Licensed Family Childcare Educator
License #9099711
Prior Experience
PreK-12 Teacher/Education Administrative Leadership
40 years of teaching and education administrative leadership experience with preschoolers through grade 12
Parent
2 children
Education
Bachelor's Degree
Bachelor of Arts in Music Education
Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education
Coming from a large family, my home was always full of children. That’s the norm for me, and I love it! As a young person, I babysat all the time and as a teen, my summer job was working with special needs children. It was easy for me to decide to major in Education in college. For the past 40 years I taught, designed, and developed curriculum and programs, and served as department head in public, charter, and independent schools in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Virginia. I have always enjoyed working with children and seeing the challenge my own daughter faced trying to find quality childcare for my two grandchildren, I decided to open my own childcare business which would help families while enabling me to pursue my passion for teaching and caring for children.
Most recently, working as a department head, my time with students was drastically reduced. I realized I wanted to get back to my roots and work directly with kids again! This is really where my passion lies and having my own home program is a dream come true!
In a nutshell, a typical day can be described as “fun while learning and learning while having fun”. Watching kids learn is so exciting! As a musician and an educator, I use music all the time with my daycare kids. Learning alongside music helps reinforce academic and social-emotional skills in amazing ways. Linking music to learning makes the entire brain light up! I also love reading stories and coming up with arts and crafts projects that connect to learning. Engaging all of the senses helps children learn and retain knowledge. Alongside formal learning is plenty of time for informal learning through free play and exploration. Teaching is my passion, and I not only utilize the "tried and true" methods but I also make it a point to stay up to date on current best practices in education.
A daycare program should be full of activity, and our space provides opportunities for kids to have fun and learn. We have an inviting and safe indoor space for children to explore and engage with each other as well as a fenced-in outdoor play space. We are also in the process of adding a large multipurpose all-season room that will be used for all kinds of games and activities. As a classroom teacher, I learned the importance of flexibility and following the interests of my students. I'm never afraid to pivot if an exciting topic comes up. Over the years this approach has led to some of the most fun and fruitful discussions and learning. Curiosity leads to learning - and guiding kids while allowing them to take the lead at times makes them stay interested, invested, and feel respected.
