Our Teachers

At Clara Barton, we believe our teachers are our greatest asset. Committed to excellence, they ignite imagination and leadership, delivering an education that’s both age-appropriate and hands-on.

Each preschool class is a team taught by two or three teachers. At least one of the co-teachers holds a degree or credential in early childhood education or a similar field and possesses the requisite teaching experience. Our other teachers have training or experience that meets or exceeds Montgomery County requirements. A majority of our teachers have over 10 years of experience in the education field. Low teacher/child ratios are maintained in each of the classes at CBCC and we are committed to the continuing education of our staff.

Meet Our Staff!

Asma is a teacher in the Puffin class. She joined CBCC in 2005 as the Floater teacher and taught in the Toucan class from 2010 to 2024. Asma has a Child Development Associate (CDA) and holds a Level 4 MSDE credential. She was born and raised in Morocco. In addition to English, Asma is fluent in Arabic and French, in which she often speaks to the children. Asma currently lives in Montgomery County.

Cecilia “Cece” has been teaching at CBCC since 1990. She first taught in the Chickadees and the Toucan classes and then was a Puffin teacher for 21 years. Cece is currently the Floater teacher, and supports every classroom and child. She has her Associate of Arts in Elementary Education from Alberto MasFerrer in El Salvador. Cece also has her Child Development Associate (CDA) and holds a Level 4 MSDE credential. She has three grown sons and a grandson, all of whom are CBCC alumni.

Deborah first joined CBCC as a parent in 1998. In 2005, she began teaching  in the Toucan class, and became the Assistant Director in 2017. She has a BA in Geology and German from Colby College, a Graduate Diploma in Economic Geography from the London School of Economics and an Early Childhood Education Certificate from Montgomery College. She holds a Level 5 MSDE credential. Deborah enjoys running and hiking. Her four grown children are CBCC alumni.  

Esther, a Hummingbird and aftercare teacher, has taught at CBCC since 2003. Esther has her Child Development Associate (CDA) and holds a Level 4 MSDE Credential. She was born in El Salvador and likes to incorporate her home language into her lessons, teaching the children Spanish songs and words. Esther loves to dance. She is married and has two grown sons who attended CBCC. 

Malou began her teaching career in 1998 and taught in the Cardinal and Eagle classes from 2018 to 2023. She returned to CBCC in 2024, and currently teaches in the Eagle class. Malou has an AA in Early Childhood Education from Montgomery College, a BA in Human Relations from Trinity University and an MA in Early Childhood Education from Towson University. She enjoys painting, jewelry making and playing guitar. 

Mary Beth has over 15 years of experience teaching young children and came to CBCC in 2019 as a Toucan and Chickadees teacher, and currently teaches in the Cardinal classroom. She holds a Level 5 MSDE Credential and has her Associate Degree in General Studies with a focus on Early Childhood Education from Montgomery College. Mary Beth was a competitive horseback rider and enjoys spending time at the beach with her mother, two sisters and loads of nieces and nephews.

McKenzie has over 5 years of experience as a lead teacher and joined CBCC in 2021 as a Hummingbird teacher. She has a BA in Child Development and Family Studies from West Virginia University and holds a Level 6 MSDE Credential. McKenzie enjoys traveling, trying new food, going to concerts and listening to live music. 

Morena began teaching in 1997 and joined CBCC in 2012 as a Toucan teacher. She has a Child Development Associate (CDA) and holds a Level 4 MSDE credential. Born in El Salvador, Morena can often be heard chanting and singing to the children in Spanish. She currently lives in Montgomery County with her husband, son and daughter.

Patty has been teaching young children for over 20 years. She joined Clara Barton as a Resource Teacher in 2023. She  has an Associate degree in General Studies from Montgomery College, including the 90-hour Early Childhood certificate. Prior to becoming a preschool teacher, Patty was a Naturalist, teaching children about nature, photography and the environment. She brings this appreciation of the natural world to our children every day. Patty enjoys exploring nature, photography, hiking, reading, music, traveling and advocacy work.

Paula C. is the Executive Director of Clara Barton Center for Children. Graduating from Towson University with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, she holds a Level 3 Administrator’s Credential from the Maryland State Department of Education. Paula first started at CBCC as a parent, with all three of her children attending.  Her career at CBCC began in 2004, as the Administrator and she has been the Executive Director since 2016. Paula was born and raised in Montgomery County. 

Paula S. is a teacher in the Puffin class. She has been an early childhood educator for more than 25 years and has worked both in the classroom and in administration. She previously taught at CBCC from 2005-2007 and again from 2009-2014. Paula graduated from the University of Maryland with a BA in Family Management and Community Development and holds a Level 6 MSDE credential. She has one son, Joshua, who also graduated from the University of Maryland. She enjoys spending time with friends, visiting her family at the beach, photography and an adorable Papipom named Ella. Paula grew up in Bethesda, Maryland. 

Samantha has over 20 years of experience teaching young children and joined CBCC in 2016. She teaches in the Cardinal class. Samantha has an Early Childhood Certificate from Montgomery College and holds a Level 5 MSDE credential. Samantha enjoys traveling, cooking, nature walks, shopping, family gatherings and watching movies.  

Sarah joined the CBCC staff in 2024 as a resource teacher and has over 10 years of experience working with young children. She attended Bucks County Community College in Newtown, PA, and is working toward earning her Child Development Associate. She has two young daughters and enjoys cooking with her family and finding other fun activities to do as a family. (They love to fish!)

Stephanie has been teaching young children since 2020 and joined the Clara Barton team in 2024 as a Toucan teacher. She has her 90-hour Early Childhood certificate, and has experience working with all early childhood ages, ranging from infants to PreK. Originally from France, Stephanie moved to the United States in 2016. She loves traveling, art history (more specifically the Italian Renaissance and French Impressionism), meeting new people and hiking. She is also a big Disney fan. Stephanie has three children, two who are currently studying in France, and one who attends high School in Montgomery County.

Talia joined the CBCC staff as a Substitute in 2023, and her enthusiasm and energy made it immediately apparent that she is a natural working with young children. She was a camp counselor for several years working with children 2-16 years of age. Talia has experience teaching in most of the CBCC classrooms and is now a permanent teacher in the Puffin and Birdhouse classes. She has her 90-hour early childhood certificate and is also attending University of Maryland Global Campus where she is majoring in English. Talia enjoys baking, hiking, pet sitting senior animals, and being a cat mom. 

Yanzhen “Vicky“ joined the CBCC staff as a Substitute teacher in 2018 and is currently a Resource teacher in the Cardinal classroom. For 4 years, she was a Pre-School Director in her native China. She teaches Chinese to elementary and middle school students, and she, her husband, and two daughters speak Chinese, English and German at home. Vicky enjoys gardening and playing all kinds of sports, especially pickle ball.

Yolanda joined CBCC in 2023 as a teacher in the Hummingbird class and in the Chickadees aftercare. She has over 40 credits in Education from Montgomery College and Washington Adventist University and has over 17 years of experience as a special education and an early childhood teacher. She holds a Level 4 MSDE credential. Yolanda enjoys gardening, reading, and spending time with her adult children, the youngest of whom is in her junior year of college at UMGC.