Kashefa Merchant

Lead Educator - Older Preschool

Hi, I am Kashefa I am originally from India, I resided in Chicago for many years. My son Farhan is a 8th grader and daughter, Aalia is a 7th grader. I, my husband, Aasim and our 2 children live in Centennial. I enjoy Yoga, hiking, bike riding. I also enjoy strength training immensely and incorporate a lot of strengthening exercises into preschool gross motor play.

I have been an Early Childhood Educator for more than 16 years, I have also been an Early Childhood Director for 3 of those years. I hold a Master’s Degree and teaching certificate in Early Childhood Education from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Previously I have worked for the University of Illinois at Chicago Children’s Center, and Montview Commission Preschool and Kindergarten in Denver.

I hope to get to know all of you this year and create wonderful memories. I love the play-based approach of DCP. I believe children thrive when their ideas are the foundation of learning. I am passionate about helping young children reach their full potential by developing a curriculum based on their interests and ideas. I believe that a play-based approach helps children expand their ideas and explore various components of learning. I am passionate about STEM, and incorporate a lot of STEM-based activities into my lesson plans. I believe children naturally gravitate towards inquiry-based science activities because of their inherently curious nature. I also enjoy children’s literature and music.