THE PLAY LAB TEACHERS
MARIELLA PRICE
Mariella Price is an award-winning songwriter and vocalist (Billboard World Songwriting Contest Grand Prize 2008, John Lennon Songwriting Contest Honorable Mention) and has performed at Carnegie Hall, Radio City Music Hall, NPR's Tiny Desk Concert, and International Jazz Festivals. She has been featured on Sesame Street seasons 40 and 41, and in Elmo's Music Magic DVD as well as the Grammy Nominated album Fu Chronicles. Mariella is also the founder of Jazz Baby Music- classes, and concerts combining her love of jazz standards, popular music, children's classics, and multi-sensory play. Mariella also leads Spanish/Bilingual Storytime and Ready Set Kindergarten programs for Brooklyn Public Library. She lives in Brooklyn, NY with her husband Morgan, their son Louis, and their cat, Cap.
Mariella teaches Music Class
ALONZO HILLMAN
Alonzo Hillman is a dedicated fitness instructor for children and adults of all ages. With a background in psychology and sociology in early childhood development, he's also an exciting guru in the world of fitness development. Alonzo thrived in sports and teaching which motivated him to pursue the wellness programs at Fitness Adventures for Kids. He works primarily in the community of NYC, hand-and-hand with preschools through his programming in the tri-state area and partners with companies to curate a better essential gym program for preschools through NYC. Fitness Adventures for Kids administers excitable workouts and long-term teachable lessons for every student in the program with a kind friendly face, supportive and understanding language to give every student confidence in his programs.
Alonzo teaches classes: Little Gym Class
LAURA BURNHAM
Laura is a speech-language therapist with a private practice based in Williamsburg Brooklyn. She holds her Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCCs) from the American Speech and Hearing Association, New York State Speech-Language Pathology license, and is certified as a Teacher of Student with Speech and Language Disabilities (TSSLD). She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders from the University of Vermont and received her Masters degree in Speech-Language Pathology from St. John’s University in New York City. Laura has completed ongoing continuing education training including PROMPT training and sensory trainings. Laura currently offers individual speech-language therapy sessions and co-founded a Sensory-Play Speech class for toddlers in Greenpoint Brooklyn.
Laura has over 5 years of clinical experience. She has worked in a variety of settings including a hospital, general education and special education school, home health care for early intervention, and the private practice setting. In speech-language therapy, Laura specializes in supporting late talkers, kids with speech-language challenges, as well as kids with autism. She is passionate about empowering families to feel confident using speech-language strategies in the home to support ongoing speech and language development. Her goal is always to allow the child to flourish and become a confident communicator.
As a Greenpoint resident, Laura is happy to serve her local community. She currently services Williamsburg, Greenpoint, Clinton Hill and Downtown Brooklyn as well as Lower Manhattan in New York City.
To learn more about her services, please visit: https://www.lbspeechandfeeding.com/
Laura teaches Sensory-Play Speech class
MAGDA LAHLITI
Magda Lahliti is the owner, founder, and operator of The Play Lab. A native of Strasbourg in France, Magda is a trained language and general studies educator, local business owner, and Brooklyn mom.
The Play Lab was created to meet the needs of the growing community and to help unite families through the joy of play. Magda’s vision for The Play Lab is to provide an opportunity for families to build memories and relationships through interactive play experiences that engage physical activity, critical thinking, problem-solving, and social interaction.
Magda has extensive educational and practical experience in childhood growth and development through her experience as an early childhood teacher and director at French for Little Ones, a French immersion playschool that she founded in 2008. In addition to The Play Lab, Magda is the owner and operator of Play Kids after-school program in Greenpoint, and Learn French Brooklyn which provides French classes for adults and children of all ages.
Magda enjoys seeing families of Brooklyn and beyond having fun at The Play Lab and creating endless possibilities together. She continues to work tirelessly to create meaningful experiences for the community, her students, and customers.
Magda teaches French for Little Ones class
GEOFF GOHACKI
Geoff Gohacki has been a teacher and a professional chef for over 20 years and first became interested in emergency response after preforming first aid on one of his students. Geoff has two sons, who when they were younger, liked to live on the wild side. Because of this, he has focused on child safety and responding to emergencies involving children. A student before a teacher, Geoff is constantly researching and learning the newest techniques in CPR, AED, First Aid and Child Passenger Safety.
Geoff is an American Heart Association BLS Instructor and an American Red Cross certified instructor of CPR, AED, and First Aid. He is also a certified instructor through the Health and Safety Institute. Geoff is also a nationally certified Child Passenger Safety Technician Instructor through Safekids USA.
When not teaching, Geoff can be found playing tennis, navigating trails, or exploring the beaches and mountains of Puerto Rico with his wife Vanessa J. Anton, founder of CommonSenseCPR.
Geoff teaches CPR & Safety Infant and Child Class