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Emily Balga

Owner

My love for working with children started at a very young age. I was teaching music lessons at age 12 and opened my own Music Studio in 2011. While in college, I worked at Boys and Girls Club where I met my husband, Kyle. He had the same passion for working with kids and vision of creating a children's success center that I had. In 2017 we opened TNT Kidz Center and expanded beyond running other people's programs to bring our dream to life! We now have not only our Music Studio location, but a Childcare Center for Infants-High School. We offer Music, Dance, Martial Arts, Homeschool and Full Day Childcare. We love all of our students and are passionate about creating an atmosphere of success and growth for all of our staff and students! We believe in family inclusion and individual choice. We are here to support each family and student to reach their full potential! Come check us out!

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Kyle Balga

Owner

I have been working with children in many different roles for over 16 years now. I love challenging and supporting children along their journey to reach their full potential. I believe in todays world it is important to empower children from a young age with the tools to face and overcome adversity. I believe one of the best ways to do this is through activities such as Martial Arts, Music, Dance and Athletic training. The situations and life lessons learned on the mat, playing field or piano, can be directly applied to everyday life with amazing results. 

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Kaylin McCoskey

Program and Enrollment Director

My name is Kaylin and I am the Program and Enrollment Director at TNT Kidz Center. I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Child Development that I obtained at Sacramento State. I have been in the Early Childhood Education field since approximately 2012 but have been working with kids since 2007. I am currently in the process of maintaining my Master's in Social Work to become a child and family therapist. I have a strong desire to create environments families love where children can thrive!

 

I believe that all children are individuals and should be treated as such. Children thrive off of love and positive attention; they gain knowledge through hands-on activities that are of interest to them. Infants and toddlers are naturally born curious and should be given opportunities to explore their environment with sensory experiences that enrich their minds. My favorite part of every day is seeing the smiling faces of the children in the program enjoying their friends, activities, and teachers.

 

On a personal note, I love being outside and enjoying the summer season. I have a corgi named Bali and love to paddle board, hike, do anything creative, and cooking!

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Hannah Chillemi

Assistant Site Supervisor

I graduated from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo with a BS in Child Development and minored in Psychology and Communication. I have been working with children and families since 2018 in a variety of different settings ranging from teaching pre-k, providing behavioral aid within childcare settings, and working as a mental health worker with teenagers. I have a passion to help children learn how to identify and work through their emotions in a productive way. Teaching children positive ways to cope with emotions and building intrinsic confidence and kindness for themselves is essential in helping to mold conscientious, empathetic, and kind leaders in the next generation. I love helping kids work through conflicts and helping them problem solve and become respectful and responsible members of their community. My ultimate goal is to return to school and become a Licensed Clinical Social Worker providing therapy and care to children and families in my community.

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Erica Howard

General Manager

I have been around children almost my whole life. Growing up in a big family as one of the oldest gave me many opportunities to babysit, take care of, and teach, which I am incredibly grateful for. My passion for children’s education flourished through college, where I obtained my Child Development Associates at Sierra. I wanted to further my education through Sacramento State, where I am currently working towards my Bachelors in Elementary Education. Children are our future, and I believe it is so important for them to have a solid foundation they can build on. It is our job as teachers/educators to offer ways that each child can explore the world through their own creative lens, which is one of the main reasons I believe in TNT Kidz so much. 

 

When it comes to my personal life, I enjoy dancing/choreographing, which I have been doing since I started in 2012. I also enjoy things like hiking, working out, traveling, and cuddling my two cats, Leon and Baku.

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Justin Chambers

Homeschool Teacher & Enrichment Director

My experience in childcare started at a very young age as my mother ran a daycare out of our home for almost 30 years. This inspired my career choice as I got my teaching credential from CSU, Chico in 2020. While in college, I worked for after school programs where I taught every sport under the sun. My summers were spent working for River Way Ranch Camp where I was responsible for the fun and safety of campers while doing activities such as wave runners, wakeboarding, ATV’s, paintball, etc. From 2020-2022 I taught PE and coached the varsity golf team for Pierce Joint Unified. I have now worked with every age from infant to seniors in high school and I look forward to helping your child grow into the best version of themselves at TNT!

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Maddi Blackwell

TK/Kinder Teacher & Administration

I have experience working with children of all ages from newborns to middle schoolers, since 2014. I have my  Bachelors degree in Elementary Education from Sacramento State. I am also currently getting my Masters in School Psychology. I have always had a passion for working with students of all ages! I worked in two different afterschool programs and summer camp programs from 2017-2019. I have also been volunteering in Elementary classrooms since 2016. I started working at TNT in September 2020 - May 2022 and I am so excited to be back! I love seeing the kids' smiling faces everyday and watching them grow throughout the years. I am so excited to watch and help your child grow and learn at TNT Kidz!

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Deborah Lemesh

Infant/Toddler Teacher

Bio coming soon!

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Marcia Miller

Infant/Toddler Teacher

Bio coming soon!

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Sara Contreras Martinez

Infant/Toddler Teacher

Bio coming soon!

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Eleesa LaSalle

Infant/Toddler Teacher

My name is Eleesa! I am so excited to have the opportunity to hang out with your kids while they learn and play. Some things about me: I have worked with children ages birth to elementary school at Sunday school for 20 years. I have also helped with youth ministries through the years as well. I enjoy reading and catching up on shows during my down time. I am looking forward to meeting you all and I am so honored that I get the chance to encourage your child as they grow.

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Summer Brown

Infant/Toddler Teacher

Bio coming soon!

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Corrine Lykins

Infant / Toddler Aide & Homeschool Teacher

Bio coming soon!

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Gwen Brater

Early Preschool Teacher

Bio coming soon!

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Anilee DiPirro

Early Preschool Aide

Bio coming soon!

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Yin Lei

Early Preschool / Preschool Aide

Bio coming soon!

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Elishia Muzio

Infant / Toddler Aide

Bio coming soon!

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Hannah Verner

Early Preschool / Preschool Aide

Hi! I'm Hannah Verner! I graduated from IHS School in 2020 and am currently enrolled at Folsom Lake College working towards a degree in Theatre. Besides working with the preschoolers at TNT, I spend my free time songwriting, biking, reading, and doting on my King Charles Cavalier Spaniel, Scout. What I love most about TNT is all the different personalities and the experiences which teach me new things every day!

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Tracy Dyson

 Preschool Teacher

Hi my name is Tracy! I am one of the Early Preschool teachers at TNT Kidz Center. I have been in the field since I was 17 when I started babysitting. I always knew I wnated to work with kids and obtained my Bachelor's Degree in Child Development. I love watching kids learn and believe that they  learn through play and through their interests, kids should just be kids for as long as they can! I love being here at TNT because we share the same beliefs in how kids should learn. I have two daughters of my own and in my spare time I enjoy, being outside in nature, photography, traveling to the ocean-the beach is my happy place! I am excited to get to know all the kiddos here at TNT Kidz Center more and can't wait to see them grow!

Meet our Staff

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