Teachers

Beth Brantley Daniels

Owner

Hi, I am Beth Brantley-Daniels, I am the founder and owner of Bright Ideas Childcare and Learning Center. I am also the mother of 8 children, 4 girls and 4 boys. I have always envisioned Bright Ideas to be an extension of family and community to help build the foundation of children. Bright Ideas Childcare and Learning Center opened May 1, 2000. We opened the Tempe location November 1, 2006. The Broadway location has a new owner but is still managed by my mother, the beloved Ms. Penny and the Tempe Center is a thriving location where my wonderful staff, including my children Will, Helle and Peter spend our days helping children grow, learn, love and laugh! Please do not hesitate to contact me directly to tour the center or ask any questions. For more information about Beth.

Rodica Eftimescu Cheatham

Director

My name is Rodica Eftimescu Cheatham. I am one of the directors at Bright Ideas Childcare and Learning Center. I am lucky to work with a great team of people! Working in this field is a challenge for everyone. I was a preschool teacher for a few years before and I loved it. I learned that children will show us what and how we need to teach.I was born and raised in Romania (S-E of Europe). I am coming from a small family. My parents and brother still live there. Before I came to the United States I completed three years at Babes- Bolyai University from Transylvania. I took violin classes for almost 4 years and played professional volleyball for nine years. I am a very open person. I love to interact with children and adults. I am always there to help when I can. Early childcare educators have the hardest and the greatest job. Being able to set a good foundation for the future for the children is rewarding!

Abby Willson

Director

Hello, my name is Abby Willson. I have worked for Bright Ideas since January of 2008 and have loved every minute of it. I started working in the preschool classroom before moving up front and working as one of the directors. I love to plan new and exciting things for us to do and try at Bright Ideas. I went to Central Arizona College where I studied business and a little bit of nursing, but ultimately realizing my love is working with children. I have two “children” of my own, Clay, a beautiful Border Collie and Lola, a stubborn pure bred mutt. I look forward to meeting with and talking to new people each and every day.

William brantley

Director

I’m William Brantley. I was born in Denmark. I spent the first three years of my life there until my parents decided to move to United States. I come from a large family; I have 4 brothers and sisters. In my spare time, my favorite thing to do is biking. I am 21 years old and going to school for business and finance. I am currently one of the directors, and I really enjoy what I do. Every day here is a challenge. Every day is a new learning experience for me. I am thankful for the opportunity to share and watch your children grow. I am also thankful for having a great team to work with and a lot of amazing parents here at Bright Ideas. The biggest thing that I learned from my family is helping others. I am always open to answer any questions or concerns you might have.

Cassandra Roman

Teacher

I am Miss Cassie and I am the Twos Teacher. I have been working with Bright Ideas since the beginning of 2008. I have been working with children for a little over 5 years. Within the passed couple years at Bright Ideas I have worked in every room and have found my place. I love working with the 2-year-olds! The children may be a rambunctious group at times, but I like to think they are full of energy while also awaiting new things to learn.Working here for almost 3 years has given me the opportunity to see some of these children come in as infants, not even crawling, where they are now 3-years-old and tracing their name. The 2-year-olds will learn to count, their basic shapes and colors, while hitting the big feat of going potty!!!The class has its weekly themes, where the children will have fun art projects, dramatic play, work on their large and fine motor skills, that will all relate back to the theme. I have the children interact with me and each other during circle time; going over shapes, colors, letters, and numbers. They have their free time to burn off some of that energy, whether it’s dancing with music and movement or running and swinging outside on the playground. The children keep me smiling or laughing so I like to keep one on theirs.

Liz Everett

Teacher

Hi my name is Liz. I am the lead teacher in the ones room and have experience working with all ages of children. Coming from a family of eight children and now having four children under the age of five I am somewhat of an expert at handling large groups of kids. I have been working with bright ideas since March of 2007. I am very dedicated to working and spending time outside of work preparing for the time I spend in the classroom. I enjoy working in the ones room because it’s a high energy room and every day is a new adventure. In the ones room your child will enjoy artistic play, arts, crafts, sign language story time and lots of singing. Because of my experience I have an amazing command of the classroom so the children have an opportunity to learn more and do more fun activities. I am very artistic and love coming up with numerous creative activities every week for the kids to enjoy.

Ashton Riley

Teacher

My name is Ashton. I'm going to school for Human Development and Early Childhood Education while I'm working for Bright Ideas. Eventually I'd like to further my education and do something in the field of Human Services. Before I came to Bright Ideas I worked in a group home for a few years, and it made me realize just how much I loved working with kids. At Bright Ideas I primarily work in the 4's room but I also get to float and go from class to class. The thing I like most about working with kids is seeing them learn and grow. I like planning arts and crafts, and anything that makes the kids think outside of the box. I don't see myself ever wanting to do anything else but work with kids.

London Ray

Teacher

Hello my name is London Ray; I am one of the teachers in the ones room here at Bright Ideas. I am Twenty years old and I’m currently studying early childhood development at Rio Salado community college. I’ve been working with children from age’s infants to school age for since 2005, and for bright ideas since July of 2010.I can honestly say I LOVE IT, and can’t see myself in any other field. I enjoy participating arts and craft with the children, I love that it is so hands on and gives a great personable connection between the children and I.

Emily Halling

Teachers

Hi! I am Emily Halling. I have been working in the 2’s room as an assistant teacher since September 2010 and I love it! I’ve always really enjoyed taking care of little ones and it’s become a passion of mine. I am currently enrolled at Mesa Community College and will be transferring to ASU in a year. My major is Early Childhood Education with a minor in Psychology. I volunteer at the Child Crisis Center whenever I get the chance. I love working with children and I think that seeing the light bulb go off in a child’s mind is the most rewarding part of this job. Our ones room is always full of energy and laughter and we love it! Come join us! We would love to have you!

Peter Brantley

Cook

My name is Peter. My mom is the owner of Bright Ideas and my brother and sister also work here. Although being autistic brings it's challenges I have the ability to help out a lot around the daycare. During the day I go to school at Mesquite and after I come here mainly to help out with dinner. I love to cook and make nutritious meals for the kids here at Bright Ideas. Ask me the rules and regulations that our daycare is to follow and I can pretty much tell you A to Z about them. I am the go to guy for kitchen regulations, which are important to follow to keep the kids safe and healthy!

Sam Giese

Teacher

Hi my name is Sam and I am the new school age teacher at Bright Ideas. I’m 20 years old and will be attending Scottsdale Community College in January, studying Film. I was born and raised in Arizona and I absolutely love it here. I have always been a huge sports fan and also enjoy playing them. I played hockey and baseball throughout my childhood up until my senior year of high school. In my free time I love to aggressive rollerblade. It has been a great part of my life since I was 17 years old. I previously worked at Kyrene Kids Club with a couple different schools. I really enjoy working with children mainly because I love to be a role model to them. Watching kids grow and seeing them learn new things everyday is what puts a smile on my face. I am blessed to have the opportunity to be working with everyone here at Bright Ideas. If you have any questions to ask feel free to come up and ask me!

Kim Nguyen

Teacher

Hello! My name is Kim and I am the 3’s and 4’s teacher. I have been working at Bright ideas Preschool for about a year. I have a combined total of 4 years in Preschool education. I absolutely love my job and my class! I like to think outside of the box and challenge my kids. You can usually find me rolling on the floor with my kids or getting my hands dirty without many creative activities we do each day. We do follow a pretty strict daily schedule but definitely can be flexible when things come up!