Anna moved to Leland in 2012 and loves the small town feel! Anna has worked in preschool for the last ten years, joining the CDS team in 2016. In her free time, Anna enjoys baking, reading, and watching movies! She loves all things Disney, Marvel, Harry Potter, and Hamilton!! Anna also enjoys spending time with her students outside of school, babysitting them and watching soccer games and dance recitals!
Kayla Fryar
Two Year Old Teacher
Britney joined the CDS family in 2025. A North Carolina native, Britney grew up in Greensboro and earned her BA from UNC-Greensboro. Britney and her husband, David, moved to Leland in 2023 and are raising three little girls. She is active in the community, volunteering her time and helping organize league sports in Brunswick County. In her free time, Britney enjoys traveling, boating, fishing, and cheering on her daughters as they dive into their sports era!
Kayla has her degree in Early Childhood Education and has taught preschool for years prior to joining our team at Coastal in 2021. Kayla absolutely loves children, which is great since she has six of her own!! Kayla is a military wife and loves spending time with her husband of ten years! In their free time, they soak up as much family time as possible and love hanging out at the beach or pool!
Britney Grayson
Four Year Old Teacher
Caitlin Baer
Kindergarten Teacher
and Learning and Development Coordinator
K’dynce grew up in a small town in western North Carolina. In 2025, she moved to Leland and became part of the Coastal Day School family. K’dynce is currently pursuing her studies at Cape Fear Community College and is eager to gain meaningful hands-on experience. K’dynce is passionate about helping children grow, explore, and discover new skills each day, and she values the opportunity to build strong, supportive relationships with both students and families.
Megan Garrett
Four Year Old Teacher
Janike was born and raised in Germany. She graduated from the University of Marburg with a Masters in Speech and Language Pathology. After working in a private speech therapy practice, she learned that working with young children was her absolute favorite! Janike and her husband moved to Leland in 2015 to start a new chapter together and their own family. After their two sons graduated from Coastal Day School, she joined our team in 2024! In her free time Janike loves reading, beach days, traveling and spending time outdoors.
Melissa is a valued member of the CDS community. She holds a degree in Early Childhood Education and joined CDS in 2014 after many years in preschool settings. Having worked in our classrooms for several years, Melissa now serves as Assistant Program Director, where she supports both students and staff with dedication and enthusiasm. Melissa and her husband have three amazing kids and enjoy traveling with them, as well as supporting them in their various sports and activities!
Anna Hardy
Three Year Old and After School Teacher
Hunter was born and raised in the Wilmington area and joined the CDS team in 2025. She graduated from UNCW in 2015 with a degree in Biology and Chemistry. It was not until she started volunteering with the youth/children ministries at her church and became a mother herself, that she discovered how much she loved working with children. Hunter has 2 children, each of whom have attended Coastal Day School. In her free time, she enjoys reading and spending time with her husband and kids.
Melissa Wiltshire
Assistant Preschool
Program Director
Jodi and her family moved to Leland in 2011 to plant Reach Community Church. Jodi attended ASU and loves putting her organizational skills to use in our office! Jodi has also assisted in various classrooms here at CDS since she joined our team in 2014 and loves when she gets to sub! In her free time, Jodi enjoys doing puzzles, playing games, and hanging out with her husband and three children!
After graduating from Radford University in 2003 with a licensure in Early Childhood and Early Childhood Special Education, Caitlin taught First Step (a 4 year old program) for 4 years, followed by 1st grade for 7 years. Caitlin and her family moved from Hampton Roads, VA to Leland in August of 2014 and joined our team at CDS shortly after. In her spare time, Caitlin loves to read and go to the beach/pool with her husband and three boys. Caitlin was truly made to teach and shines the brightest when she's surrounded by her sweet Kindergarten students!
K'dynce Mcgrady
Three Year Old Teacher
Janike Howard
Four Year Old Teacher
Claire Gainey
Three Year Old Teacher
Breania Maditz
Three Year Old Teacher
Breania is a North Carolina native, born and raised in the Raleigh area. In 2022, she moved to Leland with her husband, two sons, and their dog to be closer to family, and joined our team at CDS in 2025. She holds degrees in Early Childhood Education and Human Development and Family Studies and has spent the past decade dedicated to the field. Breania is passionate about working with young children, creating intentional, hands-on learning experiences that spark curiosity, creativity, and confidence while honoring each child’s unique strengths. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her family, reading, and gaming.
Hunter Fair
Two Year Old Teacher
Claire is originally from Winston-Salem and moved to Leland after spending all of her childhood summers here and falling in love with the area. She began her childcare journey as a nanny, where she discovered how much joy she finds in helping children learn, grow, and explore the world around them, and joined the CDS family in 2025. Outside of the classroom, Claire loves being outdoors and spending her free time either in her garden, going fishing, or playing her favorite sport- disc golf! She treasures time spent with family and friends and looks forward to creating those same kinds of warm, lasting memories with her students!
Miss Megan first joined CDS in 2012, where she served in a variety of roles including Mommy’s Morning Out, preschool teacher, camp counselor, and after-school teacher. She later left CDS to pursue her Master’s degree in Elementary Education and went on to teach first and second grade in Columbus County.
Now, Miss Megan is excited to be back where it all began, this time bringing her own two little ones along for the journey. Along with her work at CDS, she and her husband also run a small business, Leland Tutoring and Test Prep.
Jodi Caddell
Office Manager
Veronnica joined our team in 2013. She has a Bachelor's degree in Human Development and Family Studies with a concentration in Early Childhood from Penn State University. One of Veronnica's favorite experiences was teaching 2 and 3 year olds in the Dominican Republic for a year. Veronnica is happily married and mommy to a super cute little girl! Veronnica loves everything Wilmington has to offer and is excited to be a part of the CDS family!
Veronnica Padala
School-Age Program Director and Four Year Old Teacher
Caroline is from Chapel Hill, NC, and graduated from UNC in 1990 with a Bachelor's degree in Communications and a minor in Public Relations. Raised in a family that placed a very strong emphasis on academia, she grew up surrounded by authors, musicians, scholars and artists-but what she loved most were the children she regularly babysat. Married to Michael, she has three wonderful children of her own and they are every bit as precocious as she was when she was young. In addition to assisting with the oversight of Coastal Day School, Caroline is a full-time real estate agent with Living Seaside Realty Group.
Caroline Dugas
Owner
Our AWESOME Staff!!
Ashley moved to North Carolina from Pennsylvania in 2003. Ashley attended WCCC for Early Childhood Education and later received a certificate in Childcare Administration in North Carolina. Ashley taught preschool at Coastal Day School for seven years before putting down the stickers and playdough to give more attention to daily operations. Her heart remains in the classroom; however, she loves working alongside our amazing teachers, parents, and students. Ashley loves spending her free time traveling and exploring with her husband, three kiddos, and dog! Ashley also co-owns Bridge Dance Arts in Leland.
Ashley Danko
Owner