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Administrative Faculty |
Dr. Francine Favretto
Director
Dr. Francine Favretto
has her PhD in Human Development, and her Master's in Early Childhood
Education from the University of Maryland. Her undergraduate degree
is in Psychology from Hunter College. She is a member of the Department
of Human Development at UMD. She serves
as the Director for Young Children, a laboratory preschool,
in the College of Education. The Center has a triple mission of
education of children, training pre-service teachers, and conducting
research on how children learn and develop. Dr. Favretto is in
charge of policy, procedures, and the overall operation of the
Center.
Dr. Favretto has held the position as Director of Early Childhood Undergraduate Teacher
Education at the University of Maryland. She has published articles, written
chapters in edited books, and has presented at local and national
professional conferences. Her research interest is in conflict
resolution and the development of appropriate curriculum for young
children. Dr. Favretto has taught on the undergraduate and graduate
level and mentored University students.
Anne
Daniel
Assistant Director
Anne Daniel has a
B.A. in Elementary Education from the College of William and Mary,
and a M.Ed. in Early Childhood Education from the University of
Maryland. Extensive coursework beyond the Master's level taken
at both the University of Maryland and Shenandoah University in
Virginia has focused upon the field of children's literature.
Ms. Daniel began her
work at the Center for Young Children in 1976 as the lead teacher
in a mixed-age group of preschoolers and continued in that role
through 1979. After being home with her own two sons, she returned
to the CYC as its kindergarten teacher in 1986. She continued
in that capacity until 1992 when she became Assistant Director.
Work experience prior to coming to the CYC includes teaching first
grade in rural Virginia. She has taught both undergraduate and
graduate children's literature courses and workshops at Trinity
College in Washington, D.C. and taught the early childhood children's literature course at the
University of Maryland for 17 years.
Ms. Daniel served
as the early childhood representative to the National Gallery
of Art's charter Teacher Advisory Board which consults with the
Gallery regarding its education programs and school outreach efforts.
She has co-authored early childhood curriculum guides focusing
upon career awareness, fire safety and burn prevention, and computer
issues. Ms. Daniel, head of student employment at the CYC, has
been honored as the University's "Employer of the Year" for her
work with student employees. Ms. Daniel was nominated for the University's Parent Organization's "Faculty of the Year" award in 2001. In 2005 she was honored as a Phillip Merrill Presidential Scholar "Mentor Teacher".
Leslie Oppenheimer
Curriculum Specialist
Professional Presentations
Leslie Oppenheimer has a B.A. degree in Elementary and Special Education from Salve Regina University in Newport, Rhode Island, and a M.Ed. degree in Early Childhood Education from the University of Charleston in Charleston, South Carolina.
Ms. Oppenheimer has over twenty years of teaching experience. This is her eleventh year at the CYC. She has taught preschool (three and four year olds) and kindergarten in an independent school. In addition, she has held various Special Education positions-- Learning Disabilities Resource Teacher for Charleston County Public Schools, Early Childhood Special Education lead teacher for Easter Seals/Disabilities Board of Charleston County, and Inclusion Specialist for the Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, D.C. She has been a member of the Early Childhood Faculty at the College of Education at the University of Maryland where she taught an undergraduate education course from 2001-2006.
At
the Center for Young Children, Ms. Oppenheimer taught in the Green Room for six years and the Purple Room for one year before taking on an administrative role. Currently she shares the enrollment
process from initial inquiry to full admission with the Program Management Specialist, Jennifer Haislip. She also shares responsibility for the day-to-day operations of the
CYC with the assistant director. Ms. Oppenheimer has presented at local and national (NAEYC) professional conferences on topics in early childhood literacy, math, and curriculum.
Jennifer Haislip
Program Administration Specialist
Jennifer Haislip is beginning her ninth year at the Center for Young Children. In her official supporting role, Mrs. Haislip is responsible for assisting Leslie Oppenheimer with the admissions, enrollment and scholarship processes. She manages the flow of student observers through the Center, often scheduling hundreds of appointments per semester. She handles the tuition billing process, and fields parent inquiries and special requests of every kind.
Mrs. Haislip is a native of the College Park area, and has held positions in several departments on campus, including Athletics, Chemical Engineering and Family Studies (now Family Science). She is the mom of two boys, both of whom have attended the Center, and this has solidified her status as a lifelong fan of the CYC and its talented faculty.
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Teaching Staff |
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Red
Room:
Mixed-Age Preschool, 3-5 year olds
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Kelly Keville
Kelly Keville is a self-proclaimed fan of the CYC. This is her third year as a teacher in the Red Room. Her youngest son and her third child to attend the CYC, Benjamin is in the Blue Room this year.
Mrs. Keville has twenty years experience working with young children and their families. Over the years, she has held a variety of positions within the field of early childhood development and education including teacher, community educator, professional trainer, director, and perhaps most importantly, mother.
In 1992, Mrs. Keville graduated from Loyola College in Maryland with a Bachelor of Arts degree in writing and sociology. While completing her undergraduate work, she acquired her Maryland 90 hour certification in early childhood development. Kelly regularly pursues continuing education courses and professional trainings within the field of early childhood education as well as other personal interests. Since returning to the CYC during the 2005 -2006 school year as a long-term substitute, Kelly has attended the many professional training workshops offered at the CYC. Her most recent educational endeavor is enrollment in the Child Development Associate program which will provide her with an additional nationally-recognized credential.
Mrs. Keville has presented at NAEYC’s national conference and is currently writing an article for publication in NAEYC’s, Teaching Young Children journal. She is a strong advocate for children and families and believes the relationship between teachers and parents is crucial to each child’s preschool success.
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Meghan Daly
Ms. Meghan Daly graduated with a B.S. in Early Childhood Education at the University of Maryland in May 2009. She worked at the CYC as an undergraduate aide and substitute teacher since 2007. Ms. Daly has also worked at the CYC Summer Camp for the past three summers. Ms. Daly has had previous experience as an aide at a preschool in Bowie, Maryland. She is looking forward to her first year as a teacher in the Red Room!
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Orange
Room:
Mixed-Age Preschool, 3-5 year olds
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Elizabeth Casey
Liz Casey is entering her fifth year with the Center for Young Children. While attending the Univsersity of Maryland, she worked as a student aide in the Purple Room. After receiving a Bachelor of Science in Family Studies and completing her 90-hour Certification Course, Ms. Casey continued working as a full time substitute and ended the year in the Green Room. Ms. Casey has also taught during Summer Camp for the past 2 years.
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Winona Mayo
Ms. Winona Mayo graduated from Towson University in 2000 with a B.S. in Early Childhood Education. She taught for Montgomery County Public Schools for four years teaching 3rd grade and kindergarten. Ms. Mayo came to the CYC for the 2004-2005 school year and worked in the Orange Room. She returned to the CYC in the spring of 2008 as a substitute teacher and then taught summer camp in the Purple Room.
"It's great to be back; I love working at the CYC! It's a pleasure to interact with the wonderfully diverse families and experience so many different cultures. I know the children will teach me something new each day! It will be great to work with such a talented and dedicated staff. I am looking forward to a fabulous year in the Orange Room." |
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Yellow
Room:
Mixed-Age Preschool, 3-5 year olds
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Michela
Denaro
Michela Denaro is entering her thirteenth year with the Center
for Young Children, though her roles have changed over the
years. While attending the University of Maryland,
she worked as an undergraduate assistant in all of the classrooms
at the CYC. After completing her Bachelor of Arts
in Psychology, Ms. Denaro became
a member of the teaching staff. This will be Ms. Denaro's
tenth year teaching in the Yellow Room. Ms. Denaro
has recently completed her eigth summer as a CYC Summer
Camp Administrator.
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Lorelei Ciardi
Lorelei Ciardi graduated from the University of Maryland in Spring 2005 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Early Childhood Education. Ms.Ciardi has worked at the CYC as a student aide and a summer camp teacher for four years and is entering her fifth year as a school year teacher in the Yellow Room. Miss Ciardi has worked with young children during a number of internships, as well as a student teaching position in Montgomery County Public Schools. Miss Ciardi recently obtained a Master's degree in the area of Special Education.
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Green
Room:
Mixed-Age Preschool, 3-5 year olds
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Cici Fowler
Cici Fowler has been at the CYC for the past six years. She attended the University of Maryland and graduated with Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Education in 2003. She has student taught in various public schools in Prince George’s and Montgomery counties. Mrs. Fowler has taught in the Yellow and Orange Rooms, as well as summer camp at the CYC.
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Sara Person
Sara Person is entering her fourth year at the Center for Young Children in the Green Room following many years of teaching in the early childhood classroom at St. Luke Christian Day School in Silver Spring, MD. She has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Art Education from Eastern Mennonite University, Harrisonburg, VA.
Mrs. Person is an experienced art educator who taught Saturday ceramics classes to children at the Art and Learning Center in the Stamp Student Union, and now spends her summers teaching elementary aged children at the Stone Ridge Summer Camp in Bethesda Maryland. The courses she has taught there over the last six summers include Screen Printing and Stamping, Fine Arts, and Sculpture.
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Blue
Room:
Kindergarten
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Kathleen Sayers
Professional Presentations
Kathleen Sayers graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park in May 2005 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Early Childhood Education. Ms. Sayers has worked at the CYC since the fall of 2002 as a student aide, assistant teacher, and lead teacher in the Summer Camp program. Ms. Sayers has completed internships in early childhood classrooms with children ranging in age from infancy to second grade. Over the past two summers she has taught English and math to children of all ages in Kenya. This is her fifth year teaching Kindergarten at the CYC.
Ms. Sayers is completing her Master's degree in Minority and Urban Education. Ms. Sayers has presented locally and nationally at teaching conferences and most recently participated in an international literacy conference in Tanzania. She has presented at the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) conference in various locations across the country on best teaching practices in early childhood education, and will present again this fall in Washington, D.C. Her research interests center around educating diverse populations, crtical literacy, incorporating culture into the classroom, and the benefits of a child-centered, constructivist classroom for all children.
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Beth Solomon
Beth Solomon graduated from the University of Maryland in May 2008 with a Bachelor’s of Science in Early Childhood Education. She completed her year-long internship in the Blue Room 2007-2008. Ms. Solomon worked as a teacher in CYC Summer Camp Program in 2007 and 2008. She has held various positions at the CYC including classroom aide and substitute teacher for the past three years. |
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Purple
Room:
Part-Time, Mixed-Age Preschool, 3-5 year olds
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Kristen Leyton
Kristen Leyton graduated from the University of Maryland with a Bachelor’s of Science in Family Studies. She is currently working on her Master’s in Early Childhood Special Education. Ms. Leyton has been working at the CYC for the past five years. She started working as an undergraduate aide in the Red, Orange, Blue, and Purple Rooms. Ms. Leyton completed her student internship in the Green Room this past fall and continued teaching, serving as the permanent substitute, when Mrs. Fowler left on maternity leave. Ms. Leyton has also been a teacher during CYC’s summer camp program for the past three years. She is fluent in Spanish as well as American Sign Language. This will be Ms. Leyton’s first full year teaching at the CYC and she is looking forward to working in the Purple Room.
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Stefanie Kain
Professional
Presentations
Stefanie Kain graduated from the University of Maryland College Park in December 2002. She received a Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education and has a background in Psychology. She also holds a Master’s of Education in Teacher Leadership from the University of Maryland. Mrs. Kain has been part of the CYC faculty since June of 1999. As an undergraduate, she worked as a student aide in many of the classrooms. She also student taught in the Red Room, Kindergarten, and for the past six summers, Ms. Kain has coordinated the Summer Camp Program.
Mrs. Kain began her professional career by presenting at a local primary public school representing the University of Maryland's College of Education. She, along with administrators from the College of Education, presented on the benefits of mentoring student teachers. Mrs. Kain has also presented at several NAEYC conferences all over the country speaking to early childhood educators about implementing best practices in their preschool and Kindergarten classrooms. Some of these topics have included using photography to encourage young children to reflect on their experiences, fostering learning through hands-on investigations, and helping children make meaningful connections with mathematics. This year she will present at the NAEYC conference in Washington D.C. on the importance of play in the educational lives of young children. Mrs. Kain has also worked closely with early childhood educators in the community through workshops at CYC, seminars at the University, and memberships in local educational organizations.
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In-house Substitutes
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Vera Wiest
Vera Wiest has been a member of the CYC community since 2001. She has an Associate of Arts degree and is currently working toward her Bachelor's degree through University of Maryland University College. She has received the 90-hour certificate in Child Care along with the 45-hour certificate for School Age Care. She has worked as a licensed Family Day Care Provider in her home taking care of children ages 3 months to 12 years old.
Ms. Wiest has also taught a three-year-old class in a Mother's Morning Out program. In addition, she taught the 2- and 3-year-old classes at a nearby co-operative school and worked at the Before and After Care program at University Park Elementary School as a group leader. Vera Wiest is currently the CYC web manager.
Janice Gonzalez
Janice Gonzalez has been a member of the CYC community for the past four years. She retired in June 2005 after teaching kindergarten for thirty-two years in the Montgomery County school system. Twenty-eight of those years were at Takoma Park Elementary where a former student of hers is now teaching. Her most famous kindergartener was Dominique Dawes, the Olympic gymnast.
Ms. Gonzalez has a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Rochester in upstate New York. She also has a Master's degree in Early Childhood Education from Catholic University in Washington, D.C.
Music Teacher
Eric Maring
Eric Maring, known as “Mr. M” by the students, is thrilled to be in his third year teaching music at CYC. He received his M.Ed from the University of Maryland and taught elementary school in Washington, D.C. and Montgomery County for 6 years before becoming a full time music educator and performer. He’s the proud father of baby Julian and 5-year-old Leo, a student in the Blue Room.
Visit Eric Maring's web site to learn more about our talented music teacher. |
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