Staff
Teacher/Maestro
Tuwilê Roots
Teacher/Maestra
Amelia Paulino
Little Picassos was born out of a basket of art supplies Leora Saposnik brought with her to volunteer at The Road Home shelter.
Believing that every child should have the right to an equal education and means of expression, Leora and some of the families she met at shelter, set out to create a program that allowed for such inclusion.
It is our hope that every child finds her true potential through our exploration of art.
After a career in multi-cultural curriculum education and work as a historian, Leora delved into her love for art. Her love of children brought her to teaching and, then, to arts education, the perfect pairing of her two passions.
Our program includes a talented, caring, and inclusive teaching staff.
Throughout our existence as a program, we've aimed to make the teaching staff reflective of the students it supports.
This year we are SO excited to welcome Tuwilê Roots as a teacher in our program!
Tuwilê is a graffiti artist, painter and geographer (cool combination).
Last year (2024), Tuwilê created a fantastic mural with our Little Picassos kids, entitled: Our Joyful Faces.
It hangs on the 2nd floor landing of the MYArts building (1055 E. Mifflin Street).
Come check it out!
Amelia and her two younger children have been active participants in the Little Picassos program for years.
Amelia is the brains behind this operation!
A native of Mexico, Amelia will make our programming more accessible to students who are new English learners.
Amelia is a warm and helpful presence in our classroom.
Hola, mi nombre es Amelia: soy originaria de Mexico. Mis dos hijos menores han estado en el programa desde 2018, nos encanta el programa disfrutamos mucho las actividades. Estoy mu agradecida por tener la oportunidad de ser parte de este programa, me maravillo de ver a los niños usar su gran talento en pequeños Picassos.
Teacher
Milani Howard
Milani Howard is a 'graduate' of Little Picassos, having been a participant in the program when she was a fabulously creative little girl. We could not be more delighted to have Milani back as a teacher!
Milani is still interested in art and design, and plans to attend college and major in interior design. She is also learning to be a pilot!