Meghan Fletcher

Ms. Meghan Fletcher 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. Fletcher has also worked at the CYC Summer Camp for the past six summers. Ms. Fletcher has had previous experience as an aide at a preschool in Bowie, Maryland. She is looking forward to a new school year, teaching in the Red Room!

Kelsey Blorstad

Kelsey Blorstad graduated from the University of Maryland College Park in May 2010 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Early Childhood Education. She completed her year-long internship in Montgomery County Public Schools and a 4-week internship in the Yellow Room. Ms. Blorstad also worked at the CYC Summer Camp this past summer. She is excited for the new school year in the Red Room.

Orange Room:
Mixed-Age Preschool, 3-5 year olds

Kristen Leyton Murray

Kristen Murray 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. Murray has been working at the CYC for the past six years. She started working as an undergraduate aide in the Red, Orange, Blue, and Purple Rooms. Ms. Murray completed her student internship in the Green Room 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 since 2006. She is fluent in Spanish as well as American Sign Language.

Dawn Mooney

Dawn Mooney has taught for ten years at the CYC, also acting as webmaster and summer camp coordinator during part of her tenure. Her BA in Early Childhood Services is from Elmira College where she graduated Summa Cum Laude and was a national merit scholar. She has conducted education and parenting presentations at both the local and national levels, including at the National Association for Education of Young Children's annual conference. During her time at home with her children, she expanded on her interest in children's literature through her work as a book reviewer and a judge for an annual children's book award. In addition to being a CYC teacher, she is also a proud CYC parent, with one child in attendance this year, and two children counted among CYC’s alumni.

Yellow Room:
Mixed-Age Preschool, 3-5 year olds

Katharine Flanders

Katharine Flanders is new to the Yellow Room this year. She graduated from the University of Maryland with a Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education in 2011. She has been an in-house substitute at the CYC for the past year and was the Purple Room Summer Camp teacher this past summer. Katharine has previous experience as a student teacher at the CYC and at Takoma Park Elementary. She has two children of which one will be starting in the Orange Room at the !

Stefanie Penland

Mrs. Stefanie Penland is new to CYC. She has a BA in early childhood education from the College of Charleston and graduated Cum Laude. She is working towards a M.Ed. at University of Maryland in special education. She has taught preschool, has administrative experience, and she has experience working for another program as they met the standards for NAEYC accreditation.

Green Room:
Mixed-Age Preschool, 3-5 year olds

Cici Fowler
Professional Presentations

Cici Fowler has been at the CYC since 2003. She attended the University of Maryland and graduated with Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Education. 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 five years of summer camp at the CYC. This fall she will present at the NAEYC conference in Anaheim California on an in-depth recycling study conducted in the Green Room in 2009.

Sara Person
Professional Presentations

Sara Person is entering her seventh 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 eight summers include Screen Printing and Stamping, Fine Arts, and Sculpture.

Purple Room:
Part-Time, Mixed-Age Preschool, 3-5 year olds

Michela Denaro

Michela Denaro is entering her fifteenth 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 twelfth year teaching in the CYC.  Ms. Denaro has recently completed her tenth summer as a CYC Summer Camp Administrator.

Kelly Keville is a self-proclaimed fan of the CYC.  Ms. Keville has been teaching at the CYC since 2005. Mrs. Keville has over 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 training's 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.

Blue Room:
Kindergarten

Alison Hurst

Mrs. Alison Hurst graduated from James Madison University in 2007 with a B. S. in Early Childhood Education. She taught for Fairfax County Public Schools for two years teaching kindergarten. This is Mrs. Hurst's second year with the CYC and she is excited to be part of a wonderful school!

Amy Laakso

Amy Laakso graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education from the University of Maryland in 2009.  She completed her student teaching at Takoma Park Elementary School.  Since graduating she has taught English for two years in Seoul, South Korea.  Ms. Laakso started at CYC in 2007 as a student aide in the Orange and Green Rooms.  She has taught at three CYC Summer Camps.  Ms. Laakso looks forward to a great year in the Blue Room!

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 community since June of 1999. As an undergraduate, she worked as a student intern in many of the classrooms. She has also taught in the Red Room, Orange Room, Purple Room, and Kindergarten.  Since summer of 2003, 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.  During the Spring Semester 2010, Mrs. Kain taught undergraduates in the Early Childhood Program here at the University.  Her class focused on literacy development of young children birth through kindergarten and how to support young children’s development in this area.  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.

In-house Substitutes

Janice Gonzalez

Janice Gonzalez has been a member of the CYC community since 2005. 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. Recently Ms. Gonnzalez has served as a University Supervisor for Early Childhood Education majors doing their internships.

Lorelei Ciardi

Lorelei Ciardi obtained both her undergraduate degree in Early Childhood Education and graduate degree in Early Childhood Special Education at the University of Maryland. Ms. Ciardi has worked as a teacher at CYC since 2005. She taught in the Yellow Room for seven years and has started a new position as an in house substitute teacher this year. Ms. Ciardi is excited to have the chance to work in all of the classrooms at CYC!

Vera Wiest

Vera Wiest has been a member of the CYC community since 2001. She graduated from Oklahoma State Tech and UMUC and earned the Child Development Associate credential (CDA). She has a 90-hour certificate in Child Care along with a 45-hour certificate for School Age Care.

Ms. Wiest has worked as a licensed Family Day Care Provider in her home taking care of children ages 3 months to 12 years old. In addition, she taught classes at a nearby co-operative nursery school, at a Mothers Morning Out program and worked at the Before and After Care program at University Park Elementary School. Vera Wiest is the CYC web developer.

Music Teacher

Eric Maring

Eric Maring, known as “Mr. M” by the students, is thrilled to have been teaching music at CYC since 2007. 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 a CYC student and a CYC graduate.

Mr. M has created two travel videos to share with the children of the Center for Young Children. Please take the time to enjoy these with your children. Mr. M's Trip to India. Mr. M's Trip to Spain. Visit Mr. M's Web Site.

CYC CD's

2013 CYC CD

Each year since 2009, Eric Maring has recorded and produced a CD with the CYC children singing some of the songs he has taught throughout the year. Here are the covers of each CD with a link to a sample mp3 selection from each.

2012 CYC CD

2011 CYC CD

2010 CYC CD

2009 CYC CD