About Us
Rachel Baier
Rachel is a Colorado native with a BA from Kenyon College in Art and Art History, and an MA in Educational Psychology from CU. She has taught in a number of different arenas and holds a Colorado teaching certificate in Art (k-12), and is endorsed in Elementary and Early Childhood Education. She spent one year at Sunbridge College, the Waldorf Teachers' College in New York, and is a graduate of Lifeways, a Waldorf influenced program addressing Early Childhood Education. Rachel is the mother of two sons and two daughters, and is happily married to Ryan, her college sweetheart.
Edie Lee Merrill
Miss Edie came to Colorado, from Maine, with her three children in 2019. She has a degree in early childhood education and almost 20 years experience working with children ages birth-5. After working in a Montessori classroom for some time, she was introduced to the Waldorf philosophy at Boulder Waldorf Kindergarten. In 2022 she made her way to Cottontail and continues to make great connections with the teachers and families. After working in many different childcare settings, Edie enjoys the Cottontail classroom, in part, because of its inclusion of different philosophies, materials and the families wants and needs.
Cyndi Ross-Smith
Cyndi has an Associate's Degree as well as a Certificate in Waldorf Early Childhood Education. She helped to develop the After Care Program at The Denver Waldorf School and worked in the program from 1997-2004. Cyndi was the Director of the After Care Program from 2004-2005 and was a Lead Assistant in Preschool and Kindergarten at The Denver Waldorf School from 2005-2017. She has worked with children in some capacity since she was 19 years old and loves her work. The children call her "Miss Cyndi".
Jessica May
Jessica started working at Cottontail after her son attended school there from 2020 to 2022. She holds a Master's degree in Early Childhood Education and Elementary Education. She has worked in various school settings over the last twenty years, most of which were spent teaching kindergarten. Jess lives with her husband and two sons in the neighborhood where Cottontail is located. She is currently working on adding an art endorsement to her teaching license.