Our Teachers
Sharon Hershman (Founder & CEO)
Sharon is our CEO and Founder of Kids On 12th. Originally from Central PA, she studied child development, specializing in young exceptional children. She served as the Director of a South Philadelphia preschool and her professional experience includes working for the Delaware Autistic Program, plus many years as a therapist for the adult mentally ill. She started Kids On 12th in 2007 when no program would meet the unique needs of her own child. Her passion is creating fun educational experiences for every child. To learn more, read Our Company Journey below.
Julius DeAngelus, MA (Education Director & Elementary Teacher) 12 years
Born in Atlantic City and raised in Philadelphia, Teacher Julius is our Academic Director, as well as the Author of a coming-of-age novel, Dancing on Seaside, set in his hometown. Julius discovered his love for teaching after being laid off from a 12 year job in advertising. He took a job as a teaching assistant at McCall Elementary School and it changed his life. After 3 years in this role, he went back to college, earning his Master’s degree in Elementary Education from Chestnut Hill College. He also attended Temple University and Community College of Philadelphia. Today, Julius will tell you, “discovering teaching is the best thing to ever happen to me.” He currently lives in Philadelphia with his wife Susan and their two children. He leads our day to day functions including Kindergartens, Preschool, and the Child Care center.
Gwyneth Mallinder (Preschool Teacher) 11 years
Teacher Gwyneth is our Lead Teacher. She grew up in Northwestern New Jersey and attended Millersville University where she received her Art Education degree and teacher certification. She lived in San Francisco for 9 years before moving to Philadelphia to be closer to her family and started working at kids on 12th Child Care Center with the after school and summer camp programs before joining us full time as a preschool teacher. She now lives in South Philadelphia with her husband and two cats and our lead preschool teacher.
Casey Long (Preschool Teacher)
Casey graduated from the University of Connecticut in 2019. She majored in Human Development and Family Studies. and calls KO12 Kids a place where she can share her love of all things creative with kids! Casey's enjoys contributing to KO12 kids' growth and seeing them change little by little every single day. Whether it be reaching a small milestone, discovering new passions, or becoming more confident as an individual, this is one of her most rewarding reasons for being here.
Tanni Chowdhury (Preschool Assitant)
Tanni has a Bachelor's Degree from Penn State University in Human Development and Family Studies with a minor in Psychology. She started at KO12 Kids in 2020 to fulfill a degree externship requirement and has stayed on with us. She is a wonderful addition to our family of teachers!
Mosi Blaylock (After School)
Tr. Mosi has been with KO12 since 2013. He earned his Bachelor's degree from Temple University majoring in African American Studies with a minor in Child Psychology. Mosi is active in the community. He volunteers as a Youth Advisor for the Baptist Congress of Christian Education Youth Ministries in Philadelphia.
His is the Founder of Pathways for Summer Days, an organization that gives kids ages 13-19 an opportunity to shadow professionals and get summer jobs.
He also worked at Independence Charter Schools in various assisting roles with children and teachers.
Violet Lawson (On leave during internship)
Teacher Violet began with Kids On 12th in 2018 as a Swim Instructor and works with us part-time while she continues her studies in Recreational Therapy at Temple University. She is pursuing certification as a Child Life Specialist. Teacher Violet brings the most awesome activity ideas for the kids and is truly a joy to have on our team!