Meet the Staff of CPI
Our professional and nurturing teachers are dedicated to the play-based philosophy that makes our school so special. We strive to respect the age, developmental needs, and cultural needs of the individual child. Each teacher has a degree in Education or at least two years of experience working at our school. All staff members complete yearly courses in the latest early childhood education developments. In addition, our entire staff is CPR/First Aid/AED certified.
CPI’s success is due to the warmth and enthusiasm provided by exceptional staff members working directly with parents eager to share in the development and education of their children. Learn more about us below!
Madhumita Basu
Office Manager
Madhumita has been a Northern Virginia local since immigrating with her family to the U.S. almost 30 years ago. A graduate of George Mason University, she currently resides in Fairfax County with her husband and two sons, one of whom is a CPI graduate and the other who is in the PreK class. She served on the Board of Directors as the Parent Ed Director for the 2023-2024 school year before joining the CPI staff as Office Manager. A bibliophile at heart, Madhumita is usually reading something when she’s not playing board games or spending time outdoors with her family. Madhumita loves being a part of the CPI community!
Sarah Norman
Operations Director
Sarah holds a B.A. in Classics and Theater Studies from Emory University and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Theatre Arts from Cornell University. She has designed and taught college writing courses, tutored K-12 students, and worked with education programs at theaters. A mom of 4, Sarah found CPI when her oldest started preschool in 2015, and she loved the opportunity to be in the classroom with him and be a part of his first school experience. She has been with CPI since then, serving in various positions on the Board of Directors, including President from 2020-2024, and she looks forward to being a CPI parent again when her youngest is ready in 2027! When she isn’t helping things run smoothly at CPI, Sarah can be found homeschooling her older kids, volunteering at her church, playing board games, baking, and reading lots and lots of books. One of her favorite things to do is to find just the right book for someone — try asking her for a recommendation!
Susan Steinberg
Teacher Director, Pre-K Teacher
Susan is a Fairfax County native. She graduated from Mary Washington College in 2004 with a degree in History, and received her Masters in Elementary Education in 2005 with a concentration in the Arts. Before starting her teaching career in Fairfax County, Susan interned in a speech-language and occupational therapy practice, working with children in their auditory processing program. She spent eight happy years as a second and third grade teacher before her son was born in 2013. She served on the CPI Board of Directors as the Public Relations Director from 2016-2018, Secretary from 2022-2024, and has taught both the Beginners and Threes classes. Susan and her husband reside in Clifton with their son and daughter, and she enjoys arts and crafts, going to the library, and playing games with her family. She loves working with young children and inspiring them to be creative, thoughtful, helpful, and kind!
Courtney Alvin
Teacher, Beginners
Courtney has worked in early childhood education since 2002 and has worked with children from infant to age 5. Courtney has taught preschool, mommy and me classes, and dance classes to young children over the years. Courtney is passionate about play-based curriculum. Helping children be as creative as possible and learning using their interest to spark growth is what Courtney enjoys most about teaching. Courtney has two children of her own and in her free time enjoys relaxing with them, reading and dancing with them, going to the beach, and going on motorcycles rides with her husband.
Julia Hoglund
Teacher, Threes
Julia is a Fairfax County native and graduated with a Bachelor of Science from the College of William and Mary and a Master’s in Public Health from Drexel University. Before becoming a stay-at-home mom, she spent nine years working as a government contractor and researcher in the fields of community health and nutrition. Julia’s three daughters attended CPI between 2013 and 2022, and during that time she spent several years serving on the CPI Board as Health & Safety Director and Parent Education Director. As a co-oping parent, she saw firsthand how much her daughters enjoyed their time at CPI and knew she wanted to rejoin the CPI family when her daughters went on to elementary school. Julia volunteers as the Cookie Manager for her daughters’ Girl Scout Troops and Room Parent for their classrooms. She enjoys reading, baking, board games, playing soccer with her family, and walking their dog, Daisy.
Sue Hyjek
Aide, Beginners and Pre-K
Sue has taught preschool for 13 years, and this will be her second year at CPI. She has worked with children ranging from 2 1/2 to 5 years old and loves seeing their unique development, abilities and personalities at each stage. Not wanting to pick a favorite age group, Sue is excited to assist in the Beginners and Pre-K classes! Fun fact: her favorite toy growing up was Legos, and she played ice hockey in college! Sue lives in Clifton with her husband and three boys. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, hiking, and baking, but is currently occupied with the newest addition to the family: a puppy named Cooper!