ECC Staff

Mrs. Baja

Early Childhood Special Education Teacher at the ECC.

Mrs. Baja Strange is one of the teachers in the Early Childhood Special Education program. She goes by Miss B for ease. She was born in Kazakhstan and moved here as a young adult. Miss B and her immediate family have lived in the Nixa area since 2009.  She graduated from MSU. Miss B enjoys teaching; this will be her 13th year teaching children with special needs. She loves spending time with her family, her husband and her daughter.  Her hobbies are hiking, reading classics, doing yoga, and gardening. Miss B loves people for who they are!   

Mrs. Jodi

Early Childhood Special Education Teacher at the ECC.

Mrs. Jodi is originally from a small town called Bono in Northeast Arkansas and moved to Springfield in 2015. She now lives in Ozark and loves teaching at Nixa! While in Arkansas, Jodi taught 3- year-olds with special needs in a preschool therapeutic clinic. She has been teaching at the ECC since August, 2015. Mrs. Jodi's passion is working with children of all abilities and helping them get ready for kindergarten socially and academically.

Mrs. Kelsey

Early Childhood Special Education Teacher at the ECC.

Mrs. Kelsey has lived in this area her entire life. She grew up in Willard, MO and now is a resident of Ozark. Kelsey received her bachelor's degree in special needs education from MSU and began her teaching career at Nixa in 2017. Kelsey's passion is working with students of all abilities and assisting them in creating meaningful peer relationships and educational experiences. She believes building a strong foundation of social and emotional skills at the early childhood level truly helps all students in preparing for kindergarten. Learning through play and building loving and lasting relationships with students and families is Kelsey's favorite part of her career.

Mrs. Kecia

Early Childhood Special Education Teacher at the ECC.

Mrs. Kecia has lived in Nixa since 2008, but is originally from Nebraska. Before starting in Nixa in 2010, Mrs. Kecia taught in Iowa for nine years. She received her Bachelors degree in special education, from the University of Nebraska and Masters degree from Lindenwood University. Kecia has a passion for incorporating innovative strategies that help students learn new skills.

Mrs. Christina

Early Childhood Special Education Teacher at the ECC.

Mrs. Christina received her teaching degree at MSU and taught for Branson School for 16 years. Mrs. Christina joined the Nixa Early Childhood in 2019 and has a passion for nurturing children and helping them have successful learning experiences.  She and her husband have raised two adult children and have since, added to their family through foster/adoption.  Through her work with children in foster care, she developed an interest in nurturing children's social-emotional development, helping them to overcome trauma and guiding them to establish positive social relationships and emotional well-being. By investing her time in early childhood special education, she is able to share her love of learning and help children of all abilities to reach their potential and start their journey as life-long learners.

Ms. Parra

Ms. Amanda is originally from a small town outside of Houston, Texas. She graduated from The University of Texas at Austin in 2018 with a bachelor's degree in Special Education. She moved to Missouri to be closer to family and is enjoying her time here! While in Texas, she taught ECSE and elementary behavior programs. Ms. Amanda has a passion for creating a safe, loving classroom culture where children feel safe to learn and grow. She believes that a strong foundation of social emotional skills help ease the transition into Kindergarten. 

Ms. Yoshy

Ms. Yoshy was born in Puerto Rico and relocated to Rhode Island at the age of four, Following her high school graduation in Florida, she proudly served in the United States Army for over five years, an experience that helped shape her strong work ethic, leadership skills, and commitment to service.
In 2005, Ms. Yoshy and her husband moved to the area, where they are raising their four boys. She went on to earn her Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education and Special Education from Grand Canyon University, combining her academic preparation with real-life experiences as both an educator and a parent.
Ms. Yoshy is deeply passionate about working with students of all abilities and believes in creating inclusive, supportive learning environments where every child can succeed. She values building strong, collaborative relationships with families and views open communication as a key component of student growth. Since joining the Early Childhood Center in 2024, Ms. Yoshy has focused on developing meaningful connections with her students and implementing alternative instructional strategies to meet individual learning needs. She is dedicated to helping each child reach their full potential while fostering a positive and nurturing classroom community.