About Abilities Preschool
Helping Children Learn, Grow & Thrive
Meet the Abilities Team
Experienced Professionals. Caring People. One Collaborative Team.
The people caring for and teaching your child matter.
Our team includes experienced early childhood educators, occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, teaching assistants and support professionals who share a commitment to helping children learn, communicate, explore and grow.
Having educators and pediatric professionals working within the same environment creates something special: a team that understands child development from many different perspectives while recognizing each child as an individual.
Meet the people who make Abilities such a special place to learn and grow.
Stacey Frasier, OTR/L
Founder/CEO
Stacey Frasier is a registered Occupational Therapist. She has worked with children in the Warren, Washington and Saratoga County regions providing services in the home, clinic and daycare/preschool settings. Stacey earned her degree at Utica College of Syracuse University. She has concentrated her study in Pediatrics, extensively in the area of sensory integration and its relation to motor skills. She excels in the treatment of sensory processing disorders, autism spectrum disorders and ADD/ADHD. She utilizes a multi -faceted approach to treat children with developmental diagnoses including cerebral palsy, spina bifida, and Down syndrome.
Stacey maintains a high level of continuing education and is certified with the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy. Stacey is trained in the Wilbarger Therapressure Technique and is currently pursuing certification in Ayres Sensory Integration. Stacey is a member of the American Occupational Therapy Association and the New York State Occupational Therapy Association. Stacey provides fun, multi sensory based learning and therapeutic techniques to assist children to engage in their occupation of playing and learning, building the skills and confidence to thrive in their environment.
Trish Wildermuth
Preschool Director
Trish Wildermuth holds degrees in both Elementary and Special Education as well as a Master’s Degree in Reading. She began teaching in 2001 and has taught at the intermediate, primary, and, most recently, at the preschool level. Mrs. Wildermuth has an intimate understanding of child development and is skilled in adapting curriculum to meet individual needs so every child can thrive. She believes that “education is not the filling of the pail, but the lighting of a fire” (William Butler Yeats) and strives to create a classroom community where children are actively engaged and inspired to explore and learn.
Meghan Leary
Lead Teacher
Miss Meg joins us as a graduate of SUNY Plattsburgh where she studied early childhood education and Psychology. She strives to promote social emotional and physical development of children and excels in the creation and application of STEM projects and child-centered, multi-sensory instruction through play. Miss Meg focuses on hands on and personalized learning with children based on a child’s personality and interests and develops classroom curriculums emphasizing multi-modality education and learning through play.
Ana Dugan
TogaTykes Teacher
Ms. Ana has 25 years of experience caring for and teaching children of all ages, from infants and toddlers to school-aged children and students in higher education.
She especially loves the purity, sincerity, and natural curiosity of young children. Ms. Ana believes children learn best when they feel safe, valued, encouraged, and free to explore and make sense of the world around them.
Originally from Brazil, Ms. Ana speaks English, Portuguese, and Spanish. She holds a master’s degree from SUNY Albany, a bachelor’s degree in English and Portuguese Language, and a degree in elementary education from Brazil.
When she is not teaching, Ms. Ana enjoys spending time with her family and pets, reading, crocheting, knitting, and being outdoors.
Christine Battista
Clinical Operations Coordinator
Christine serves as the Clinical Operations Coordinator at Abilities, where she supports the daily operations of the center and helps ensure services run smoothly for children, families, and staff. In her role, she assists with coordinating schedules, managing billing and administrative systems, and supporting communication among team members to help keep programs organized and running efficiently.
Christine works closely with the Clinical Director, therapists, and educators to help maintain a well-coordinated environment so the team can focus on providing high-quality, individualized care for every child. With strong organizational skills and attention to detail, she plays an important role in supporting the collaborative and welcoming atmosphere that families experience at Abilities.
Nicole Shirk
Operations Coordinator
Miss Nikki joined Abilities as a teaching assistant in the Early Intervention Program after moving back to the area with her 4 children and husband. Before becoming a mom, Miss Nikki was a live-in Nanny living in Italy and Japan for several years. Now the lead teacher of Toga Tykes, she enjoys using her creativity, love for teaching, and passion for art to create a space where the children can be creatively expressive to continue fostering self-confidence while being in an fun and safe environment.
Joelle Hartshorne, MS, CCC/SLP
Makayla Hulett, MS, CCC/SLP
Monica Isenovski, MA, CCC/SLP
Melissa Loehle, MS, CCC/SLP
Nicole Moffitt (Panetta), MS Ed, CCC/SLP
Emily Straight, MA, CCC/SLP
Sophie Collura, MS/SLP
Kylee Battista, MS, OTR/L
Cheryl Lynch, OTR/L
Amy Ripchik, MS, OTR/L
Dana Grady, MS OTR/L
Amanda Salamon, MS OTR/L
Sarah Eldredge, PT, DPT
Molly Frasier
Kimberly Hofmeister
Lindsey Manning
COMING SOON
Come Meet Us!
The Best Way to Get to Know Abilities Is to Experience It.
Choosing a preschool is personal. We invite you to visit Abilities, explore our classrooms and sensory-motor gym, meet members of our team and learn more about the programs available for your child.
Bring your questions — we’d love to get to know your family.