Audrey Richardson

Degree: B.S. in Middle Childhood Education from the University of Findlay

Began at Tree City: 2024

Audrey has spent most of her life working with children in some capacity. She grew up in Cuyahoga Falls, where she worked as a park supervisor throughout high school. While attending college she worked for the Findlay YMCA Child Development Center in the before and after care program. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Middle Childhood Education and went on to teach in the Bedford City School District for 10 years. She taught 5th grade for four years in a self-contained classroom and spent six years teaching 7th and 8th grade science. While teaching science, she and her team transformed the district’s annual science fair into a hands-on family science night. She was awarded a grant for a classroom greenhouse where her students got to have firsthand experience with plant genetics. Her favorite part of teaching was witnessing growth, getting to see those “light-bulb” moments, and building strong bonds with her students.

After starting a family, she felt lucky to be able to resign from her teaching job and become a stay-at-home mom. She has three children, ages 7, 5, and 3. After turning her own home into a makeshift preschool during the COVID lockdown, her older two children eventually attended Tree City Preschool. They were always so excited to go to school to explore, learn new things, and make new friends. Audrey loved to see how much they blossomed academically, socially, and emotionally during their preschool years. In her free time Audrey enjoys spending time with her family, especially playing Uno Attack on Friday family game nights. She also loves training for and running races with her sisters; they run the Akron Half Marathon every fall and compete in an indoor triathlon every March. Her favorite place to be is sitting on the beach reading a good book.