Joseph Cella is a head teacher in the GEMS preschool. Before joining GEMS, Joseph had been a prekindergarten teacher for Chicago Public Schools in an International Baccalaureate program. Working in early childhood has been a passion of his since he was young. He grew up in the Chicago area with much younger siblings, and as a result, learned that he had interest in the nurturing and development of young children.

Joseph earned a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education from the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana, with a focus on project-based learning. He continued his studies at The Erikson Institute of Child Development and received his master’s degree in early childhood education. He now lives in Chicago with his wife, son and daughter. He cares deeply about the IB philosophy of teaching and looks forward to continuing his journey with GEMS. His hope is to support and grow inquiry, knowledge and compassion in the students he works with.