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Our Staff

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Our Staff

Our Administration Team

Each staff member undergoes an extensive background check, including a yearly FBI Records update.
We also require staff to complete First Aid and CPR training updates every two years. In addition, every
team member receives over 20 hours of professional development training annually.
Each classroom is staffed with two teachers: a Lead Teacher and an Assistant Teacher. All of our Lead
Teachers hold a Child Development Associate (CDA) Credential, ensuring they meet national standards
for quality early childhood education.“

Katia Lopez

CEO/ Founder
Redwood
About Me

Katia Lopez

CEO/ Founder
Redwood
24+ years of experience
Hi! My name is Katia Lopez, a proud mother of two boys, wife, educator, entrepreneur, and childcare advocate. I am native from Peru, where I obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education and have also worked as a teacher since I was 16 years old. I came to this wonderful country 22 years ago and continued working as a teacher. Later, with additional school studies in early childhood, I earned a Director credential. 18 years ago, with lots of enthusiasm, hard work and the help of my mother at that time, I started Smart Kids in the basement of my home. I have been happily working in the education field for more than 30 years now and run all day-to-day decisions of our 5 high quality childcare locations with the help of a great team of teachers and specialists. I Always believed that quality education and a loving environment can change the life of children and our future society. We continue to strive for this.

Lilian Barral

CDA Infant and Toddler Coordinator
About Me

Lilian Barral

CDA Infant and Toddler Coordinator
19+ years of experience
My Name is Lilian Barral, I was born in Peru, my first language is Spanish and, I speak English too. I am married, and I have one daughter. When I lived In Peru I got an associate's Degree in Computer Science and Clerical Administration, I use to teach basic computer skills for elementary school up to high school. In 2001 I moved with my family to Utah. I opened a family day care in 2007, were I really enjoy to teach and see the kids learn new things every day. I took training on Care About Child Care where, I got to level 8 on the Carer Leader. I got the NAC "National Administration Credential, CDA “Child Development Associate credential”, and college trainings about Child Development, Birth to Five, and Positive Behavior Support. In 2014 I partnered with Katia in her childcare business for 3 of the Smart Kids centers. Since then we have worked together. I love my work, and I think that our children are the most important part of our society .

Veronica Garabedian

Director
Kearns
About Me

Veronica Garabedian

Director
Kearns
My name is Veronica Garabedian, and I am excited to be the new director of Smart Kids Kearns. I have been working at this company for the last two years as a school-age coordinator and grant administrator. It's an honor to have the opportunity to work directly with the children and families we serve. I have more than 10 years of experience in the childcare field, working with infants and toddlers, preschool, kindergarten, and school-age. Education has always been very important to me. I am currently working towards obtaining a degree in Science with an emphasis in the Early Childhood Education field from Ashworth College. I have a National Administration Certificate (NAC), and a Child Development Associate Credential (CDA) for infants, toddlers, and preschool, and am endorsed as a CDA Professional Development Specialist for the Council for Professional Recognition (Washington DC). To get to know a little bit more about myself, I am a proud wife and mom of three amazing children: Anoush, Melanie, and my son Zachary. I enjoy my time with my family, especially on vacations. We all love to visit new places and spend time together.

Norma Rascon

Director
Salt Lake City
About Me

Norma Rascon

Director
Salt Lake City
My name is Norma Rascon, and I am the Director at Smart Kids Developmental Center in Salt Lake City. My experience has consisted of working with kids for ten years in education. I graduated from the University of Texas in 1998, with a degree in Infant Psychology. After graduating I moved to West Palm Beach Florida, where I worked as Assistant Director at a Daycare. In 2010 I moved to Salt Lake City and was offered an opportunity to work as the Director and have been doing that for 12 years. Working with Smart Kids is the best experience. I love my job and the opportunity to be a part of their lives.

Marisol Uzal

Director
Taylorsville
About Me

Marisol Uzal

Director
Taylorsville
Hi! My name is Marisol Uzal and I joined Smart Kids as a pre-school teacher in 2012. Now I am proud to be the director at our Taylorsville location. I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Modern Languages with a major in Education. I have been working in the education field for more than 28 years. I believe all kids deserve to have a safe educational environment to learn and grow in, that’s why I am lucky to be part of the Smart Kids family.

Jill Davidson

Director
West Jordan
About Me

Jill Davidson

Director
West Jordan
I am Jill Davidson. I moved to Utah in 1986 after serving a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I grew up in a small town in Southern California. I have always loved working with children and animals and I knew my career would consist of one or the other. I started working at the West Jordan location in April 1986. I loved it so much! I taught pre-school for a few years, then the school-age children stole my heart. I became the activities director for a few more years while I finished school. Then I was asked to teach kindergarten and became the director at the center in 2000. In 2012, Smart Kids bought the center and I was lucky enough to be asked to stay as their director. So, all in all, I have been here for 30 years! I have my babies bringing me their babies! It makes me feel old, but loved…

Patricia Robles

Director
Redwood
About Me

Patricia Robles

Director
Redwood
My name is Patricia Robles. I have been with Smart Kids for 5 years. I started off as a director’s assistant working under Jill Davidson, a former Director at our West Jordan Location, I was there for 3 years. After a few years, I was able to start working as a Director in our Redwood location. I have gained so much experience in childcare throughout the years and was able to pass my NAC test with the help of my peers. I currently live in West Jordan, I am a mother of 5, A grandma of 1 and you can either catch me riding a motorcycle with my husband during the day or doing lots of shopping on my time outside of work.

Marisol Lopez

Director
West Valley
About Me

Marisol Lopez

Director
West Valley
11+ years of experience
Marisol Lopez brings 11+ years of experience and a strong commitment to early childhood development and family support services. With a background as a Special Education Specialist and Developmental Delay Specialist, she is dedicated to addressing the unique needs of children and families with care and expertise. Marisol holds many professional certifications, including Preschool CDA, Community Health Worker (CHW), QPR Suicide Prevention Certification, ERSI Infant-Toddler Certification, Effective Parenting Certification, and UCASA Certification. Her holistic approach integrates educational, emotional, and community-based support, positioning her as a compassionate and effective advocate for early learning and family well-being.

Angelica Gamez

CDA Coach
West Jordan
About Me

Angelica Gamez

CDA Coach
West Jordan
9+ years of experience
Hello, my name is Angelica Gamez (Angie) I’m a proud Mom of three wonderful children, I like to go on long walks out into the mountains, I like to play basketball, i’m from Mexico, I been working in the childcare system for 9 years and with Smart Kids Team 5 years ago. I have my Child Development Associate CDA in Preschool. I studied at the University of Sonora in Mexico and graduated in Business Administration. I love working on coaching teachers and with children , the way that we can learn and teach each other.

Brenda Thaxton

CDA Coach
About Me

Brenda Thaxton

CDA Coach
15+ years of experience
I started working in Early Childhood Education in 1999. I have worked with 2- and 3-year-olds for 17 years. I began my career as a preschool coach in 2016, mentoring and supporting preschool teachers to achieve High Quality classrooms. I love this profession. Working with young children is a pleasure for me. I love their curious minds and desire for learning. Supporting their teachers/care givers and working as a team brings me joy to know that we together can create a nurturing, loving environment for the children of our future. I have a CDA Child Development Associates, and I am in Career Ladder level 8. I have an Early Childhood Coaching Certificate, with 135 hours of schooling through University of Colorado School of Education & human Development.

Find the Nearest Center!

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Kearns

2-12 years -
6:00am - 6:00pm
Infants/Toddlers
7:00am - 6:00 pm

Redwood

2-12 years -
6:00am - 6:00pm
Infants/Toddlers
7:00am - 6:00 pm

West Jordan

2-12 years -
6:00am - 6:00pm
Infants/Toddlers
7:00am - 6:00 pm

Salt Lake City

2-12 years -
6:00am - 6:00pm
Infants/Toddlers
7:00am - 6:00 pm

Taylorsville

2-12 years -
6:00am - 6:00pm
Infants/Toddlers
7:00am - 6:00 pm

West Valley

Infants-12 years -
6:00am - 6:30pm
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