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East Concord Faculty and Staff

JENNINE LESSER, East Concord Program Director, joined CCC in 1995. She was previously our Emerson program director and also spent 14 years as a teacher. Jennine has a Bachelor’s degree in psychology and early childhood education from Regis College.

TIFFANY BOISVERT, East Concord Site Coordinator, joined CCC in 2010 and worked in both our Infant/Toddler and preschool programs before assuming the Site Coordinator role in 2023. She holds a B.A. in Child Development from Mills College in Oakland, CA.

LILLIAN ALBANESE joined CCC at our Ripley program in 2019 before moving to Emerson in 2021. Before joining CCC, she worked for many years in local infant/toddler programs.  Lillian has a Bachelor’s degree in Human Development and Elementary Education from UMass Amherst. 

DAISY BEX joined CCC full-time in 2022 after working with us for two summers. She has previous experience teaching school-aged children and received her B.A. in Psychology from UMass Lowell. 

SUSIE BARKER joined CCC in 2005 and has taught both preschool and Afterschool children.  She has over 25 years of experience teaching young children in Massachusetts.  Previously, she was with Lincoln Country Day School where she was with the three and four year olds and several years teaching at the Kennedy-Donavon Center for Handicapped Children.  She has her graduate degree in Education from Antioch University in Ohio. 

AICHA BOUNAR joined CCC in 1998 working with infants. Aicha has a wealth of experience in the family child care setting and is taking courses in early childhood education.

BINTONG CHI joined CCC in 2023. She holds a Master’s in Music Education from Boston University. Her experience includes working as a classroom teacher with toddlers and preschoolers. Her passion is incorporating music and art into the classroom curriculum.

PATRICIA COLLINS joined CCC in 1999. In addition to teaching our 3-4’s children, she has taught with our 4-5’s and After-K groups.  She was a teacher with the Concord Carousel Program from 1994-97 and has taught a variety of ages in many programs for the Concord Recreation Department.  Patricia has taught theater, creative dance, and sacred dance for children and adults.  She has an undergraduate degree from Hampshire College and is a certified teacher in Noyes Rhythm. 

BRINNA CONLEY joined CCC in 2016. Prior to CCC, she taught Pre-K in a head start program in North Carolina. She has her undergraduate degree in Early Childhood Education from Greensboro College in North Carolina.  Brinna is an alum of Concord Children’s Center.

EMILY D’ARCY joined CCC in 2014 after working for four years with preschoolers in Newton. Emily received her undergraduate degree in English from University of Massachusetts, Amherst and her graduate degree from Lasell College in Early Childhood Education. She is an alum of Concord Children’s Center.

MARIE DIPACE joined CCC in 2010.  She has over twenty years of experience in the field. Most recently she was a teacher with the preschoolers at Technology Children’s Center at Lincoln Lab in Lexington, MA.  She received her undergraduate degree in Early Childhood, Elementary(K-8), and Physical Education from Boston College.

PAIGE ENGLER joined CCC in 2022. She graduated from UMass with a B.A. in Communications and Early Childhood Education. Her experiences include student teaching in a pre-kindergarten inclusion classroom as well as in lower elementary school. 

AMY GONZALEZ joined CCC in 2021 with 20 years of experience teaching infants through preschool aged children, including at her own family childcare program. Amy has completed extensive coursework in the field of Early Childhood Education.

MELISSA GORGENYI rejoined CCC in 2021 after working with us from 1995-2012 as a preschool teacher. She has her undergraduate degree in Early Childhood Education from Messiah College in Pennsylvania.

ERIKA GUTERMUTH joined CCC in 1996 and has been an infant teacher for all her years with us. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and has taken several classes in early childhood education. Erika brings her love of music into the classroom.

ANNIE KOLFF joined CCC in summer 2017.  She has many years of experience with children in childcare centers and as a nanny.  She has her Early Childhood Certification from Norwalk Community College.

ISABELLE LECHAUVE joined CCC in 2022. She has many years of experience working with infants and toddlers in both the U.S, and France. Isabelle received her B.A. in Classical Literature from Brest University in France and has completed many courses in the field of Early Childhood Education. 

ANNA MORREALE joined CCC in 2023. She has a B.S. in Biology from Tufts University. Her experiences include working as a preschool teacher in both classrooms and recreational camps. She also holds experience in farming and growing and is excited to share this passion with children.

NICHOLE PIRO joined CCC in 1998 at our Ripley program, teaching with our mixed age group (3-5’s) and 4-5’s before moving over to our West Concord program in 2002.  She returned to Ripley in 2011. Nichole received her graduate degree in Early Childhood Education from Lesley University and her undergraduate degree in Human Services and Psychology.  

SHANNON SAYWELL joined us in 2021.  Shannon holds a B.A. in Psychology from Smith College and has most recently worked in the behavioral health field as a Psychosocial Engagement Coordinator. She has experience with young children in summer camp and art school classroom settings.

CARMEN WARREN joined CCC in January 2014. After three years with the 3-4’s group, Carmen moved to join the 4-5’s team.  She has her undergraduate degree in Early Childhood Education from Embury Institute for Education in South Africa, her home country.  She came to the States as an au pair in 2010 and has her graduate degree in Early Childhood Education with Creative Arts from Lesley University.

West Concord Faculty and Staff

ANNE DOHERTY, West Concord Program Director, joined CCC in 1988 and taught until 2001 when she became Program Director. She received a bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education and her Master’s in Special Education from Lesley University. 

JEN TURINI, West Concord Site Coordinator, joined CCC in 1999 as a teacher and became Site Coordinator in 2023. She has a B.A. degree in Psychology from Westfield State College and has completed many courses in the field of Early Childhood Education. 

JULIA ABREU joined CCC in 2012 from the Andover School System.  She holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Wheelock College with a concentration in Early Childhood Education.  Her teaching experiences include preschool through middle school aged students.

DORIS ASENCIOS joined CCC in 2023 with over 23 years of experience in early childhood education. She holds a Bachelor of Education from The Higher National Pedagogical Institute of Huari in Ancash, Peru. Doris’s experiences include working with Infants, toddler, preschool and kindergarteners in Maynard.

JULIA BAZANOS joined CCC in 2024. Her teaching experiences include working with autistic children as well 3-5 year olds, and she has a degree in Psychology from Penn State. 

LAUREN BECKER joined CCC in 2023 after earning her graduate degree in Early Childhood Education from Boston University. Prior to that, she taught pre-kindergarten at a preschool in New York for four years. 

GHADA BITAR joined CCC in 2017 with 14 prior years of experience in the field. She attended Quincy College where she earned an associate degree in Early Childhood Education.

KAYLA BLAKE earned a Master of Education in School Counseling from University of Massachusetts.  Her experiences include working with children in a variety of settings including, preschool and elementary schools.

JAMES CONTI [J.C.] joined CCC in 2004 and has taught in both the preschool and Afterschool. JC graduated from Lock Haven University where he earned a B.S. in Elementary Education. 

ELIZABETH DOLHAM graduated from Eastern University in PA where she earned a Bachelor of Education degree.  She has been working with children that range from infancy-five years old since 2007. 

NATALIA FLASTER joined CCC in 2021. She graduated from Lesley University with a master’s degree of Education in Curriculum and Instruction and has an undergraduate degree from Westfield State University in Elementary Education. She has a wealth of experience with children that range from infancy-third grade.

REBECCA GARVEY joined the CCC staff in 2019 at our Emerson location and moved to our Ripley location in 2021. Rebecca has a Master's in Education from the University of Southern New Hampshire, a degree in Holistic Psychology, and has experience working in a variety of settings, including childcare. 

CICI GROVE joined CCC in 2015 and has worked in both the Infant/Toddler and Preschool Programs at CCC. She graduated from the University of Vermont in Burlington with a B.S. in Art Education. Cici has taught in the Concord Public Schools as well as the Concord Integrated Preschool.

DIANE HARRIS joined CCC in 2022. She holds a Bachelor of Elementary Education from University of Minnesota and a certificate in Special Studies in Management and Administration from Harvard University Extension in Cambridge, MA. She has been teaching in the field of early childhood education since 2014. 

ANAIT KYARAMYAN joined CCC in 2023. She has experience working with infants and toddlers as an assistant teacher at a center in NH. Anait is the mother of two grown daughters and is delighted to be a part of our Infant/Toddler Program.

DIANE KRUG joined CCC in 1979 and studied Early Childhood Education at Northeastern University and Middlesex Community College.  

CINDY OULIGHAN rejoined CCC in 2019 after being a toddler teacher with us from 2015-2017.  Previously Cindy ran her own family childcare in her home for over thirty years and was a nanny for 10 years.  She has taken courses in Education from Middlesex Community College and Northeastern University.

SASHI QUALITZ joined CCC in 2013. Prior to coming to CCC she taught in early childhood classrooms for 5 years.

KAREN QUARANTO worked at Ripley during the summer of 2019 before joining our West Concord staff in 2021. She has many years of teaching experience, most recently at the Westford Preschool at St Marks.

ASHLEY RABOIN joined CCC in 2017. She attended Curry College and holds a bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education. Prior to coming to CCC, her experiences included 9 years of experience with infants, toddlers, and preschoolers.

JULIE RECCO has been with CCC since 1993 working primarily with Infants and Toddlers. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Miami and has completed additional course work in early childhood education.   

TERRI RUF started at CCC in 2017 with over 34 years’ experience working with children from 2-7 years old. She attended Bergen County Community College and the California College of Health and Sciences.          

LYNN ST. GERMAIN joined CCC in 1988 as a toddler teacher and has spent the past 35 years with this age group. She has a bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education with a concentration on infants and toddlers.

JENNA SULLIVAN joined CCC in 2023. She previously primarily worked with young children on the autism spectrum. Her experiences also include teaching in a toddler classroom at The Nest Early Child Development Center in Merrimack, NH.

HOLLY SWANSON has been with CCC since 2001 and has worked as both a teacher and an administrator. Holly attended Mount Wachusett Community College and is certified in early childhood education.

NASSIMA TIZI-OUGDAL joined CCC in 2017. Prior to joining CCC, Nassima worked as a teacher at Cadence Academy and in a home daycare. She has an A.A. degree in Early Childhood Education from the Urban College of Boston and a degree in Architecture. 

JORDAN ZIRKEL joined CCC in 2017. She spent many years prior to this as a high school volunteer and summer teacher at CCC. She graduated from North Carolina State University with a bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education.

 

I can’t make it to Celebrate Concord Children’s Center until after the start time — is this a problem?

Not at all!  The format of Celebrate Concord Children's Center is very informal, and guests are welcome to arrive or leave at the time that is convenient for them.

Can I request a specific site in my application?

Families are asked to indicate their location preference in their application, and we do our best to accommodate each family’s request. 

250 Old Bedford Road Groundbreaking Ceremony featured in High Profile (10/2022)

 

High Profile recently covered the groundbreaking ceremony for CCC's new site at 250 Old Bedford Road

 

 

CCC Selects Bowdoin Construction to Build Old Bedford Road Site (9/2022)

Concord, MA – Local early childhood care and education provider Concord Children’s Center (CCC) this summer took another step toward realizing its vision of moving to a two-site model to most effectively and efficiently serve Concord and the surrounding towns. In July, CCC signed a letter of intent (LOI) with Bowdoin Construction of Needham to construct a new facility at 250 Old Bedford Road in Concord. Bowdoin joins the project team of D.W. Arthur (architect), Omni Properties (Project Manager), Lemon|Brooke (landscape architects) and Stamski and McNarey (engineers). The project is expected to break ground in mid-September. 

The new site is part of a broader strategic initiative, CCC Reimagined, to restructure CCC from a three-site model to a two-site to best and most efficiently serve its children and families. This restructuring involves retaining CCC’s site in West Concord at 1300 Main Street, building a second site that is also owned by CCC on the east side of Concord at 250 Old Bedford Road; and departing CCC’s Emerson and Ripley sites. 

“The Bowdoin Construction team brings the experience and skills to realize the vision of CCC Reimagined,” said Pat Nelson, Executive Director at Concord Children’s Center. “This new site will be great for the Concord community and a terrific resource for working families and young growing minds. I’m thrilled to have Bowdoin join our effort to make it a reality.” 

Founded in 1973, Bowdoin Construction has established itself as a leader in the industry providing pre-construction planning, construction management and general contracting services throughout New England. Bowdoin has a background managing childcare/school campus expansion projects for non-profit entities who provide educational services for children, as well as independent schools, private special needs schools, and colleges and universities. 

“We are thrilled to join CCC’s team to build a new site for families and children,” said Andrew Buckman, President at Bowdoin Construction. “We are focused on quality and are committed to delivering the best overall value to our customers. We look forward to bringing our expertise to Concord Children’s Center.”

Concord Children’s Center (CCC) is an accredited, nonprofit school committed to the development and early education of young children from the age of 10 weeks through pre-kindergarten. Working together with families, CCC helps nurture engaged, lifelong learners by creating an environment that celebrates a child’s inquisitive nature, encourages exploration and play, fosters confidence in each child’s individual gifts, and guides children in building strong, respectful relationships.

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