Kaitlyn has been working in the Early Education field for 8 years. She started her journey as an Assistant Teacher at Timberline Learning Center in Breckenridge, CO where she eventually was promoted into a Lead Teacher role. Falling in love with the field and with the desire to grow, she found herself as the Assistant Director of a center in Lakewood. By getting her early education roots in a school that practiced the Reggio Emilia philosophy, she was excited to join Alaya and dive into their Contemplative education style.

Originally from New York, Kaitlyn moved to Colorado for the mountains. She is an avid skier, hiker and biker. She spends most of her time off enjoying the great outdoors with her partner, Patrick, and their pup, Bean Sprout. Kaitlyn is currently working toward her Masters in Early Education, with a focus on Reggio Emilia at CU Denver.

Betsy has an eclectic background in Philosophy, Education and food. She finished her BA in Early Childhood Education in 2011 at Naropa after completing her internship in Rachel and Mikayla’s classroom. She worked at Alaya as a classroom assistant and in the office for two years. For over 10 years Betsy worked at many holistic based preschools in Boulder and Asheville, N.C. (her home town). In her 20’s she lived in Central India for three years earning a degree in Vedic Philosophy. She has had a secondary career working in restaurants, catering, and as a baker. She loves food, children and organizing things!

Amy taught preschool throughout her twenties, and was a teacher at Alaya in 2003-2006. She earned her Master’s degree at Naropa in 2004, in Environmental Leadership and Contemplative Education. Amy took a break from teaching in the classroom after she had her first baby, and has spent the last 15 years focused on being a mom, homeschooling her two boys, studying herbalism and aromatherapy, and teaching an assortment of yoga classes. Her older son, Isaiah, was a Tiger at Alaya in 2011, and her younger son, Quinn, was a Garuda in 2015. In between, their family lived in Bath, Maine for four years, where they enjoyed spending time with her extended family on the east coast, and playing by the ocean.

At home in Longmont, Amy loves gardening, baking, books, arts and crafts, being outside, and snuggling with her cat and three dogs. She and her husband Joe love to hike, camp, and take the kids on road trips to explore the country. Amy is delighted to be teaching again at one of her favorite places, Alaya Preschool!

Brooke is a teacher at Alaya, where she has taught since moving to Colorado in 2009. She has been an educator for 25 years, mostly in preschool settings including 10 years at schools serving children who need extra support. Brooke holds a B.S. in Early Childhood Education (E.C. Ed.) and is completing coursework toward her Master's in E.C. Ed. Contemplative Movement and Insight Meditation are Brooke's main contemplative practices.  

When school is not in session, Brooke can often be found on a mountain trail. She also has 3 grown children and a life-partner to spend treasured time with.

Dave is delighted to join the Alaya community this year, bringing his diverse teaching expertise to the Snow Lion classroom. A lifelong learner, musician, and adventurer, Dave has been an educator for over 10 years, spanning a rich variety of settings. From coaching chamber music youth ensembles (viola and violin) in his hometown of New Haven, CT, to leading outdoor expeditions at the National Outdoor Leadership School and Prescott College, Dave is passionate about building relationships and encouraging students to be creative, kind learners. He is excited to bring his most recent experience as a Pre-K Reggio Forest School teacher to Alaya Preschool.

Dave has studied Viola Performance and Philosophy at UMass Amherst, as well as Adventure Education and Developmental Psychology at Prescott College. He is a freelance guitarist and violist and loves to explore trails and mountains. Dave also loves the Southwest, great coffee, the New York Yankees, and biking/dancing at the Happy Thursday Boulder Cruise rides!

Greta is a teacher at Alaya. She has worked here since 2006. Greta has been known to be the conductor of song, strumming melodies and creating delight with a merry band of preschool children. She earned a certificate in Early Education through Front Range Community College in 2003 and worked at other preschools 2000-2006, before she took her current position at Alaya Preschool. Greta has also been a Bikram yoga teacher since 2013, and has been a practitioner of yoga since 2000.

During school breaks Greta enjoys spending time with her husband, who is also a teacher. Together they enjoy hot spring visits, going to concerts and festivals. Greta loves baking, sewing, and playing her ukulele.

Lorna taught at Alaya for 4 years before taking a break from the classroom in 2020. She is delighted to return to the magical land that is Alaya Preschool, where she first landed upon arriving in Boulder from New York City in 2016. She has been a preschool teacher for over 15 years, and has a profound love and respect for the work of of nurturing and fostering the growth of the young children in the community. With extracurricular backgrounds in dance, poetry, theatre, and public speaking, she enjoys bringing music and movement into the classroom and witnessing the children joyfully explore language and self expression.

Mikayla has the cheerful distinction of being both a graduate (Garuda Class of ’93) and a beloved teacher at Alaya, since 2006. Mikayla revived her B.A. from The New School University in New York City, where she studied education and social justice. She specialized in working with refugee youth through the International Rescue Committee, which inspired her to write her thesis on disaster education in New Orleans and Haiti. Mikayla was raised in the Shambhala Buddhist community, which Alaya is associated with through our shared founder, Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche. As part of her Buddhist community, Mikayla has staffed many contemplative education programs both in the U.S. and abroad, including a role as both director and teacher of the international Aloka Childcare program in France. 

As a trained hip hop dancer, Mikayla can be found dancing in grocery store isles, along sidewalks or most anywhere that music is playing. She enjoys photography - especially printing photos in a darkroom. She also loves painting, making jewelry, the occasional woodworking project and going to see live music. 

Sigridur Gudmundsdottir has been with Alaya since 2016. Everyone calls her Sigga. The mother of grown children, her ease and expertise with young children is immediately apparent. Her three children live in Iceland, Sweden, and France and her three grandchildren live in Iceland and Sweden.

A native of Iceland, she and her husband have lived in the United States since 2015. In Iceland, she taught children ages 6 to 15 years old in elementary and secondary schools. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Education from the University of Iceland in 1977 and then continued her studies, first in Denmark and then in the United States.

Sigga has called Boulder home for the past 7 years. Shortly after arriving, she began meditating at the Shambhala Center where her instructor connected her to Alaya Preschool where she was very happy to start teaching again. 

Sigga loves to travel and has lived in Iceland, Denmark, England, New Hampshire, and Minnesota.  She is especially appreciative of the beauty that surrounds us here in Colorado. She also enjoys getting to know her surroundings and generally just loves life in all its beauty. To relax, Sigga also loves to read, knit and cook.