When Jennifer Daugherty was working on her master’s in special education she received an assignment that would change her life. To earn field experience, she was assigned to Heartspring to observe a classroom. She was impressed with the services Heartspring provided for its students, and knew she wanted to be a part of the team to educate and advocate for the children and families that Heartspring serves.  

She made that goal a reality when she took a teacher position at Heartspring in August of 2008. She works in one of our younger classrooms where she makes an impact on children’s lives. She tries to make learning fun and engaging for her students. Jennifer’s work at Heartspring earned her national attention when she was named an “Exceptional Educator” in Exceptional Parent Magazine in 2013. She says that her mentors helped her become the educator she is today and the award was a reflection of the people she works with.

In addition to her classroom duties, Jennifer serves on a number of committees at Heartspring. She helped shape the students’ educations as part of the curriculum development committee that brought in the curriculum teachers use now. Jennifer was also on a transition committee that changed the way the school presents information when the students transition from the school to make sure they best highlight the students’ strengths and accomplishments. She is also on the school improvement committee, MTSS committee and is the chair for the professional development committee.  She brings in professionals to help teachers develop and grow. She was also a mentor for a first year teacher.

Jennifer is always looking to improve herself professionally, as well. She recently participated in the California Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC), BRIGANCE Comprehensive Inventory of Basic Skills-II (CIBS-II), Microsoft Excel, Dynamic Learning Maps (DLM) Modules, and Test Security and Ethics training. 

In her free time she enjoys spending time with her family.