Kathy Abate

Kathy worked at the center since May 2019.  Right now she is a classroom assistant and goes into all the classrooms where she is needed. She enjoys this and spending time in all the rooms with the children. She has an associate degree in early childhood education and previously worked at the center from September 1985 until October 1996. She has also been a assistant teacher in rooms from infant toddler right up through pre school.

Mary Biehl

Mary has been a Head teacher at WHCDC since 1999. She graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Child Development Psychology and Early Childhood Education from Eastern Connecticut State University. She continues to take ongoing trainings and workshops to stay up to date with her professional path. She has two lovely children that are both alumni from West Haven Child Development Center and a loving supportive husband that keeps up with her daily busy schedule. Mary loves everything Disney, appreciates the beauty of nature, and loves to travel. 

Jea Cardona

Jea, currently working as an infant/toddler teacher here in  WHCDC, has been working in the education field for about 9 years. She started working in WHCDC in July 2017 and has been enjoying her work experience so far. She loves working in this center because of its core value, strengthening the family as it is the best way to strengthen and build up our community. She enjoys working with little kids, even though it wasn’t her first career, as she has worked with high school students back in her home country in the Philippines. Once she had tried working as an early childhood professional, she felt that she had found her calling! Working with little children brightens up her day and to be able to work with a great team with decades of experience in ECE here in WHCDC has been a great privilege and awesome learning experience.

Helena Correia

Helena has been a teacher at West Haven Child Development Center since January 2008. Helena studied Child Studies at Post University and earned her Bachelor’s Degree.

Megan Correia

Megan has been a teacher at West Haven Child Development Center since August 2018. Megan studied Psychology at the University of New Haven and earned her Bachelor’s Degree. She has always loved that WHCDC feels like a second home. Everyone is welcoming and it is like we are a big family. Megan and her whole family attended WHCDC as children.

Flor Escarcega

Flor has been an bilingual assistant teacher at West Haven Child Development Center since January 2019. Flor studied Early Childhood Education at Gateway Community College and earned her Associate’s degree. Flor is currently working on her Bachelor’s degree at Charter Oak State College. She also has a beautiful 7 year old girl. Flor believes that children learn through play and she provides children with the opportunities to create, discover and explore.

Claudia Flores

Claudia has been an assistant teacher at WHCHC since August, 2021. She is currently in college and is working to earn her degree in nursing, with a goal of working in pediatrics. She started working with children when she volunteered at YNHH Children’s Hospital during high school. Then, she continued working at Discovery Daycare and Preschool for 5 years as a classroom teacher before coming to join our team at WHCDC. Claudia absolutely loves children and she is the happiest knowing that she is making a difference in their lives and vice versa.

Robin Glynn

Robin G. has been a teacher at West Haven Child Development Center since May, 2021. She studied Early Childhood Education at Gateway Community College and she also studied English and Journalism at Southern Connecticut State University. Robin has enjoyed working with all the children and learning new things about each classroom.

Krystalys (Aviles) Golding

Krystalys (Krys) has been a teacher at West Haven Child Development Center since October 2018. Krystalys studied Psychology and Child, Family, and Community Studies at Southern Connecticut State University and earned her Bachelor of Arts Degree. She has loved her experience at the center so far and is thankful to be working with such amazing kids.

Kate Harrington

Kate’s career in working with children began during college when she worked in a Before and After school program to earn my Associates Degree in Early Childhood. She has always wanted to be a teacher as long as she could remember. For her, she is lucky to say “I’m doing my dream job each day here at WHCDC since 2002.” After completing her Associate’s Degree, she began a new chapter in her life as a mom to her son Alexander. While working full-time and being a mom she obtained my Bachelor’s Degree in Child Studies and graduated with Honors. Through the many years of teaching she has learned so much from the families, their children and her co-workers. Being a mom has brought teaching into a new light for her as well. As far as hobbies, she love to do diamond painting, knit scarves and she is teaching myself to make different things with my Cricut machine. She also enjoys reading and taking her pup Barkley for walks down by the beach. She also loves DISNEY.

Meghan Kaminsky

Meghan has been at the WHCDC since August 2008. She obtained a degree in Early Childhood Education from Post University. She has worked with preschoolers for twenty years and counting. Meghan is a caring, “out of the box” thinker, who is compassionate about the role she plays in laying the foundation of a child’s educational journey. Her dedication to the children in her care and their families has created relationships that become like an extended family.  As someone once told her, “The best teachers are those who show you where to look but don’t tell you what to see”, and she holds that statement close to her heart and it can be seen in the work of her students.

Kerry Kennedy

Kerry has been a teacher at West Haven Child Development Center since March 2005. Kerry studied Early Childhood Education at Post University and Charter Oak State College and earned her Bachelor’s Degree. She has enjoyed many friendships over the years and feels like the staff are more than just co-workers, they are family. Outside of work, Kerry is a wife, mom and Girl Scout Leader.

Bruno Lieto

Bruno has been with WHCDC since August of 2019. He previously attended Clark University where he received a major in English and a minor in Education. He has worked with kids of all different ages, from summers as a camp counselor in his hometown, to helping teach kindergarten and third grade while enrolled in college, to volunteering with teenagers at his local library. Bruno is now the Early Head Start Infant/Toddler Classroom Lead.

Olivia Male

Olivia is one of the Infant Toddler Teachers in Room 110A. She started at WHCDC in 2014. Olivia has her Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work from Southern Connecticut State University as well as her Infant Toddler Teaching Certificate from Charter Oak State College and her Early Childhood Teaching Credential. Ms. Olivia says "I love watching the infants and toddlers discover who they are as they grow and learn, thank you for sharing your children with us! When I am not at the Center you are likely to find me reading a book, spending time with my family or relaxing at the movie theater". In 2022, Olivia obtained her Master’s Degree in Social Work from Southern Connecticut State University and is now the Infant/Toddler Classroom Team Leader at the center.

Robin Pesapane

Robin P. has been a teacher at West Haven Child Development Center since September of 1982. Prior to that she was a board member and student teacher. Robin studied Early Childhood Education at Post University and earned an Associate of Science, CDA credential and is a State of Connecticut Designated Head Teacher. Her journey began here at West Haven Child Development Center when her oldest son started here back in 1980. She fell in love with this place and the children so she went back to school to become a teacher. In 1981, she did her student teaching here. She was also a substitute teacher and was asked to become a parent board member. Since then her second son came here as well and both of her grandsons and nieces. WHCDC is like a family and home to her.

Amanda Sanders

Amanda has been a co-teacher at West Haven Child Development Center since April 2015. Amanda studied Early Childhood Inclusion Education at Housatonic Community College and earned her Associate’s Degree. In 2022, Amanda earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Education at Charter Oak State College. Amanda has been teaching infants and toddlers for 14 years and has loved every moment of it! She loves being able to strengthen a child’s development, help build their confidence in themselves and help them become positive members of society, as well as creating trusting relationships between each child.

Emily Turbert

Emily is a teacher in an Infant Toddler mixed age group classroom at West Haven Child Development Center, Inc. She currently has her Associate’s Degree in Early Childhood Education from Gateway Community College. Emily also received her Infant and Toddler Care Certificate from Charter Oak State College. She is currently working towards her Bachelor of Arts Degree from Charter Oak State College in Early Childhood Education. Emily has been at the center since 2005. First, she worked part-time in the kitchen as well as in the infant/toddler and preschool classrooms. In 2008, she was hired full-time for the infant and toddler program. In her free time, Emily enjoys reading, baking, and spending time with her two year old nephew.

Liz Wierzbicki

Liz is an Infant/Toddler Teacher who joined the West Haven Child Development Center in January of 2017. She graduated with a degree in Communication and a minor in Business and has taken many Early Childhood Courses since. She loves working with young children and watching them grow and develop their personalities. Her favorite part of the day is hearing the children laugh and observing how caring they can be with one another. Liz feels especially honored to be entrusted with the care of your children and looks forward to sharing in their learning.