Owner, Director, Teacher

Trisha Dart is the proud owner and founder of Little Ones Learning Early Education. With over two decades of experience in early childhood education, Trisha has served in various roles including Lead Teacher, Assistant Teacher, and Natural Playground Coordinator. Her professional background includes working with children ages 0 to 12 at respected institutions such as Milestones Child Development Center and Aldersgate Center for Child Development.

Trisha holds two college degrees: one in Child Development and another in General Education. She remains committed to ongoing professional growth, completing an average of 35 hours of professional development training each year.

In addition to her work with Little Ones Learning, Trisha is actively involved in the early childhood education community. She serves on the Governing Board of the Michigan Association for the Education of Young Children (MiAEYC) and contributes her time and expertise to several committees, including the MiAEYC Advocacy Committee, the Mainspring Early Care Alliance Advisory Committee, The Michigan Childcare Provider Coalition, and the Western Childcare Region Coalition.

Outside of her professional life, Trisha enjoys spending time with her husband, Christopher, and their two daughters, Kora and Zola. Their household also includes two dogs, Shiloh and Max, and two cats, Callie and Tilly. In her free time, she loves reading fiction, camping, gardening, swimming, hosting game nights, hunting for the Northern Lights, and cheering on the Michigan Wolverines football team.

Substitute Teacher

Christine Mullennix, affectionately known as "Grandma" by the children, is the mother of Trisha Dart and a valued substitute at Little Ones Learning Early Education. Christine has been supporting the program since 2016, when she began filling in for Trisha during her pregnancy with her second child. Since then, she has continued to provide occasional support when needed.

Christine is married to her husband, Lee, and together they enjoy camping and exploring northern Michigan trails on their Yamaha side-by-side near Baldwin. They share their home with their dogs, Willow and Koa. In her free time, Christine enjoys completing jigsaw puzzles and engaging in a variety of crafting projects.

Children's Yoga Instructor and Licensed Master Social Worker

Zoe Gates comes to Little Ones Learning on a monthly basis to teach yoga. She owns Full Bloom Children's Yoga and Mindfulness. 

She is a Licensed Master Social Worker, a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional, and a children's yoga instructor. She lives in Grand Rapids, MI with her two incredible children; a five-year-old daughter and a two-year-old son and her husband. She worked in foster care as a children's therapist from 2011-2017. She earned her children's yoga certification in 2019.

"As a children's yoga teacher, it is my passion to share the value and joy of yoga and mindfulness with the younger generation. These classes provide kiddos an essential early start to understanding the body-mind-emotion connection. This is the foundation which will also develop healthy and necessary social and emotional skills along the way. "

You can contact her at: Fullbloom Children's Yoga and Mindfulness 

Spanish Instructor

Hola! I’m Erin Hayes — or “Profe,” as my students like to call me!

I’m so excited to introduce your children to the joy of learning Spanish. My lessons are filled with songs, stories, games, and imaginative play — because I believe language learning should feel natural, engaging, and fun!

Spanish is my second language, learned through years of study and immersive experiences abroad in Chile and Costa Rica. That journey sparked a lifelong passion for language and culture — one that inspired me to take a leap from a career in cybersecurity to pursue what I truly love: teaching.

Since then, I’ve taught Spanish for over a decade, including five years in Northern Michigan and with Grand Rapids Public Schools. Today, I continue to share that passion both in the classroom and at home as I raise my own toddler to be bilingual.

When I’m not teaching, you’ll find me horseback riding, reading a good book, or running around outside with my daughter. 

Family

My husband Chris isn't a teacher at Little Ones Learning but he is known by the kiddos as Mr. Chris. They see him throughout the week as he often works from home. My own children are here throughout the week after school and during school breaks. My children, Zola and Kora are 8 and 10 years old and are the reason Little Ones Learning was opened.