People
Anna Shusterman, Ph.D. - Director
Anna Shusterman, PhD, joins Barnard as a Professor of Psychology and Director of the Toddler Center. She is a developmental psychologist who studies conceptual development and language acquisition, how the two are related in early childhood, and how they are affected by diverse developmental experiences. She also investigates the mobilization of academic research to improve policy and practice, most recently in studies of play-based tools for early numeracy and the potential benefits of exploration in middle childhood.
Before coming to Barnard, Anna was a tenured faculty member in the Psychology Department at Wesleyan University. She taught courses in developmental psychology, early childhood, and cognitive science. She was honored to earn Wesleyan’s Binswanger Prize for Excellence inTeaching, nominated by juniors, seniors, and the ten most recent classes of alumni, and a National Science Foundation CAREER Award for early career scholars. With her students, she ran a research-based, play-based summer pre-K experience for children in Middletown PublicSchools for 8 years, and she helped to establish Wesleyan’s College of Education Studies. Anna is also the parent of two former toddlers, now college-aged.
Anna is delighted to bridge these experiences with the exquisite work of the storied Toddler Center as it looks toward its next 50 years.
Alison Davis - Senior 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.
Samantha Archontis - Research Coordinator/Asst. Teacher
Samantha (Sam) (slarchon@barnard.edu) graduated from Barnard College in 2025 with a degree in Psychology and a minor in French Literature. Sam will be coordinating the Toddler Center’s research projects and assisting in the Monday/Thursday afternoon and Wednesday morning classes. In their free time, Sam enjoys going to rock and indie concerts in the city, cooking traditional Greek and Cypriot recipes, and writing poetry inspired by memory, family, and the passage of time.
Hannah Corrie - Teacher
Hannah (hcorrie@barnard.edu) holds a Masters in Early Childhood Education as well as a Masters in English literature. She is a proud Barnard graduate and has been a lead teacher at the Toddler Center since 2021. She loves working with toddlers and witnessing their discoveries as they make meaning of their world. In her free time, Hannah enjoys writing poetry, exploring the city with friends and family, and spending time in Riverside Park with an iced coffee and a good book.
Alison Itzkowitz - Teacher
Ali (aitzkowitz@barnard.edu) obtained her Masters in Early Childhood Education in 2023 and has been teaching young children since 2015, including two years of teaching English in Japan. Though she mostly worked with preschool-aged children in the past, after coming to the Toddler Center in 2022, she feels she has found her true calling in working with toddlers. She loves that moment of discovering a toy or phrase that will help a toddler feel safe and cared for in their first school experience. In her spare time, Ali enjoys yoga, experimenting with new recipes, and playing with her cat, Mushroom.
Leslie Perrell - Assistant Teacher
Leslie (lperrell@barnard.edu) has worked at the Toddler Center since 2019, but her BTC “roots” go back much further to when she simultaneously had two roles: a BTC toddler mom and a Barnard undergraduate studying Developmental Psychology and working in the Psychology Department. Before Barnard, Leslie was a professional ballet dancer and after graduating, she worked for 35 years in market research, largely in the healthcare industry. This recent chapter of her life was inspired by reading Dr. Klein’s How Toddlers Thrive and experiencing the deep joy that comes from being the “Gammy” of two sets of twins. Recently, she completed a Child Development Associate certification and loves being an Assistant Teacher. When not stealing a chance to see her son and grandchildren, Leslie enjoys playing the piano, needlework, and biking. Each day she is more aware of how much she loves being with young children and learning about them and alongside them. For her, there is nothing more important or joyful.
Maggie Metcalfe- Assistant Teacher
Maggie (mmetcalfe@barnard.edu) joined the Toddler Center in 2024 as an assistant teacher. She is currently pursuing a psychology degree at Fordham University. Since she was young, Maggie has always known that she wanted to go into education. For the 2025-26 school year, she will be teaching in the Monday/Thursday AM and PM classes as well as in the Wednesday AM class. In her free time, Maggie enjoys taking long walks in Riverside Park and trying new restaurants with friends.
Tovah P. Klein, Ph.D - Advisor and Former Director
Tovah served as a Barnard faculty member in Psychology for 30 years and is the 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