About Us
For over 46 years, Horizon has been at the forefront of providing high quality care and education, significantly shaping the lives of children. Horizon offers programs for children 6 weeks to 14 years of age. This enduring legacy, established in memory of our founder Mary M. Smith, continues to inspire and guide our commitment to excellence.
Our Mission: to provide high-quality early childhood education, care and youth development programs.
All our child care centers are open 6:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Afterschool hours vary by location. See individual location pages for details.
Please note that Horizon Education Centers are closed on select dates throughout the year.
Our Service Areas
Horizon Education Centers proudly serves a range of communities in the greater Cleveland area, including Cleveland, Elyria, Grafton, Fairview, Lorain, North Olmsted, Olmsted Falls, North Ridgeville, Sheffield, Sheffield Lake, Berea, and Lakewood. These primary communities are at the heart of our commitment to early childhood education. Additionally, we extend our reach to other cities in Western Cuyahoga County and Lorain County, ensuring that our dedication to exceptional care and comprehensive programs reaches an even wider audience. Join us as we create a brighter future for children and families throughout the region and beyond.
Our Primary Operations
Early Childhood Education
Licensed by the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services, Horizon offers year-round child care and preschool programs.
Afterschool Programs
Horizon offers before and afterschool educational programs to students between the ages of 6 and 14 years old.
Meet the Board of Trustees
Julie Hammon
Trustee
Lockton Companies
Georgia Hatzis
Trustee
UB Greensfelder LLP
Dave Kenney
Trustee
Kenney & Son Home Improvements
Laura Reinhard
Trustee
Cleveland Clinic
Michelle Lazette
Trustee
Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland
Matthew Maloney
Board Treasurer
Maloney + Novotny LLC
Tom Herbster
Trustee
North Olmsted School Board
Amanda Lamb
Trustee
PSS-Innovations
Alex DePasquale
Trustee
Great Logistics LLC
Bill Barlock
Secretary of the Board
IT Support Specialists
Brendan J. Mackin
Board President Elect
Assistant County Prosecutor, Cuyahoga County
Bret Fisher
Board President
Achieve Credit Union
Meet the Executive Staff
David Smith, MPA
Executive Director
Cathy Heck
Chief Operations Officer
Sharon Knaggs
Chief Financial Officer
From Our Horizon Parents:
"Horizon's after school program has helped my son improve his performance in spelling and math. The staff gives him individualized attention that helps him meet his goals. The program also lets him make new friends and explore new interests. He has developed an interest in science thanks to the program and its excellent staff."
"My daughter suffers from separation anxiety and ADHD and with the help of the awesome teachers, she has improved drastically. They help you reach the milestones you set for your child and help get them ready for the outside world. The teachers make your child feel so welcome, it's like her second family."
"Two of my children attend Triskett Station. The staff has gone above and beyond for them. My daughter really struggled this year and they showed her compassion and love beyond expectation. They've never used a 'One Size Fits All' approach, but instead tailored their approach to her needs."
Meet the Administration Team
Meet our wonderful team of Horizon Education Centers' administrators, ensuring exceptional operations and early childhood education across a wide range of communities throughout Ohio!
Alyssa Strauser
Accounts Payable Coordinator
Education Pursuing business courses at Lorain County Community College
About Alyssa has worked in many different positions at Horizon since she was 16 years old. After working in a few of our centers, she found her way to the finance department as the accounts payable coordinator. Alyssa works closely to build relationships with current and potential vendors by receiving and processing invoices.
Brittany Alvarado
Student Recruitment Coordinator
EDUCATION CDA from CCRC CDA Academy
ABOUT Brittany has been in childcare for four years where she has worked as a teacher and administrator. She enjoys being a part of a team making a difference in the lives of families and is excited for the journey in student recruitment.
Charlotte Frisco
Community Engagement Coordinator
Education Bachelor's Degree in Early Childhood Education from Ashland University
About Charlotte has been working to enrich the lives of children and families in a variety of ways throughout her career. She is passionate about supporting parents, caregivers and providers in their ability to help the children in their care thrive. She believes healthy, well-supported communities are the key to building brighter futures and is excited to continue that work with Horizon.
Chrissy Belpulsi
Education Service Coordinator
EDUCATION Associate Degree in Early Childhood Education and Arts from Cuyahoga Community College, currently attending Grand Canyon University
ABOUT Chrissy Belpulsi taught preschool for 10 years in Medina, Ohio. As an early childhood education coordinator, she supports all of the preschool and toddler teachers by reviewing lesson plans, assessments, developmentally appropriate approaches in the classroom and coordinating any trainings that are needed. Chrissy is excited to take on a new role and to better assist teachers and staff members when she can.
Dana Grudzinski
Intake Coordinator
EDUCATION Associate Degree in Early Childhood Education from Cuyahoga Community College
ABOUT Dana has more than 20 years of experience in early childhood education and has worked as a teacher, administrator and enrollment specialist. She enjoys working with families and children to make sure their needs are met.
Dave Gerster
Division Executive Cuyahoga County
JD Smith
Manager of Planning and Development
Education Bachelor of Arts in Business Management and minor in urban studies from Wittenberg University. Pursuing a master’s degree in public administration at Cleveland State
About JD joined the Horizon team after three years of working in community development, where he oversaw housing programs and projects, community events, and farmers markets. He is excited to work with families and community partners to help Horizon grow.
Jennifer Butler
Finance Director
Education Business Courses at LCCC
About Jennifer came to Horizon in 2005 and through her experience in the centers and at Admin, has built up an extensive knowledge of the organization and its operations. Jennifer is QuickBooks certified. As Finance Director, she handles various aspects of Horizon’s accounting and supervises and trains the Finance Coordinators and Business Coordinators in technical knowledge and customer service. Jennifer is a firm believer in Horizon’s mission and works with her team to help accomplish it.
John Scalli
Staff Accountant
Education Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Ashland University
About John joined Horizon in 2022 after previous stops working in various accounting positions. He is excited about the opportunity to use his prior experience to help the Finance team.
Julie Piazza-King
Director of Community Services
EDUCATION Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology from Bowling Green State University; Bachelor's Degree in Education from Ashland University; Master's Degree in Liberal Studies with a focus on Educational Leadership from Excelsior College
ABOUT Julie has more than 25 years of experience in early childhood education. She has dedicated herself to ensuring that all children have the opportunity for quality early care and education experience regardless of income. Julie believes the early years are a critical time in a child’s life in terms of brain development, and she is excited to see that the field is finally gaining the recognition that it deserves.
Kaitlyn Heck
Information and Technology
Education Enrolled in Lorain County Community College for a degree in Finance
About Kaitlyn has worked in many roles for Horizon since she was 16 years old. After studying communications at Bowling Green State University for two years, she came home to serve as an AmeriCorps member for Horizon. She was then promoted to Business Coordinator for the North Olmsted location and is now looking forward to her new role in information and technology with the administration team.
Kathy Thome
School Age Education Service Coordinator – Lorain County
EDUCATION Bachelor of Science from Kent State University, Elementary Education, emphasis on Preschool – Third Grade.
ABOUT Have been serving children as a teacher in different programs in Northeast Ohio for 15 years, working with infants, toddlers and preschool. I am now acting as an Education Service coordinator for Lorain County School Age program. I grew up in Parma Heights Ohio, I spent 7 years in Cape Cod, Massachusetts after college, but came back to Ohio to be near family and friends. Now I look forward to the next chapter with Horizon as an education coordinator.
Katie Mahilo
HR Coordinator
Education Bachelor’s Degree in Human Services with a Concentration in Child and Adolescent Development from Walden University
About Ms. Katie taught preschool for three years and then began her career with Horizon. Prior to that, she taught toddlers/infants for two years. She believes that Horizon Education Center has the passion to help the children flourish.
Melissa Snively
School-Based Site Director
EDUCATION Bachelor's Degree in Adolescence to Young Adult (AYA) Education with a specialization in Integrated Language Arts from Bowling Green State University, Master's Degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Cleveland State University
ABOUT Melissa taught English Language Arts for two years at Constellation Schools: Old Brooklyn Community Middle and five years at Shelby City Schools before coming to the administration office at Horizon Education Centers. She is excited to support all teachers in their instructional practices through data-based decision-making, organizing professional development, and monitoring lesson planning and curriculum.
Nick Wishner
Maintenance Coordinator
About Nick has worked in the maintenance field for over 10 years. As a child, he found the aspects of building maintenance and electrical systems fascinating and wanted to learn more. He feels this career allows him to do something new every day to help those around him. He also enjoys working around the children at the center and being a mentor to them. Currently, Nick leads a three-man team at Horizon.
Olivia Zink
School Based Education Services Coordinator
Renee Shells-Theriot
Marketing Coordinator
EDUCATION Associate Degree in Administrative Assisting from Bryant & Stratton
ABOUT Renee has been with Horizon Education Centers since 2014 as the executive assistant to Dave Smith. In this position, Renee develops and implements marketing and advertising campaigns, tracks sales data, and maintains promotion marketing materials for Horizon in print and social media. Renee is also a member of OACCP - Ohio Association of Child Care Providers. OACCP represents the directors and business owners of over 600 licensed child care centers in Ohio.
Stephanie Keffer-Beall
CACFP Coordinator
Education CDA (Child Development Associate) Certificate from Lorain County Community College
About Ms. Stephanie has always been passionate about working with families and children. She has worked with children since she was 13 with her church group.
Tammy Dull
Accounts Receivable Coordinator
EDUCATION Received her GED
ABOUT Ms. Tammy enjoys working for a family-oriented company and loves to help the students and their families.
Teria Bivins
Division Executive Lorain County
EDUCATION Bachelor's Degree in Administration from Cleveland State University
ABOUT Teria Bivins started her career with Horizon right out of college. She has worn many hats, including preschool teacher, school age coordinator, program specialist, education service coordinator and now center director.
Wendi S. Webb
Administrative Assistant
Education Altoona Area High School, Business Education, Altoona Beauty School-Cosmetology/Teacher
About Before starting her career as an Administrative Assistant more than 30 years ago, Wendi owned a hair salon. She loves learning something new daily, spoiling her four grandchildren, and hunting for sea glass.
Wendi Sweeney
A/R Grant Coordinator
EDUCATION Associate Degree in Early Childhood Education from Lorain County Community College.
ABOUT Wendi has worked in the childcare field for 23 years as a teacher for all age groups and a co-administrator. She has cherished working with teams of people to develop strong support systems for the overall goals of the children and families in her care.
Wendy Johnston
Education Service Coordinator ECE, Lorain County
Education Associate in Applied Science Early Education and Bachelor's in Early Education Leadership
About Wendy is the Educations Services Coordinator for Lorain County. She enjoys supporting the teachers in Professional Development to enhance their skills with the families at the centers. She also supports them with curriculum in academics and Social and Emotional skills.
A Nonprofit Childcare Center
Horizon Education Centers is more than just a provider of early childhood education; we are a nonprofit community charitable organization. As a 501(c)(3) educational organization under 501(a) of the IRS code, we are committed to making a positive impact in our communities. We greatly appreciate the support of our donors, and we want you to know that all contributions made to our organization are tax deductible to the full extent of the law. Together, we can continue to create a brighter future for children through quality education and care.
Learn How Our Centers Are Different.
Horizon's center-based programs are highly rated by Step Up to Quality, with programs and activities that promote wellness and readiness.
Schedule a Tour at a Horizon Location!
Get a firsthand look at one of our centers, with the opportunity to meet your child's teacher as well as learn more about the curriculum.
Enroll Your Child in Horizon Programming!
Join the Horizon family and experience the benefits our programs can have on your child's learning and development at every age.