We seek to hire only the most professional of staff. Our staff is courteous and helpful. We all work with the belief that we are here to help the whole family.

Our staff come to us with a number of years of experience in childcare. Many hold a variety of credentials including but not limited to 45 hours of Early Childcare training through Florida's Department of Children and Families. Florida Child Care Professional Credential (FCCPC), Director's Credential, AA in Early Childhood Education, BA in Early Childhood Development, First Aid and CPR.

We encourage our staff to continuously seek training to set themselves apart and to be knowledgeable in the latest trends in childcare.

Our Staff

We seek to hire only the most professional of staff. Our staff is courteous and helpful. We all work with the belief that we are here to help the whole family.

We encourage our staff to continuously seek training to set themselves apart and to be knowledgeable in the latest trends in childcare.

Born in Upstate New York and having traveled extensively throughout her life, Ms. Gina called SWFL home over 20 years ago. During those years, she has raised two daughters, built early childcare centers for large corporations, consulted for private childcare programs and developed Milestones Learning Center. She is passionate about early literacy for young children and works daily in a classroom teaching language art to 4 and 5-year-old Pre-K students.

Early education has always been a part of Ms. Gina’s life. Her mother ran a home childcare center. At the young age of nine she was working with and caring for young children. The importance of education and reading was instilled by both her parents. Ms. Gina attended college at the State University of New York at Potsdam where she earned a BA in psychology with a focus on Early Childhood and Adolescent Development as well as an AA in sociology. She continued her education by attending the University of the Rockies in Colorado, earning her master’s in psychology with a focus on Family Mediation and Conflict Resolution. She is a Florida State Credentialed Childcare Director and a VPK endorsed instructor.

Ms. Gina has been teaching for over 30 years. It is her goal is to see each child reach their fullest potential by providing a safe, nurturing learning environment in which they can grow and learn. Read about Ms. Gina's journey to creating and owning her own child care center.

GINA BENSON

CDAE - Child Development Associates, BA - Psychology with a focus on Early Child Psychology and Adolescent Development MA - Psychology with a focus on Family Mediation and Conflict Resolution, Credentialed Early Childcare Director

Owner and director and CEO of Milestones Learning Center and Pre-K Language Arts Teacher

MICHAEL LAUSE

BA in Business Management and an Associates in Culinary Arts

Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Vice President and co-founder of Milestones Learning Center

Mr. Michael is a true Floridian, born here in Fort Myers, Florida. He graduated from Fort Myers High (Go Green Wave!) and pursued a higher education in Restaurant Management and Culinary Arts at Johnson & Wales University, Charleston SC. While there, he also received a bachelor’s in business management.

After graduating he worked in the food and beverage industry for 10 years. He returned to Florida to support his family’s construction business, as an estimator, for 15 years until the construction industry experienced a crash in 2014. He admits he never saw himself owning and working daily in a childcare school but finds this career move the most rewarding he has been involved in. He has completed all the Department of Children and Families training. He understands the important role he plays to many of the children in our care, as a positive male role model.

You will find him most days working with outside vendors and contractors, assisting parents at pick up and drop off and supporting the teaching staff.

In his free time Mr. Michael enjoys fishing, home remodel projects and woodworking.

LAUREN DUPREE

AA in Early Childhood Education, Florida Child Care Professional Credential (FCCPC), Director's Credential

Administrative Assistant

Born in Albuquerque New Mexico, Ms. Lauren relocated to South West Florida as a toddler. She attended all local schools and is a graduated of Fort Myers High. Earning her childcare training while still in high school, she became one of the original Milestones Team members in 2014 as a teacher’s assistant and grew to be a Pre-K 3 lead teacher. She was chosen by her peers to take the role of Administrative Assistant, a position she held until she chose to return to the classroom to teach Pre-K 3 from 2020 to 2025; her true passion. She stepped back into the Administrative Assistant position full time in 2025.

Ms. Lauren continued her education following High school and earned her Florida Child Care Professional Certification (FCCPC). In addition to working full time as at Milestones, she has earned her AA degree from Florida South Western.

In her free time she enjoys spending time with her family, her dogs Tinkerbell & Trixie and many, many trips to Disney!

Thanks to Those Dedicated to Making a Difference

We believe that our success is based on the long-term relationships we establish with our staff. The national average of “turnover” experienced by childcare professionals is 45% a year (https://www.acf.hhs.gov March 2023). This can result in an overall lower quality of care. We strive to reduce this rate in our program to no more than 10% by hiring higher educated and well-experienced teachers and offering them a great working environment with competitive compensation and full benefits package.

We are so thankful to those who have grown with us. We believe this is a sign of dedication to the children we serve and we wish to acknowledge each teacher as they reach their anniversary with our organization.

We're thankful for the dedicated employees who are a crucial part of making Milestones a great School.

Of our staff of about 30, more than half have two more years of service at MLC!