About Mallory Duffy
Music and Movement Specialist, Happy Day Play at JCC of Staten Island
Background and Expertise
Mallory Duffy is an early childhood and family support specialist with more than 15 years of hands-on experience with babies and toddlers. At Happy Day Play, she leads Family Music and Baby Sing & Sign. A children's musician who sings and plays ukulele, she trained as a Newborn Care Specialist through the International Nanny Association and completed Professional Nanny Training through Cornell University in partnership with the National Domestic Workers Alliance. She is also CPR and First Aid certified, including Infant CPR.
A Career Spent With Young Children and Supporting Families
Mallory has supported children through their earliest and most formative stages, from newborns settling into the world to toddlers finding words, music, and movement. She has worked closely with families on feeding, developmental play, early language, and motor skills, including supporting a baby through treatment for hip dysplasia and back into confident movement. That range is what makes her steady and adaptable in a room full of mixed ages and stages.
A Musician at Heart
Mallory sings and plays ukulele, which makes Family Music and Baby Sing & Sign a natural fit. Before Happy Day Play, she was a company member at the Philly Improv Theater, so she is right at home being playful and present with a room full of little ones and their grown-ups! You will find Mallory as our live children’s musician during birthday parties as well.
Early Literacy Experience
Mallory began her career as a children's librarian in Delaware, where she ran summer reading programs and helped children find books at just the right level. That early love of stories still shows up in how she connects songs, language, and play for the youngest learners.
First Hand Mom Experience
Mallory is also mom to a beautiful toddler of her own, so the stage she teaches is the one she is living at home every day.
Fun Facts About Ms. Mallory
Her Instrument: The ukulele, and yes, you can also strum it!
Before Happy Day Play: She performed improv comedy with a Philadelphia theater company.
A Cause She Cares About: She has been a member of the National Domestic Workers Alliance since 2019 and once co-led a Girl Scout troop.
Her Specialty: The newborn and toddler years, the stage most people find the most mysterious and she finds the most fascinating.
