Beth Tidwell - Children's Minister and Head of School

Ms. Beth and her family have been part of the Bright Beginnings family since 2009 with her daughters, Brylee and Bristal. Over four years ago, she joined our staff as an assistant teacher and then was the lead teacher in the first-ever kindergarten class. Having now served two years as Director, with a B.S. degree in Early Childhood Education and five years' experience as a second-grade teacher, Mrs. Beth is tackling the positon of Children's Minister and Head of School. She is excited about her new roles with Burnt Hickory Church of Christ, where she is a member. Ms. Beth has a true passion for teaching children and leadership and feels it is a calling that God placed on her heart that she is now able to apply both from a ministry standpoint and as Head of School, working alongside Lauren in the administrator role. She also enjoys cooking, camping, and making Pintrest projects and recipes with her family. 

​

​

Lauren Barber - Preschool Administrator and Assistant Children's Minister

Mrs. Lauren has a long standing relationship with Bright Beginnings as both a parent and staff member.  Her son graduated from preschool here after attending throughout the entire program, and her daughter is a current student. She has taught MMO, three's and pre-k's in the past, and is excited to be entering her new role as administrator. Earning an Associates Degree in Business Administration, along with Child Development Associate and Preschool Director certificates has prepared her for this new adventure. She, husband, Corey, and children, Isaac and Marley, are activley involved with Burnt Hickory where she has been a member for 17 years. "Seeing the growth of students, socially and emotionally, as well as academically" is one of her favorite parts about working with preschoolers. "I love their excitement over learning!" In her spare time, she loves reading and spending time with her big family. 

​

​

Denise Roberson - MMO Lead Teacher

Denise comes to us with years of experience in working with young children both at church and in the preschool setting.  She has taught in three's, two's, and now MMO at Bright Beginnings.  The joy of watching how quickly a child grows and learns is what keeps bringing her back to the classroom. In her time outside of school Mrs. Denise love to camp and hike with her husband Adam and is kept busy by her six children and two grandchildren, who are students here at Bright Beginnings!

​

 

Julie Paradiso - Two's Lead Teacher

This is her sixth year teaching at Bright Beginnings and her fourth as lead teacher in the 2's class. She has an associate degree in veterinary technology and worked in the field for 13 years, but she still has a lot of experience working with children. She teaches preschoolers because she likes “watching them learn new things and getting so excited about learning.” She and husband, Tony, have one son, Braylon; and having fun with him is one of Mrs. Julie’s favorite ways to spend her free time. She also enjoys baking, decorating and DIY projects. She is a member of Burnt Hickory Church of Christ.

 

 

Ashley Smith - Two's Assistant 

She may obsess over dolphins and mason jars, but Mrs. Ashley also loves teaching children. Her favorite thing about preschoolers is "their sweet spirits." This is her third year at Bright Beginnings, and with a bachelor's degree in early childhood education from UGA, she is ready for her role as assistant in the two's class. Mrs. Ashley also has experience teaching, working at camp and leading VBS at Burnt Hickory, where she and husband, Mack, are members. Her hobbies include crafting, interior decorating and anything holiday-related. 

 

​

Cheri Milne - Three's Lead Teacher 

In her third year teaching at Bright Beginnings, Mrs. Cheri brings 14 years of preschool teaching with her; and she puts it to good use as one of our lead three's teachers. She enjoys teaching STEM related lessons, loves hands-on projects and incorporating cooking lessons into her teaching. "I love to watch them grow," she said, "and planting the seed." Mrs. Cheri also enjoys long-distance running. She and husband, Patrick, along with their children, Shelton and Corrina, are members at West Ridge. 

​

​

Khaliah Griffin - Three's Lead Teacher

Originally from Kalamazoo, Michigan , Ms. Khaliah studied Spanish and Education at Kalamazoo College before moving to Georgia in 2014. With 5 years of experience in the classroom as well as several years working with children in after school programs and children's ministry at church, she is a very valuable addition to the Bright Beginnings staff.

She loves to cuddle and spend time with her four month old son in her free time. She also loves reading, cooking, signing, playing games and watching movies. Studying in Spain for a year planted a dream to travel there with her son and also visit other countries. Her favorite thing about teaching is, "hilarious and honest conversations with my students. They always make my day!"

​

​

Katie Tomlin - Three's Assistant

Ms. Katie is excited to be gaining some experience here at BB as she works through her second year as an Early Childhood Education major at Kennesaw State University. She has also enjoyed working with Cobb County School District for three years as an instructor for the after school program, as well as having worked as a teacher aid in a kindergarten class during her senior year of high school. Her favorite thing about teaching is, "seeing the kid's light bulb go off when they finally understand something." When she is not busy as a student or teacher, she loves doing anything outdoors, especially hiking or traveling to the beach. She also enjoys playing tennis, binge watching Netflix and spending time with her family and friends. 

 

 

Erin Antrim - Pre-k Lead Teacher

Armed with a B.S. degree in Elementry Education and a Master's in Reading, Mrs. Erin is excited to be teaching pre-k again this year. She has also taught as a lead in MMO and our two's classes. She taught kindergarten for seven years before moving to Georgia three years ago with her husband, Joshua, and daughter, Eldabelle. Becoming a member at Burnt Hickory, Mrs. Erin quickly became involved in the ministry known as Bright Beginnings Preschool. Her favorite thing about teaching preschoolers is "seeing all the new things they learn." Her hobbies include scrapbooking, canning, baking, and being outdoors.

 

​

Morgan Davis - Pre-k Assistant 

Assisting in Pre-K and pursuing a degree in Biology at Kennesaw State University keep Ms. Morgan busy!  She will graduate this May and plans to attend medical school to follow her dream of becoming an Anesthesiologist.  As a third year, veteran assistant at BB, she says, "I love it more and more every year!"  She loves watching how her students grow throughout the year.  "It brightens my day seeing all the sweet smiles every morning."  When she is not teaching or taking classes at KSU, she loves spending time with her family and being active in her church family.  She is also excited to be planning her wedding for next fall!

​

​

Aleisha Allen - Pre-k Lead Teacher

Although she has been in Georgia for three years, Mrs. Aleisha was born and raised in Winchester, Kentucky. She loves reading, music, and spending time with her husband and 2 children and family friends.  She has five years of experience teaching preschoolers and is still loving it as she works her way through her second year here at Bright Beginnings.  Her favorite thing about teaching is "loving and serving families."

​

​

Kacey Patton - Pre-k Assistant

Born and raised in Marietta, Georgia, Kacey is not stranger to our community.  She lives here with her husband, Marty, and her 15 year old son and 4 year old daughter.  She is excited about the second of what she plans to be many years with our school that she feels "so blessed to be a part of."  In her time outside of school she loves to spend time with family and friends tubing, having cook outs, and taking trips to the beach or mountains.

​

 

Janette Melson - Music and Enrichment Teacher

Music teacher at Bright Beginnings for five years, She also owns her own business, Lifelong Learning, which enables her to teach piano lessons to all ages, and extracurricular classes to preschoolers. She loves teaching preschoolers because of their innate joy and the funny things they say. “Teaching these precious children always puts me in a good mood.” She also enjoys reading and writing (but not arithmetic) and hopes to publish some of her fiction. She has written the preschool’s Christmas program for this year and has for the last three years. She has a B.S. degree in English/journalism from Tennessee Tech, where she met her husband, Will, thirty-one years ago. Members at North Atlanta, they have two children, Nikki and John, and one granddaughter, Layna.