out with her cat named Mushroom.
Leslie Perrell - Assistant Teacher
Leslie (lperrel@barnard.edu) graduated from Barnard, worked in the Speech Perception Lab, and watched her two-year-old son at the Toddler Center while observing for her Developmental Psychology class. After spending decades in the corporate world, she decided it was time to try something new. Now in her fifth year at the Toddler Center, she recently obtained Child Development Associate accreditation. Some of Leslie's free time is spent visiting her two sets of twin grandchildren and gardening.