Preschool du Monde Staff

Christofer Cassuto
Teacher, Preschool du Monde

From his three years as a feature reporter for The New York Post, to his current pursuit of a Master’s degree in both early childhood and adolescent education in English literature, Chris has always been characterized by a love of storytelling.

In 2006, he was granted the opportunity to incorporate this passion for words into early childhood education as a volunteer working with Tikva Children’s Home: a multinational humanitarian organization currently working with disadvantaged children throughout Israel and Ukraine. After two years as a preschool teacher with Olive Tree House Group in Park Slope, Brooklyn, Chris is ever eager to demonstrate the beauty of language from Homer to Dr. Seuss.

Fun facts about Chris:
Birthday: May 18
Favorite Color: Green
Favorite Childhood Book(s): Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich
Favorite Quote: “A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new.” – Albert Einstein

Seep Paliwal
Dual-Language Teacher, Preschool du Monde

Growing up speaking both English and Hindi, a love of languages was natural for Seep. She took up Spanish in middle school and continued to study it through her time at New York University. It was in high school that she first had the opportunity to volunteer with bilingual students, inspiring her love for teaching. During her junior year at NYU she took the opportunity to study abroad in Buenos Aires, Argentina. There she developed her language skills while traveling throughout South America. Seep hopes that by sharing her experiences with her students, they too will develop a love of languages at an early age.

Fun facts about Seep:
Birthday: February 10
Favorite Color: Blue
Favorite Childhood Book(s): One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish, Where the Wild Things Are
Favorite Quote: “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” -Dr. Suess

Jennifer Hernandez
Dual-language Teacher, Preschool du Monde

Jenny has a bachelors in urban studies and is currently going for masters in bilingual childhood special education. She has been a teacher assistant for 5 years within the ages of 2- 12 years of age. Being bilingual has always been a crucial part of her upbringing. Having both parents from el Salvador, the Spanish language has been essential for her to master in regards of writing and reading and communicating with my family. She feels having a second language is a great attribute for anyone to have in order to understand and communicate with our diverse society. It is a great opportunity to be able to share these experiences with others (especially children) and to keep a positive attitude to learn about other cultures and acceptance others.

Fun facts about Jenny:
Birthday: November 29
Favorite Color: Red
Favorite Childhood Book(s): Green Eggs and Ham
Favorite Quote: “An ounce of practice is worth more than tons of preaching”- Mohandas Gandhi