Faculty & Staff

The teachers and staff at Learning Friends of Aledo are what makes our school different.  Our teachers are loving, nurturing professionals who embrace each child and their individual learning style.  We are pleased to present our team for the upcoming school year:

Diane Taylor
Owner

Diane Taylor is the owner of Learning Friends of Aledo. She holds a Business Degree in Management from Texas Wesleyan University, where she graduated with honors. Although her college years and beyond took her down the business path, Diane’s goal was to eventually come back to her first love of teaching children.

After 25 years in the banking business, serving as a Senior Vice President at JPMorgan Chase, she and her husband Paul welcomed a new addition to the family. Rainey Taylor was born in 2006 and joined her sister Rachel, who was 10 years old at the time. It was this special and unexpected event in Diane’s life that motivated her to make a life change.

When Rachel graduated from Pre-K at Reading Friends in Fort Worth at age five, Diane knew that she wanted to be a part of the program. With the emphasis on education in the Aledo area, Diane felt that the time was right to bring this unique style of learning to Parker County. The school opened its doors in January 2008 and was expanded to offer a K-Bridge and Kindergarten program in 2009. After ten years in their first location, Diane was able to purchase land and build her dream school in Aledo. She opened the doors of the current location on Bailey Ranch Rd. in January 2019.

Diane is an active member and supporter of the Aledo AdvoCats, served 11 years as the Co-Chair of the Aledo ISD School Health Advisory Committee, served and held an executive position on the Board of Directors of the Aledo Education Foundation from 2014-2022, was a community representative on the Aledo ISD Project 2025 Team, and volunteers her time throughout Parker County. As the owner of Learning Friends of Aledo, she is the sponsor of the Aledo ISD Teacher Crisis Fund and is proud to be an Aledo ISD Bearcat Backer. She also provides Annual Scholarships to Aledo ISD seniors through the Kelli Miller Memorial Scholarship Fund, and is a member of the East Parker County Chamber of Commerce.

Diane has been married to Paul Taylor for 37 years. Their oldest daughter, Rachel, her “inspiration” for becoming an owner of Learning Friends, is a graduate of Texas A&M University School of Law, and works at a law firm in Fort Worth. Her youngest daughter, Rainey, who was her “motivation” for opening the school in Aledo, just graduated from Aledo High School in 2025. Diane has also been blessed with being named the Guardian of Brooke Miller, age 18, also a recent graduate of AHS, who was the daughter of Kelli Miller, a long-time teacher at Learning Friends, and dear friend, who passed away the first week of school in 2021.

Diane is proud to introduce the real magic behind Learning Friends….her dynamic team of teachers and front office professionals!

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Janet Sepanski
Director

Janet joined Learning Friends of Aledo during the 2012 school year as the Assistant Director. She graduated in 1990 from Texas Christian University with a BA in Education. Janet spent eight years with the Fort Worth ISD, teaching young children, before deciding to start a family of her own. Janet enjoyed raising her four children and volunteering at their schools for the next 12 years. When her youngest child went off to school, Janet decided that she needed to find something that would allow her to be with young children, yet be available for her own children at the end of her day. Learning Friends of Aledo was the perfect fit!   Janet was promoted to Director of the Preschool in 2013 and welcomed Sharon Gribble that same year as Assistant Director. Janet and her husband, Tom, have been married for 28 years and have four children, Anna, Lily, Rubye, and Tommy.

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Sharon Gribble
Assistant Director

Ms. Sharon’s daughter, Alyssa, was in our very first Pre-K class when we first opened in January of 2008 and her son, Sean, was in the first kinder-bridge class. Once all her children were in school, she starting subbing for us and has been a permanent addition to our staff for over ten years as our Assistant Director.

Ms. Sharon graduated from Texas A&M University as a civil engineer and worked in that field for a year and a half before following her husband, David, of 31 years, around the country with the Marine Corps. David was a Marine Corps pilot flying the F-18 for 15 1/5 years and now flies for UPS.

Ms. Sharon and her family have lived in Aledo for 20 years. She enjoys exercising, gardening, and spending time with her 4 children Morgan, Kyle, Alyssa and Sean. She feels incredibly blessed to work at LFA with amazing ladies and the best families that make up the happy place.

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Lexie Jenkins
Assistant Director

Ms. Lexie returned to us in 2024 after a brief hiatus and we could not be happier! She originally joined our program in 2014 after subbing for us for a few years.

Ms. Lexie recently celebrated her 32nd anniversary with her husband, Sean. They have two boys: Hunter (26), who graduated last year from TCU and Jackson (23) who will graduate this spring from the University of Arkansas. Both boys attended school in Aledo, and Jackson was in the very first class of Reading Friends in January 2008.

In her free time, Ms. Lexie enjoys going to yoga, shopping, cooking, decorating her house and spending time with her grown kids and her beloved little dog Millie!        

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Evelyn Rivera
Front Office Assistant

Ms. Evelyn has had the privilege of serving as an educator for more than 32 years. She earned both her B.A. and M.S. degrees in Bilingual Elementary and General Education from Texas Wesleyan University.

Throughout her career, Ms. Evelyn has taught children ages three through twelve, though she especially loves working with “the littles.” Building meaningful connections with both students and parents has been one of the most rewarding aspects of her journey. Although officially retired, she continues to teach part-time in a variety of settings, keeping her passion for education alive.

Outside the classroom, Evelyn is a proud mother of two accomplished daughters. Nicole graduated from the University of North Texas with a B.A. in Biology and is pursuing medical school, while Brianna earned her B.S. in Health Science from Stephen F. Austin and is currently attending nursing school.

When she isn’t working, Evelyn enjoys reading, light gardening, and spending time with family and friends. She is thrilled to be part of the Learning Friends community and looks forward to the school year!

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Joy Powell
Front Office Assistant

Ms. Joy is beginning her third year at Learning Friends of Aledo. She began subbing at the school after retiring from 21 years of teaching at Vandagriff Elementary! She has now joined our office team and helps keep the daily routine in order!

Ms. Joy celebrated her 37th year of marriage to Shawn. Shawn is the Family Life Minister at The Crossing. They have been blessed with three amazing children: Natalie, Hunter (married to Delaney), and Mallory!! They have a dog named Gnarly and 2 grandpups, Rowdy and Cash.

Ms. Joy loves every chance she gets to be with her family. Their favorite place is on the back porch talking and laughing. She loves to shop, organize, help her children, work in the children’s ministry at The Crossing and working at Learning Friends. She is enjoying trying to figure out what a retired life looks like!

Kindergarten

Christy Jarvis
Kindergarten Teacher

We are excited to welcome back Christy for her 16th year with our program! Ms. Christy was instrumental in developing our K-Bridge and Kindergarten curriculum! Christy has a degree in Elementary Education from the University of North Carolina with a concentration on Psychology. Prior to moving to Aledo, Christy taught Kindergarten in Kernersville, North Carolina, where she implemented varied teaching strategies and techniques with much success.

Christy was the perfect addition to our team when we launched this program in 2009 as she has proficiency in Guided Reading, Saxon Math, Write from the Beginning, and Technology Integration – all of which is used in our Kindergarten and K-Bridge programs today. Her classroom management style and her ability to create unique lesson plans proved to be a valuable part of the Kindergarten program.

Christy and her husband, Mike, have been married for 24 years and live in Aledo. They have two sons and a daughter; Grayson (24) is an A&M graduate and currently working on his doctorate, Gunter (23) is in his fourth year at Oklahoma State and Maddy (20) is a Sophomore at OSU and a graduate of Learning Friends of Aledo!

K-Bridge I

Courtney Betancourt
K-Bridge I Teacher

Ms. Courtney is in her 7th year at Learning Friends and has taught Developmental (2’s), Pre-Kindergarten and is in her third year of teaching K-Bridge.

Courtney received a B.S. degree in Political Science from the University of Texas at Arlington.  She worked in the legal field for 10 years before becoming a stay-at-home mom.  In 2013, Courtney began working as a substitute teacher for Aledo ISD.  It was during this time, that she discovered her passion for working with children.  She has numerous hours of specialized training in Early Childhood Development.

Courtney has been married to her husband, Chris, for 23 years.  They moved to Aledo in 2003 and have two children. Their daughter, Avery, is a graduate of Texas A&M University with a major in Engineering and their son, Ben, is a junior at Aledo High School.

K-Bridge II

Lauren Kolesar-Eatinger
K-Bridge II Teacher

Ms. Lauren is in her 3rd year as the K-Bridge teacher at Learning Friends of Aledo, but has more than 20 years experience as an educator!

Lauren earned a BSE in Early Childhood Education and a BFA in All Level Art Education from TCU. She also holds an MA in Art Education from UNT.  Prior to joining the Learning Friends team, Lauren taught Pre-K as an Art Educator for 15 years—loving both the Elementary and High School age levels.  When Lauren and her husband started a family, she worked in a Preschool setting as a teacher’s aide to juggle both her passion for teaching with her precious family time.

Lauren and her husband, Thomas, have been married for 21 years.  They moved to Aledo in 2011 and have a Junior High 7th grade AMS boy and twin 1st grade (fraternal and uniquely individual) girls.

Her son attended K-Bridge and Lauren saw first-hand how he greatly benefitted from this gift of early childhood education.   Ms. Lauren is excited to welcome your child into her K-Bridge class for the upcoming school year!

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Pre-Kindergarten

Brandy Wert
Pre-K Language Teacher

Ms. Brandy is in her 11th year at Learning Friends. Ms. Brandy graduated from Texas Tech University {Wreck ‘Em} with a degree in Early Childhood Education. Upon graduating, Brandy worked as a Pre-K and Kindergarten teacher for several years before starting her own family. Once her youngest started school, she was ready to go back into the workforce as a preschool teacher in a class of four year olds.
Brandy has been happily married to her husband, Scott, for 29 years. They have two children, Lacey and Carson. Lacey, a graduate of Texas A&M, is finishing up her final year of OT school in San Antonio and will be getting married this December! Carson is a senior baseball player at Howard Payne University.
Ms. Brandy is very involved at her church, Trademark Church, in Fort Worth. She serves weekly in the children’s ministry. Her favorite pastime is cheering on her adult children in what they love…whether it is being a “fake” patient for her daughter or in the stands cheering on her son. In her free time she enjoys quality time with her husband, working out, reading, decorating, and making things on her Cricut.

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Connie Hayden
Pre-K Discovery and Art Teacher

Connie is in her 14th year at Learning Friends of Aledo. Like so many of our teachers, we got to know Connie when she would substitute teach for us during the 2008-2009 school year and then asked her to join our team permanently in 2009. Connie has extensive knowledge working with young children as she has been teaching preschool-age children for more than 22 years and is one of the most respected teachers in the community.

Connie has been married for 35 years to Terry and they have four children: Brittanie, Briley, Bryce, and Brant, who is also a graduate of Learning Friends K-Bridge program!   She also recently became a Grandmother of four!

In addition to her numerous specialized training hours in Early Childhood Development, Connie also majored in Child Development at the University of North Texas.

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Emily Warren
Pre-K Math and Science Teacher

Emily is enjoying her fourth year at Learning Friends of Aledo, joining us this year as our Pre-K Math and Science Teacher!  Ms. Emily attended the University  of Texas at Austin where she majored in early childhood development.  Over the years she has taught in Fort Worth, Crowley, and the Aledo ISD school district.

Emily and her family moved to Aledo in 2007 where her 4 children have all attended school.  Parker, a voice over actor and musician, lives in Fort Worth.  Her daughter, Pace, attends the University of Texas in Austin.  Reece, attends Texas Tech University, and Ryan is a sophomore at Aledo High School.  Emily and her husband, Brian, have been married for 26 years.

Ms. Emily has stated that working at Learning Friends of Aledo “…is my dream job”!  Two of the things she enjoys the most are getting to see the next generation of students begin their education,  and also to be able to work alongside some of the most talented and gifted teachers in the community.   The students LOVE Ms. Emily’s fun personality and can’t wait until Tuesdays and Thursdays when she performs her amazing Science experiments!   We all agree that Ms. Emily has been a great addition to our team of dynamic teachers!

K-Prep I

Molly Hagen
T/TH K-Prep I Teacher

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K-Prep II

Jennifer Cheak
M/W/F K-Prep II Teacher

Ms. Jennifer is in her 7th year at Learning Friends.  She is a graduate of Tarleton State University. She and her husband, Stephen, have been married for 19 years and moved to Aledo in 2008 where she was a kindergarten and first grade teacher for several years.

Ms. Jennifer and her husband have two boys, Cooper in 9th grade at AMS, and Cavan, in 6th grade, at Vandagriff Elementary.

Ms. Jennifer is a member at Trinity Bible Church and she serves weekly in children’s ministry on Wednesday nights.

Ms Jennifer’s favorite thing to do in her spare time is to watch her boys play sports. She also loves to spend time with family at their ranch near Waco. She loves to ride horses and for the last few years she and her family have been rescuing horses. Ms. Jennifer loves to help out on the ranch with the cow/calf operation, helping with the daily chores of feeding and checking the cattle.

Ms. Jennifer and Ms. Molly work as a team to provide an educational and fun classroom for their part-time Pre-K students!

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Primary (3’s) 

Maria Ramirez
Primary Math/Spanish/Art and Developmental (2’s) Teacher

Born and raised in Mexico, Mrs. Maria has lived in Texas since 2016 and moved to Aledo in 2018. She is the proud mother of three children, three dogs, and two guinea pigs.

Her journey in childcare began in 2008, when her first daughter was born in Mexico. Since then, she has dedicated herself to working with children, including full-time positions at various daycares here in Texas. She is passionate about nurturing children with love, patience, and care, always striving to create a safe and encouraging environment where each child can grow into the best version of themselves.

Outside the classroom, Mrs. Maria is a full-time mom who enjoys spending time with her husband, Randy, and their children. She loves to travel, stay active through exercise, and surround herself with family and animals — both of which are deeply important to her. She also values learning every day as part of becoming her best self.

Mrs. Maria is excited to begin this new school year at Learning Friends of Aledo and looks forward to meeting all the amazing children and families.

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Kim Judice
Primary (3’s) Language Teacher
Developmental (2’s) Teacher

Born and raised in Fort Worth, Ms. Kim earned her degree in Elementary Education from the University of Texas. She has spent the past 29 years teaching Early Childhood Education and she cannot imagine doing anything else.

At Learning Friends of Aledo, Kim serves as the Language Teacher for the Primary (3’s) Class and the Developmental Teacher for the Two-Year-Old Class. She is passionate about creating a fun, safe, and nurturing environment where every child feels valued and excited to learn.

Outside the classroom, Ms. Kim enjoys spending time with her husband, Mark, and their four children—three sons and one daughter. She also loves reading, traveling, and shopping.

Ms. Kim is excited to begin this new school year at Learning Friends of Aledo and she is looking forward to all the growth, laughter, and discoveries ahead!

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Beth Obana
Primary Gross Motor and Developmental (2’s) Teacher

Ms. Beth began her career in early childhood education 11 years ago at UCC Weekday School in Fort Worth, inspired by her own daughters’ enrollment there. She first taught in the infant classroom and later transitioned to teaching one-year-olds, where she shared her warmth, care, and love for learning with her students.

A proud Fort Worth native, Ms. Beth holds a bachelor’s degree from Texas Christian University, where she is a third-generation graduate — a legacy that reflects her strong ties to the community.

Two years ago, Ms. Beth and her family relocated to Aledo. She and her husband, Rudy, have three daughters: Audrey, a sophomore at Aledo High School, and twin girls, Ella and Lily, who are in 7th grade at McAnally Middle School.

Outside the classroom, Ms. Beth enjoys supporting her daughters in their many activities, from soccer to theater, and cheering on both the TCU Horned Frogs and Aledo Bearcats at soccer games.

She is excited to begin this new school year with Learning Friends of Aledo!

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Developmental (2’s) 

Debbie Grischow
Developmental (2’s) Co-Teacher