Founder, Bronxville Sprouts

Sprouts Create (Story Time & Themed Crafts)

Sprouts Blooms (Floral Design)

Jessica Potenza is an accomplished equine artist whose creations have been exhibited and sold globally. Her works have been showcased on world tour with Cavalia, and in prestigious exhibitions in New York, Singapore, Shanghai, London, San Francisco, LA, at Miami Art Basel and in Rome at the Vatican, leaving an indelible mark on the art scene. Jessica leads the Create program for Sprouts.

Adding floral designer to her resumé in 2023, Jessica came up through the acclaimed NYBG Floral Design program, and now brings her expertise to life as she guides both children and adults in captivating floral design classes and workshops.

Learn French Through Music

Rock Your World Kids (Music)

Sprouts is proud to feature the work of the award-winning artist and educator Armelle Gloaguen, who brings a wealth of experience and creativity to our community. Armelle is the visionary behind the immensely popular Learn French/Spanish Through Music programs, which over the past 20 years have revolutionized language education in educational institutions across Westchester and beyond.

With a background in music and education, Armelle is an accomplished singer, songwriter, and guitarist, as well as an experienced teacher, who has worked with children in the U.S., France, and Guatemala, sharing her passion for music and language learning.

We invite you to visit Armelle's website to learn more about her program and her accomplishments. Her dedication to helping children learn through music has earned her recognition and praise from educators and parents alike.

In addition to her program, Armelle also shares her expertise and creativity on her YouTube channel, where parents and children can find fun and educational content to enjoy at home. We encourage you to check out her channel for some inspiration and to continue your child's learning journey.

Sprouts Discover (Story Time & STEM)

Allison is an accomplished Literacy Specialist and Special Education Teacher, based in Bronxville. She brings a wealth of experience, accumulated over a decade of dedicated service in the New York City public school system at PS11 in Manhattan and PS290 in Queens.

Renowned for her distinctive ability to individualize instruction, Allison expertly navigates the unique needs of her diverse student body. Her area of specialization is elementary school education, where she finds immense joy in teaching and engaging students through a variety of enrichment classes, including captivating STEM courses, hands-on robotics, and even the enchanting world of magic!

Allison is especially adept at supporting students who navigate challenges such as reading disabilities, attention deficit disorders, autism, as well as those identified as twice exceptional or English language learners. Her teaching philosophy centers around her innate creativity, compassionate care, and an unwavering drive to motivate her students. Allison is known for creating engaging lessons that build on her students' strengths, cater to their interests, and spark their potential and passion for learning. Currently, she is teaching STEM classes at Bronxville Sprouts and tutoring students in the NYC and Bronxville area.

Maggie takes the lead as the coach for Sprouts Play and brings with her a wealth of experience in guiding children in sports. Currently serving as a 5th Grade Special Education Teacher at Irvington School District, Maggie also has a background in playing Division 3 soccer at Juniata College. Her passion for sports shines through as she enjoys watching major games and tournaments on TV. Fun fact: Maggie ran the New York City Marathon twice and aspires to run more in the future!

Sprouts Soccer (Ages 2 to 3 & 4 to 5)

Ricardo Contreras, better known as Coach Ricky, is going on 15 years of coaching with Espy Soccer, a recreational program affiliated with EYSL. He is adored in our community by parents and children alike. With extensive experience working with the youngest of athletes, he excels in making soccer fun and instilling a passion for the sport. We feel so fortunate to have Coach Ricky join the Sprouts team.

Sprouts Explore (Nature & Gardening)

Sprouts Cooking

Sprouts Re-Create (Crafting From Re-Purposed Materials)

Sprouts Wonder (Sensory)

Meet Erica, a passionate nature aficionado and nurturing guide at Sprouts. Her leap from the corporate world into the journey of motherhood with two children rekindled her love for nature, from foraging to gardening. She's dedicated to sparking imaginations, sharing outdoor wonders, and fostering a lifelong love for nature. With a bachelor's degree in studio arts and a craft enthusiast background, Erica leads tiny explorers to cherish and protect our precious planet, one adventure at a time.

Working under the tutelage of expert language educator Armelle Gloaguen, Señora Lissette radiates warmth and has a gift at connecting with children and their caregivers. Native of Chile, Señora Lissette is passionate about sharing her language and connecting with her students.

Administration

Sprouts Wonder (Sensory)

Rachel, a graduate of Sarah Lawrence College in Early Childhood Development and Writing, brings both her experience workiag with children as well as her expertise in curriculum development. One of the collaborators for the design of our sensory program, Wonder, Rachel curates hands-on, entertaining and educational programming. With a passion for storytelling, learning, and exploring the world, Rachel nurtures curiosity and growth through engaging sensory experiences.

Meet Robert the Guitar Guy, our dynamic musical maestro and puppeteer extraordinaire at Sprouts! With a guitar in hand and a colorful cast of puppets by his side, Robert transforms our music classes for infants, toddlers, and young children into vibrant, interactive performances that spark joy and inspire creativity, fostering a love for music from the very start.

Sprouts Breathe (Mindfulness & Yoga)

Breathe Together (Parent & Baby Yoga)

Sarah is an international performer, educator, and mindfulness and wellbeing consultant. She is so excited to be coming to the Sprouts community!

Through her work as a professional singer, a lifelong teacher, and a wellbeing facilitator, Sarah focuses on the common thread of reminding people of the sacred core at the center of their being, and their connection to the earth and others. She studies this in her current work as a Graduate Student at Columbia University in the Spirit Mind Body Institute. Sarah has taught ages 3 - 80 for over 15 years, and is so excited to bring her love for people and teaching to Bronxville!

Tori Hirsch MS, CCC-SLP, TSSLD is a licensed New York City based Speech and Language Pathologist, and founder of Talking with Tori Speech Therapy. Tori specializes in providing pediatric play-based therapy, through both structured and unstructured activities, to encourage growth in expressive and receptive language skills.