Team

 

Meet Our Staff

MCPK's excellent administrators and teachers possess a depth of experience and qualifications. Our teaching faculty hold undergraduate and graduate degrees in early childhood education, humanities, psychology, educational leadership and related fields of education. Our Teaching Associates have extensive experience and many possess the Child Development Associates Certification (CDA). Many of our faculty members are also certified by the State of New Jersey in Early Childhood Education (P-3 Certification) or Elementary Education and have attended educational seminars and workshops including the Harvard University Project Zero Summer Institute with Dr. Howard Gardner and the Bank Street College of Education Summer Institute.

 

Administrative Team

 

Amy Dorr

Amy Dorr is Executive Director of the Montclair Community Pre-K.   The former Assistant Principal of P.S. 531 in the South Bronx, she   brings almost two decades of    experience in early childhood education and educational leadership. Amy began her career in corporate childcare as a teacher at Goldman Sachs and then as the Assistant Director of Pfizer's childcare center in Manhattan, before being selected as an NYC Teaching Fellow. After a decade as a teacher and instructional coach  serving high needs students, Amy assisted in opening a new public pre-k to 5th grade school in the West Farms neighborhood of the Bronx. This past year, she was  awarded tenure as a School Building Leader. After eight rewarding years at Archer Elementary School, she moved back to Montclair and accepted her dream job at  MCPK. Amy received her undergraduate degree in Child Development and Family Studies from Cornell University and she holds a Master degree in Education and  an Advanced Graduate degree in Educational Administration. A Montclair native, Amy is the proud product of the Montclair public school system. She has returned home with her son Finn, who she looks forward to enrolling in MCPK Class of 2022!

Molly Brennan

 Molly Brennan joined the MCPK in 2014.  Molly is responsible for development, enrollment management, and was instrumental in the implementation of the MCPK online registration and payment systems. Molly holds an undergraduate degree from the Fashion Institute of Technology. Prior to joining MCPK, Molly worked as the head of merchandising and design for a backpack company.   Molly’s two children (now 10 and 13) attended the MCPK, and she has worked tirelessly since then to support the mission of providing an affordable pre-k experience for every child in Montclair. 

Susan Bryant Gaither

Susan Bryant-Gaither is the Family Services Director at the Montclair Community Pre-K. Susan has been here at the Pre-K since our doors opened for the first time in September 1998. She was part of the start-up team. Susan conducted some of the initial interviews of the teachers that were hired for the Pre-K. Susan brings almost 20 years of working in early intervention and family counseling to this position. She taught autistic children at the Sawtelle Learning Center and the Douglass Developmental Disabilities Center in NJ. Susan has a B.A. in Urban and Metropolitan Studies with an area of emphasis in Educational Program Development and Evaluation. She earned her degree from Michigan State University. Susan also earned a post-graduate certificate in Infant and Preschool Mental Health. Susan is also a Certified Positive Discipline Classroom Educator and Parent Educator. Before teaching, she worked as a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor for the State of Ohio. This required intensive interaction with community agencies and businesses as well as an ability to have an awareness of the needs of families. Susan's three children have all attended the Montclair schools and she has been very involved in the Montclair School District. With Susan's understanding of the Montclair school system and her ability to bring a positive outlook to the position, she quickly puts parents at ease and gets them involved in the Pre-K program. Chelsea, her youngest daughter attended the Montclair Community Pre-k the first year. Class of 1998-1999. Susan is married to James and she has two other children, Anika and J.B.

Carolyn DeVito

Carolyn is the Assistant Executive Director and was one of the “original” faculty members having joined the school in 1998 at it’s  inception. Carolyn brings a long history of working in an Early Childhood setting; she was part of the start-up faculty for all three sites at which she worked - Hoffman La Roche Corporate Child Care Center and Bright Horizons in Lyndhurst as well as here at MCPK. Carolyn has both her Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees from Kean University in the field of Early Childhood Education. She is also on the adjunct faculty at Kean University in the College of Education - Early Childhood and Family Studies program. On a personal note, Carolyn is the mother of two girls; Alissa lives in Philadelphia and is the Director of Technology for a school there and Stephanie graduated from Montclair State University and works in a local hospital as a Medical Credentials Analyst. Carolyn is also “Nana” to two wonderful / beautiful / amazing (you get the idea) grandchildren.

Melissa Groffman 

Melissa Groffman joined Montclair Community Pre-K in 2016 as the part-time school nurse for both MCPK and the Developmental Learning Center.  Melissa became the full-time School Nurse in 2020.  Melissa is a Registered Nurse (RN) and Certified School Nurse (CSN). She became a nurse as a second career after staying home with her four children while they were young. Melissa graduated from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo with a Biological Sciences degree and worked for many years in the Pharmaceutical Industry. Melissa went back to school in 2012 to become a nurse and later received her certification as a School Nurse.Melissa has lived in Montclair since 2006 with her husband, Laurence and their 4 teenagers; Amaya, Isaac, Samara and Caleb.  Three of the Groffman kids were lucky enough to attend MCPK. Melissa is mom to two daughters who came to her family as foster babies and were later adopted, and two sons who were born to her and her husband. Nurse Melissa loves working with preschool aged children and their parents and delights in bumping into students and families around town.

 Corina Slackman

Corina Slackman joined the MCPK in 2018.  Corina is a member of the MCPK development and communications team, focusing on fundraising, events and the playground renovation project.   Prior to joining MCPK, Corina held development and communications positions at Montclair State, New York University and Scholastic, Inc. At Montclair State, Corina managed fundraising and alumni relations for the College of Education and Human Services.  Corina earned an undergraduate degree from American University and a master's degree from New York University.  Corina is a passionate advocate for access to quality education for all children.

Meliza Gonzalez

Meliza Gonzalez joined the MCPK in Fall 2018 as the PM Administrative Assistant. She graduated with a Bachelor's in Business Administration from Berkeley College. For many years, Meliza has been part of the MCPK family and looks forward to every exciting school year! She manages the front desk and supports the administrative and faculty team along with Sarah. 

Sarah Wrede 

Sarah Wrede joined MCPK in the fall of 2020 as an Administrative Assistant/Bookkeeper. She graduated from Ramapo College of New Jersey with her Bachelor’s in Psychology and with a concentration in Contemplative Studies. With over 9 years of administrative experience, Sarah provides support to the administrative and faculty team. Managing the front desk, she excitedly looks forward to welcoming all the children to the school every morning! Sarah is proud to be part of the MCPK family, as she sincerely believes in the mission to provide affordable early education. 

Faculty and Staff

Ashley Alberta 

Ms. Alberta has been a part of our MCPK learning community for 5 years. Prior to joining our school family as a staff member, she worked in the field of Early Childhood Education for 10 years beginning at the age of 15. Some of her previous experiences included after school program directing at both an elementary school and middle school level and serving as an after school program site coordinator for the Montclair YMCA at Edgemont Elementary School as Glenfield Middle School. Ms. Alberta resides in Montclair and has a 10 year old son who is a proud MCPK alumni and currently attends CHB. During her time here at MCPK, Ms. Alberta has served as a floating support teacher, lead extended care teacher and a teacher's associate. As we head into another year of exploration and discovery, she looks forward to guiding and supporting your children along their journey of development and growth!

 LaShawn Austin

Lashawn Austin was raised and educated in the Montclair Public School System. In 2000 she became a graduate of Montclair High School and almost immediately began working at the North Ward Center as a Teacher Assistant. While working there for six years she attended many trainings in Early Childhood Education and obtained her Child Development Associate (CDA) certification. In July of 2006 she came to work for the Montclair Community Pre-K. We have watched her grow as a professional and have seen her passion for teaching children blossom at the MCPK. She is the proud mother of two children. Ms. Austin had the opportunity to have her oldest attend the MCPK and watch him accomplish many new skills and have the confidence to try new things. Ms.Austin is looking forward to having her younger child attend the MCPK and watching all her new accomplishments.

Lilian Canizales

Melanie Constantino

Melanie Constantino lives in Little Falls and has been working at the MCPK since 2005. She studied at New Jersey City University in Jersey City, New Jersey. Ms. Constantino has enjoyed being a part of the Montclair community and hopes to continue to create lasting relationships with the children and families of this community.

Emerald Cowan

Kimberly Dias

Kimberly is very excited to join the MCPK family. She is a mother of 2 amazing children- a girl, 25, and a boy, 18. She is also the grandmother of a 5 year old boy who is the light of her life. She also has a granddoggie who loves going for car rides! Kimberly went to Bloomfield High School. She always knew from an early age she always loved working with adults and children. She went to John Spencer Institute to get an education and to get certified to be a life coach. She has worked in charter schools for 10 years, and also worked as a director for a daycare/preschool. She is looking forward to advancing her career and she will  be working hard to get her CDA. Children bring Kimberly so much happiness-  they are our future. She will do her best every day to make sure their intelligence continues to grow!  

Kaitlyn Feliciano

Kaitlyn Feliciano is a graduate of Belleville High School and previously worked as an assistant teacher. Kaitlyn's favorite thing about working in early childhood is seeing how much the children change and develop and how they become comfortable in the classroom. She loves watching them learn new skills and works hard to foster a special bond with the children and families. Kaitlyn has four sisters, three of the four also work in childhood education so they learn a lot of things together and share experiences. Kaitlyn is excited to work at MCPK because of the warm and welcoming environment, the team teaching approach, and the wonderful playground!

James Gaither

James Gaither (Mr. JB) began working with children as a camp counselor back in 2006 at the YMCA New Discoveries Camp. He has worked at the camp for 8 summers and has had a blast doing so. Mr. JB worked for the MCPK last year as a substitute and support teacher. Now, he joins the MCPK community as a Classroom Support Teacher and looks forward to a fun and exciting year.

Ralph Gonzalez

Sarah Geiger

James Goodger

‘Mr. James’ first came to the United States in 1993 as an International Summer Camp Counselor and has been working in the field of education and recreation ever since.  With a degree in Theatre and Dramatic Arts and a love for all sports he has developed a Pre-School Physical Education curriculum that combines imagination, dramatics and physical activity.  Students become the central characters in his stories, and the classes work together on exciting adventures while learning about the importance of staying fit and healthy along the way.  James worked for the YMCA of Montclair for 15 years and is now the Executive Director at the South Mountain YMCA in Maplewood, a branch of the Metro YMCA of the Oranges.  He looks forward to helping children use their imaginations to learn, play and grow!

Ayleen Harper

Ligia Jervis

Fiorella Leon

Hello! I'm Fiorella Leon, but most people call me  Fio. I was born and raised in Lima, Peru, and at 17, I embarked on a journey to the USA in search of better opportunities. Presently, I work as the lead teacher, having previously been part of the dual language immersion program for 3 and 4-year-olds. With nearly a decade of experience in preschool education, I've gained extensive knowledge in early childhood development. Working with young children and helping them achieve their full potential remains my daily passion. I'm thrilled to continue contributing to this incredible program, dedicated to creating safe and enriching environments for young learners.

ShelleyAnn Macklin

Ms. Macklin is a long time Montclair resident whose children have gone through the Montclair school system. Ms. Macklin started at the Pre-K as a substitute/ Lunch aide when the school opened. She was hired as a Lead Teacher the following year. Her educational background include an undergraduate degree from Old Dominion University, Project Zero @ Harvard University, P3 @ Montclair State University as well as many workshops/ training to further her growth and development in Early Childhood Education, creating educational success for both her and the students.

Julianna Maffucci

Laura Marchese

Laura Marchese (Related Arts Garden/Environmental Science) founded of the MCPK Garden Project 10 years ago when her second son was a student in Classroom 13. The last decade of digging in dirt has brought garden and environmental science curriculum to our students and the on-going development of our outdoor spaces which include The Butterfly Garden, The Four Season Garden, the Learning and Herb Gardens, and The Berry Patch. Miss Laura has a dual life in dance; she is a Teaching Artist with several arts organizations in NJ and enjoys sharing the value and importance of arts education with students, classroom teachers, and other artists throughout the state. She is the co-author of 'Dance to Learn', a developmental dance curriculum that encourages the emergence of each student's individual viewpoint by making art. She is a roster artist with Young Audiences NJ as an Arts Integration Consultant, and as a residency artist for workshops connecting science and dance.

Erika Martinez

Ms. Erika is one of the new members of the Montclair Community Pre-K Family. She enjoys working with children because "everyday I get to be a part of the messy, amazing learning process and I get to celebrate the little things in life." Ms. Erika has worked in early childhood for 18 years. Before working at MCPK, she worked at two other preschool environments. She was a lead teacher in infants, toddler, preschool and pre-k classrooms. She also was a program specialist assistant at KLC. In addition to being a teacher in the classrooms, she has taught Kindermusic and Hooked on Phonics as electives. She is currently enrolled in college to become an Occupational Therapist Assistant. "I am proud to be a part of the MCPK and am looking forward to everything in store."

Delores Monteiro

Delores Monteiro has been an advocate for children for the length of her career in early childhood. She is a founding teacher at Montclair Community Pre-K. Ms. Monteiro has her C.D.A. credential, did work / study with Starting Points for 2 years and did course work at Felician College. At MPCK she has worked in both the 3 and 4 year old programs and has also worked as a float teacher.

Maritza Pavesio

Ms. Maritza discovered her passion for teaching with her husband Felipe after having their three beautiful children: Samantha, Ashley and Diego. She migrated to the United States from El Salvador and attended high school in Cliffside Park. Her passion for teaching young children led her to get an associates degree in early childhood education from Bergen Community College . She began as a teacher's assistant, eventually working her way up to become a head teacher in 2000. She has experience teaching children from 18 months-five years old. She taught at a private preschool for 15 years and had the privilege to touch the lives of many young children . She enjoyed seeing children learn new things and was amazed by how quickly they grasp a new language. She also believes that parents are an essential part of their children's life and growth. Her goal at the MCPK is to share her passion and knowledge with her students and to expose them to Latino culture through the Dual-Language Spanish Immersion program. In her free time she enjoys reading, crafting, dancing and traveling. She is thrilled to become a part of the MCPK team.

Zusette Perdomo

Zusette has had a passion for teaching children and helping them grow for years. She is a hands-on type of teacher who loves to have lots of fun while learning. She is creative and looks forward to contributing exciting activities and ideas. She is happy to support all the children and teachers in any way in her classroom. She is a proud mom of 3. Zoe, Zayne and Zuri.

Dianca Polanco

Ms. Dianca has been working for the Montclair Community Pre-K since February of 2014. She started as a lunch aide and worked in Extended Care. Ms. Dianca is one of the first teachers who helped us blossom our Dual-Language Spanish English Immersion program. She is now a Support Teacher for the four-year-old dual language classroom. She has worked with children for the past 18 years. Her passion for being a teacher came from being a mom at a young age. She is now the mother of two bright and handsome boys. Ms. Dianca received her CDA certification in Preschool Child Development and hopes to further her education in Early Childhood. She is a hands on type of teacher that is always looking for fun and educational projects to do with the children. She enjoys spending time with her kids, doing photography, and making beautiful handmade crafts.

Camilla Ramirez  

Jill Rust

Marco Saavedra 

Marylyn Savary

Marylyn Savary is the proud mother of two wonderful children. Jonathan, a 25 year old who is currently pursuing his masters in Mechanical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University. Aaliyah, a 15 year old who is a sophmore at Jonathan Dayton High School. Ms. Sav was born in the islands of Trinidad and Tobago, where she obtained advanced levels in accounting and business. Upon migrating to the U.S. in 1996, Ms. Sav's love for children lead her to pursue her CDA credentials at Bloomfield College. She has been a dedicated teacher at the Montclair Community Pre-K for the past 16 years. She has worked with children ages 3 to 5 in both an inclusion and main stream setting for many years. Ms. Sav is excited and eager to continue her journey here at MCPK! 

 Rachael Sejuela

Rachael is super excited to join the MCPK family as a support teacher. She is happily married to her husband of 11 years, and they have 2 energetic daughters 11 and  9. They also have 3 dogs,2 of which were just rescued. Rachael has loved children since she was younger. She was the President of the Home and School Association at her daughters school for 6 years. Being so involved in her children's education and school, made her realize that early childhood education is what she wanted to explore on her career path. Rachael would like to work hard and earn her CDA certification to further her early childhood journey. 

Kelly Strother

Hello, I am Ms. Kelly.  I attended the East Orange Public School system from K-12.  My career in Early Childhood began when I was a student at the Newark Business Training Institute.  While pursuing my interest in business, I was invited to tour their Child Development and fell in love with preschoolers.  After graduating from NBTI I began my career as a preschool educator.  In 2022 I joined MCPK to continue my passion for teaching children and share my passion for early childhood education with the creative minds at MCPK. 

 Rachel Strauss

Hello, my name is Rachel Strauss! I am excited to start my 2nd year at MCPK! I come to MCPK with 15 years of experience in early childhood education. I am originally from Montclair, and just moved back to the area from Boston, MA. I received my Masters in Early Childhood General and Special Education from Bank Street College in New York in 2014. I have taught toddlers through Kindergarten in a variety of public and private school settings, and have most recently worked in early childhood administration as a preschool director. Teaching is my passion, especially social-emotional learning. In my free time, I love going to the beach, being in nature, and live music and theater.

  Kacey Studwell 

Ms. Kacey is an MCPK alumni and excited to be back and part of the next generations education. Watching how young children see the world has been inspiring and a great learning experience. Prior to working for MCPK she has worked for the YMCA of Montclair’s after school program for the past 12 years as well as being a Paraprofessional in Verona public preschool, and a one on one Aide in a special needs classroom. When Ms. Kacey is not working she likes to spend her free time outside, kayaking, hiking, and traveling with her son. Ms. Kacey looks forward to seeing your children every day! 

Germany Thomas

Megan Van Note

Megan has over twelve years of experience teaching Pre-K and Kindergarten. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Hartwick College and holds an N-8 certification from Saint Peter’s College. Megan is dedicated to creating a positive and engaging classroom atmosphere that encourages curiosity, creativity, and confidence in her students. Megan lives in Montclair with her husband and three children. She enjoys watching her kids play sports and loves spending time with her family at the shore.

Ariane Vozar

Ariane received a Bachelors of Fine Arts with a concentration in painting from Arcadia University. She enjoys crafting, spending time outdoors and traveling. She found her passion for working with children while living in Cambridge, MA and has recently moved back to New Jersey where she was born and raised. Ariane loves exploring process art with young children and encouraging creativity and imagination. She is excited to be joining MCPK this year and being a part of the Montclair Community Pre-K. 

Katie Wassel

Katie Wassel has been teaching young children since 2004. Katie attended Connecticut College, where she studied Studio Art and Gender and Women’s Studies. Later, she attended Bank Street College of Education for her masters in early childhood education. Katie has taught Pre-K through 1st grade in New York City, California, and New Jersey. Throughout her career, she has taught in progressive classrooms, and shapes her teaching philosophy around Reggio-Emilia and Bank Street ideals. She is passionate about providing quality, progressive, inclusive, and accessible education to all young children. In the classroom, Katie aims to co-build a classroom community with young learners, where children are able to play, collaborate, listen, discuss, resolve conflicts, and identify their own feelings and the feelings of others, and teachers meet the emotional and learning needs of each child. This work hopefully builds a more peaceful, respectful, and equitable society. Thus, Katie views her work as a teacher as social justice work. Katie is also a proud mother of three young, wonderful children.

Nerissa Waugh

Nerissa Waugh has been employed at the Montclair Community Pre-K since September 2001. She is a graduate of St. Joseph’s Teachers’ College and Kean University with a BA in Psychology. She is a certified Early Childhood teacher with her P-3 NJ State Certification as well as a diploma in Elementary Education. Prior to working at the MCPK, she worked in the elementary school system as a lead teacher for over fifteen years. Her natural ability and passion for helping children to excel has laid the foundation for the success of her students. Her philosophy is “children are our future, nurture them.” Her vision is to see our children being the best that they can be and her mission is to be actively involved in the training and development of young minds helping them to maximize their potential. 

 Heather Wilson

Heather Wilson has been teaching at the MCPK since 2004.  She attended Boston College and recieved her Bachelor of Arts in Sociology.  Ms. Wilson says “teaching in Montclair has been a wonderful experience as every year the children bring a fantastic new adventure.  Each day is different and I have enjoyed growing and learning with each class here at the MCPK.”  Ms. Wilson is the proud busy mother of three fabulous children here in Montclair.  Her two oldest, Mya and Ian, are also alumni of the MCPK, and she and her husband look forward to the day when Tristan, her youngest will attend the MCPK as well!

 Maya Workman

Ms. Maya Milenovic Workman and Reggie Workman joined the Related Arts Team at the Montclair Community Center in 1998. Through “Eight Steps to Creativity” Maya developed a conglomerate of movement, drumming, cultures and continents.  She originated “Moving Theater Methodology” for ages 3-10. Maya has a B.A. and M.A. from the “New School University” (Focusing on Film, Psychology, and literature) and BFA equivalent from “London School Of Contemporary Dance” (focusing on choreography). As ‘teaching artist’ she taught children, professionals, teachers, people with special needs and actors internationally since 1980. She directed two Dance Companies and is currently an Artistic Director of ‘Madlom’: www.madlom.org in Montclair. Maya’s full length choreographed works include: I Hear with my Eyes (deafness), Guernica Continuum (cerebral palsy, paraplegics), Virtual Truth (abuse), Jokasta, Clytemnestra, Come and Go, H.P. Madame’s Portrait, Tristan and Isolda, Moon Above Mississippi to name a few. Her fulllength documentary ‘Perfect Blend’ deals with American racism. She is preparing ‘Dos Worlds’ (blindness, rape) and Orlando (Virginia Wolf) and writing her first novel. She believes that ART OF THE FUTURE is political and an emancipator. Check out her website:  www.mayamilenovicworkman.com

Steven Zall

Hassiba Zoghbi

Ms. Zoghbi is a wife and mother of 2 children, a college student attending Montclair State University and an elementary school student. Ms. Zoghbi began her career teaching biology in an elementary school right after graduating from the Lebanese University with a degree in biology. She began working in early childhood shortly after moving to the United States with her family. Ms. Zoghbi has her N.J. Certificate of Eligibility for K-8. She began working at Montclair Community Pre-K as a substitute teacher and later joined the regular staff. Ms. Zoghbi feels that the Pre-K is a wonderful school that provides a rich, stimulating and warm environment for its students and staff.