B.A. in Psychology and Women’s Studies, Wellesley College
AHNS Board Member, 1996-present
AHNS School Coordinator 2000-2001
AHNS Assistant Director 2001-2005
AHNS Executive Director 2005-present
I have been interested in children’s
development for as long as I can remember. Child development holds
so many fascinating questions: How do children gain a sense of self?
How do they incorporate their early experiences and come to understand
how the world works? How can we most effectively support young children
and their families as they negotiate our increasingly fast-paced world?
How can we best protect children’s play, and advocate respect
for childhood and for young children’s well being? These and
many other questions drew me to pursue a degree in developmental psychology
and then to AHNS, where I feel fortunate to have a position that captures
such a perfect blend of my interests.
In many ways, I grew up at AHNS, as my mother, Jean Potter, was the
director for thirty-six years. We have always shared a deep interest
and delight in young children, and in understanding their development.
I have very fond childhood memories of attending AHNS as a preschooler,
and of working here in a variety of roles throughout the years.
Prior to joining AHNS, I worked for five years in the pediatric department
at Boston City Hospital (now Boston Medical Center), where I was a
research assistant and project manager on several large research studies
of infants and their development through the preschool years. I was
fortunate to receive excellent training in observing and documenting
children’s development. Working with infants in the NICU and
with the multi-disciplinary teams of clinicians caring for them was
a fascinating experience that deepened my interest in child development.
A move to New York City created the opportunity to work at Cornell
Medical Center on the New York City Children's Health Project, working
with homeless children and mothers, and documenting the impact of
homelessness on children and families living in welfare hotels and
shelters. In addition, I worked at the Stone Center for Developmental
Services and Studies at Wellesley College where I worked on a research
and outreach project conducting qualitative research with women in
prison in Massachusetts. Working with women and children in such traumatic
and demanding settings were powerful experiences that shaped my understanding
of how stress, separation, and poverty impacts families.
I have been active on the Community Partnerships for Children Council,
as member and chairperson, and have served on the board of directors
of Arlington Family Connection and Warmlines Parent Resource Center.
I currently serve on the board of the Arlington Health and Human Services
Foundation, and am a commissioner on the Arlington Historic Districts
Commission.
I’m passionate about my work at AHNS, where I have overall responsibility
for the school, manage the administrative and teaching staff, and
collaborate with the staff to ensure that that the mission, philosophy
and goals of the programs we offer are carried out in the daily life
of the school. I also truly enjoy working with families and assisting
them with the challenges of raising young children and of understanding
developmental changes and issues. I appreciate the opportunities I
have at AHNS to observe children at play, listen to parents, and develop
strategies for addressing challenging behavior, transitions, or special
needs.
I live in Arlington with my husband and our four children, each of
whom is a source of endless wonder and inspiration to me. They have
all attended AHNS and my daughter Isabella is currently an AHNS preschooler.
(Bio coming soon)
B.A. Psychology and Women's Studies, University of Vermont, 1998
Master of Public Health, Maternal and Child Health, Tulane University,
2001
Master of Science in Nursing, MGH Institute of Health Professions,
2005
I am the former assistant director at AHNS, as well as proud mom to
Ani, who attended the AHNS toddler and preschool programs. I moved
to Vermont with my family in June 2009, where my husband and I accepted
jobs on our family farm. I will continue to consult to the administrative
team at AHNS. As a nurse practitioner with a strong background in
child development and maternal-child health, I consult on health care
issues, reviews and updates our health care policies, and provide
professional development training on health-related issues to the
staff.
I studied at the University of Vermont, where I earned a Bachelor
of Arts in Psychology and Women's Studies. I then attended Tulane
University where I received a Masters of Public Health in Maternal
and Child Health. After graduating from Tulane, I worked as a Program
Coordinator at Children's Hospital in Boston, and decided to pursue
a Masters of Science in Nursing specializing in Women's Health at
Massachusetts General Hospital Institute for Health professions. I
worked as a Registered Nurse at MGH, where I provided nursing care
for women and newborns during the postpartum period. I also provided
teaching and support around breastfeeding and care of mothers and
newborns. After working at MGH, I managed Isis Maternity in Arlington
where I managed a large staff of instructors and staff, worked with
families and their babies, and had overall responsibility for the
operations of the Arlington center.
I am delighted to continue my work at AHNS as a consultant.
Administrative Assistant (Bio coming soon)
(Bio Coming
Soon)
Framingham State College
Middlesex and Wheelock College My passion as an early childhood educator
has always been to create a learning environment that allows a child
the freedom to explore their interests and to build their self-confidence.
At AHNS, where I have taught for fifteen years, I have been able to
nurture my passion to allow children to grow and learn through their
own play experiences and also by giving them many opportunities to
explore the world around them. In my role as program coordinator,
I oversee the eight preschool and pre-k classrooms, including supervising
and guiding the teaching staff, overseeing the implementation of the
curriculum, and designing the classroom environments in collaboration
with the teachers.
A major inspiration for my work with young children has been my brother
John, who is deaf. It was often a struggle for him during his early
childhood years to cope with the world with no sound. Learning experiences
were different for him. As a young child I learned how to adapt my
imaginative play world so John and I could play together. What I learned
through the years with my brother is that the universal sign for happiness
is a smile and that using the senses you have brings things to life
in different ways. My play and social experiences with my brother
have led me to value teaching and encouraging a child to learn through
their senses. We know from research that children who explore and
discover through play, using their senses of smell, touch, taste and
sound experience a greater understanding of the world around them.
I attended Framingham State College, where I studied Clothing and
Textile Design. I also studied early childhood education at Wheelock
College and Middlesex Community College. Before I became a teacher,
my two children attended AHNS. While my children were here, I was
the Parent Volunteer Coordinator, and planned many community events
for the school. I live in Arlington with my husband Nick. Our two
daughters are currently in college.
B.A. Philosophy/Education Occidental College 1952
EdM. The Graduate School of Education, Harvard University 1982
AHNS Preschool Teacher 1969-1971
AHNS Director 1971-2005
AHNS Board of Directors 1996-Present
AHNS Special Needs Consultant and Curriculum Specialist 2005-present
My interest and delight in young children
began with the birth of my only sibling when I was ten years old.
I began working summers as an assistant teacher with young children
in a school setting when I was fifteen, and, after college, worked
as a kindergarten/primary teacher. In 1969, after enrolling my youngest
child, Margaret, in AHNS, I joined the staff as a teacher, and, later,
became director of the program until my retirement in 2005. I began
teaching early childhood courses as an adjunct faculty member at Middlesex
Community College (1984) and supervised student teachers from Middlesex
and Lesley University until my retirement. I have greatly enjoyed
sharing my love of young children and my ideas of what kind of school
programs support the optimum growth and development of young children
in these settings.
I am a long term resident of Arlington where my four children were
raised. I am a member of the National Association for the Education
of Young Children and am active in the Boston affiliate, serving on
the committee to plan the annual Director’s Conference. I am
very proud to have been a founding member of the Arlington Early Childhood
Association, a group of directors of early childhood programs that
has met monthly for the past 26 years. I have been active in the Arlington
community with organizations such as the League of Women of Voters
of Arlington (past President), Library, and Arlington Historical Society.
Middlesex Canal Association, and the Community Partnerships Council
since inception and as a former treasurer.
AHNS has long supported the presence of children with mild to moderate
special needs in our program, dating from before there was state and
federal legislation to support this concept. Our program has been
greatly enriched by these children and the specialists who have provided
services for them in our school through the years.
It has been a pleasure and a source of great pride to watch AHNS grow
and expand under the guidance and leadership of my daughter, Margaret
(the preschooler who I enrolled here in 1969!). I continue to enjoy
being a part of AHNS through consulting on children with special needs,
designing developmentally appropriate curriculum, and through working
in the office three afternoons a week.
B.S. in Child and Family Development, San
Diego State University 1998
M.S. in Infant and Toddler Development and Early Intervention, Wheelock
College 2005
My career in Early Childhood Education began at a young age as I discovered
my love of working with children while having steady babysitting jobs.
In 1995 I attended San Diego State University and earned a bachelor’s
degree in Child and Family Development. While at SDSU, I was fortunate
to meet some of the great educators and theorists in the field such
as Magda Gerber, Bev Bos, and Urie Bronfenbrenner, who have shaped
my way of thinking and approach with young children. These experiences
along with my course work laid the foundation for my philosophy of
education for infants and toddlers.
After graduating from San Diego State University in 1998, I decided
to try living on the east coast and moved to Boston. Since then I
have been teaching in both preschool and infant and toddler classrooms.
I find watching children’s development unfold and seeing their
approaches to interacting with the world to be endlessly fascinating.
While earning my Master’s degree at Wheelock College in Infant
and Toddler Development and Early Intervention, I gained a deep understanding
of child development as well as how a child’s relationships
and environment can impact their growth. One of my greatest passions
is documenting how children approach and interact with the world.
I find young children’s ability to explore materials in a way
that gets their questions answered something to be respected.
It has been an honor to become part of so many children and families
lives over the course of my 14 years working in the classroom. These
relationships have been one of the gifts I treasure the most in doing
this important work. I’m glad to be able to share my passion
for working with young children, families, and teachers as I continue
my work at Arlington Heights Nursery School as the Infant-Toddler
Program Co-Coordinator.
Along with my Co-Coordinator, Lise White, I will be overseeing the
five Infant-Toddler classrooms, including supervising and guiding
the teaching staff, overseeing the implementation of the curriculum,
and designing the classroom environments in collaboration with the
teachers.
B.A. in English, University of Colorado, 1993
M.S. in Child Development, Wheelock College, 2002
Touchpoints Training, Children's Hospital, Boston, 2003
Postpartum Doula Training, Seattle Midwifery School, 1998
I first became fascinated by infants and toddlers while volunteering
at Seattle Children’s Hospital holding and comforting ill and
premature babies. In 1999 my life’s path lead me here to Boston,
where I began working as the assistant teacher in an infant room.
During the next five years, I worked my way up from assistant teacher
to team coordinator at Peabody Terrace Children’s Center, while
earning my master’s degree in child development at Wheelock
College. The more I learned, the more questions I had about development
and the way it unfolds according to a predictable progression, yet
so uniquely for each child. Much of my graduate work focused on exploring
the questions that grew out of my observations in the classroom: Do
infants form secure attachments to multiple caregivers? How do children
learn two languages simultaneously? By what process do infants become
capable of representational thought? How do we support babies who
have difficulty adapting to the group care environment? This idea
of teacher as researcher is central to my philosophy of caring for
infants and toddlers in groups, and inspires me to observe closely,
think deeply, and wonder freely as I work with young children.
At its core, caring for infants and toddlers is about forming trusting
relationships with babies and families. I am extremely lucky to have
loved and been loved by so many babies over the years. In 2004, my
husband Dan and I welcomed our own babies into the world, and now
have an energetic household of twin four-year-olds and a 2-year-old,
who burn off some of that energy here at AHNS. We love to hike at
Great Meadows in the spring, go to the beach in the summer, pick apples
in the fall, and ski and skate in the winter.
At AHNS, I oversee the five Infant-Toddler classrooms, including supervising
and guiding the teaching staff, overseeing the implementation of the
curriculum, and designing the classroom environments in collaboration
with the teachers.
