People
Tovah P. Klein, Ph.D. - Director
Tovah P. Klein, Ph.D (tklein@barnard.edu) has a doctorate in developmental and clinical psychology from Duke University and holds a bachelor's degree from University of Michigan in Psychology. She is on faculty in Psychology at Barnard College and conducts research on children's social development and parents' experiences parenting young children, including the challenges of combining work and family. Other research areas focus on trauma and young children, as well as children's use of play to communicate and process emotions and stressful experiences. She is on the Advisory Boards of Room to Grow, Per Dev, Rwanda Educational Assistance Program, Ubuntu Education Fund, LearnNow.org, and has been an advisor to Sesame Street. Dr. Klein is an advisor to children's TV and film, and is frequently quoted in parenting magazines and the media as an expert on toddler development and parenting issues. Dr. Klein's first book How Toddlers Thrive: What parents can do today to plant the seeds of lifelong success was published in 2014 and she is currently working on the next one. Follow her on Twitter: @tovahklein. She is the mother of three young adults, all Toddler Center graduates.
Alison Davis - Associate Director
Alison Davis (aldavis@barnard.edu) received her bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Michigan and her Masters in Social Work from Hunter College. She spent many years working with children and families as a social worker before returning to Hunter for a Masters in Early Childhood Education. Prior to joining the Toddler Center in 2018, she spent nine years as a teacher at Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church Day School. Alison is the mother of two children- her daughter is a Barnard College junior and her son is living and working in NYC.
Robin Otton - Center Administrator
Robin (toddlercenter@barnard.edu) is the Center Administrator with a connection to the Toddler Center stemming back to her many years as an independent school admissions director in New York. Mother of two children, Robin enjoys time with family, walking and birding in Central Park and doing jigsaw puzzles.
Sophie Smyke - Research Coordinator/Asst. Teacher
Sophie (ssmyke@barnard.edu) graduated from Barnard in 2021 with a degree in Psychology and Human Rights. Sophie will be coordinating the Toddler Center's research projects and also teaching in the Monday/Thursday afternoon and Wednesday morning classes. She loves to take walks in Riverside Park with her dog, Nellie. When not outside, Sophie loves to cook and cheer on the Boston Red Sox.
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 third 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 will complete a graduate degree in Early Childhood Education from Brooklyn College in May 2023. Ali has been teaching preschoolers for 6 years (including 2 in Japan) and is excited to be in her first 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 its 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 fourth 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.
Carly Stein - Assistant Teacher
Carly (cstein@barnard.edu) graduated from Barnard in 2022 and begins her first year with us as an assistant teacher in the Monday/Thursday afternoon and Wednesday morning classes.