Chickadee Childcare
Western Avenue

Alex has been in the childcare field for  15 years.  She started out as a teacher and gained experience with all care room ages while working with the forest model schools of Reggio Emilia, Montessori, and Woldorf inspiration.  She soon started administrative work as a curriculum director, just prior to joining Chickadee.  Alex's favorite part of this setting is experiencing development and expanding each child's individuality.  In free time she loves to hike with her dogs or head up the mountain to snowboard.

Mac is passionate about early education and has been working with young children since 2021.  They love working with children of all ages but has grown to adore the toddler age group. Mac has recently begun an apprenticeship here at Chickadee, working towards a Maine Infant Toddler credential, in hopes of becoming a more intentional early educator. When Mac is not working, they love to spend time with their partner Megan, dog Mortie, and cats Mouse and Missy. 

Allie is originally from Massachusetts and attended Keene State College in New Hampshire, where she studied Elementary Education and History. After graduating, she moved to Portland, Maine, and has been teaching there for the past three years. Allie has experience teaching both kindergarten and 4th grade, and she especially enjoys watching her students learn, grow, and develop their unique personalities throughout the school year. Outside of the classroom, Allie loves crafting, skiing, snowboarding, and exploring great food spots.

Favorite book:

The day the crayons quit by Drew Daywalt 

Taylor is a South Portland High School graduate of 2020. She is currently attending the University of Southern Maine with the hope to apply her Social & Behavioral Sciences major to the classroom. She looks forward to seeing the kids' personalities evolve and flourish as they transition from one room to another.

Favorite Book: Where The Wild Things Are

by Maurice Sendak

Chloe is a lifelong Mainer. She’s been taking care of kids since she was in kindergarten herself and taught her classmates how to climb up the rock wall. She aims to foster creativity and a joy for learning in her students. Her main philosophy for working with children is that every child is born good and it’s her job as their teacher to teach them how to express their love and goodness. 

Julia has two kids of her own who also attend Chickadee! She has been in childcare for just over 10 years and holds a bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education with a minor in Special Education. She enjoys the same things most kids do: dancing, art, music, and just being silly. She always has a smile on her face and is excited to do great things throughout Chickadee.

After traveling to many different places, Katija returned to Maine and graduated with a degree in psychology.  She has worked with a huge range of children from infants to elementary age.  She loves working with families while teaching kindness to all.

Favorite book: The Giving Tree

by Shel Silverstein

Arria discovered her passion for working with children during a college internship at a small preschool in Boston. She has worked with children ever since, in roles ranging from classroom teacher of infants, toddlers, and preschoolers to administrative coordinator for Portland Public Schools, and ultimately to Executive Director of the Peaks Island Children's Workshop. She believes that kindness is magic and that it is the teacher's role to nurture children in their quest for identity and purpose in the world. She lives in Windham with her family, including five-year-old Felix and a very old dog named Raven!

Claire recently relocated from Florida and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in social work.  She has a strong passion for working with children and enjoys spending her days supporting their growth and development. In her free time, Claire enjoys being outdoors, exploring local restaurants, and spending quality time with friends and family.

With a degree in Journalism, Loraine has gained effective communication knowledge through five languages, including child ASL and speech production skills.  She prioritizes safety procedures and developmental milestones while gaining experience with children of all ages, ranged from three weeks to ten years.  She also has shown advocacy for children's wellbeing in causes like Sanfilippo Syndrome Research (Children's Alzheimers).  Lorraine's creativity and energy are fueled by her love for traveling to all 50 states and fitness endeavors, like Zumba!

Favorite book: Dragons Love Tacos

By: Adam Rubin

Sydney grew up in Freeport, in the home her grandfather built, and has always found inspiration in both art and nature. Over the past 15 years, she has gained experience working with children in various roles. She has served as a location floater at all three DaVinci Experience sites, a Lead Toddler Teacher at Blue Cactus Preschool and Children’s Learning Adventure in Maricopa, AZ, and a summer camp counselor for the Bath YMCA. She has also worked as a Floating Assistant Teacher at Beansprouts Early Learning Childcare Center in Freeport. Additionally, she has volunteered as a Teacher’s Assistant with Pre-K and Kindergarten students at Morse Street School and Durham Elementary School, as well as a Sunday School Teacher at Pathway Vineyard Church in Brunswick.

Adriana has lived in South Portland her entire life and is the youngest of three sisters.  She is a parent to a school-aged daughter and a proud cat owner.  Adriana completed CNA training and worked as a CNA for one year before the pandemic.  She later transitioned into early childhood education and has been working in the field for the past four years.

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