HEARTBEAT is defined as: the vital center or driving impulse; an animating or vital unifying force; the person or thing that is the most important in forming the character of a place, organization, etc. and giving it energy; the very pulse of the heart.
Our Educator Team, the Heartbeat of Our Program!
Our educator team consists of caring and skilled early childhood professionals who have a variety of education and experience. E.J.’s employs Vermont licensed educators, educators with 4-year education degrees, educators with 4-year field related and non-field related degrees, educators with master's degrees, Vermont State Apprenticeship graduates, educators with CDA’s, educators with technical program Early Childhood certifications, and Northern Lights registered instructors. E.J.'s is also a Northern Lights Sponsor program for professional development in the community. As a program focused on leadership in our community, we pride ourselves on our involvement in organizations and activities which impact the children and families we serve, and the community at large. We have Ambassadors in the Let's Grow Kids organization, we attend Early Childhood Day at the Legislature, annual Kindergarten Conferences, various field related conferences and ACT 166 Early Learning Partner meetings. We are a founding member of the Early Childhood Business Collaborative. We organize and sponsor professional development opportunities for early education programs in our area, we work collaboratively with other local program Directors in the Leaders Bridging the Divide partnership, and we sit on invitation only pilot programs that work to benefit the field of Early Education. E.J.’s requires a minimum of 30 hours yearly of on-going professional development and a commitment to furthering education and skills in the field of ECE. Educators at E.J.’s meet and exceed qualifications as specified by the State of Vermont, and all educators have approved Vt. State sponsored federal background checks including fingerprint clearance. Educators are certified in infant, child, and adult CPR and First Aid as well as Medication Administration. E.J.'s is a VT. state Protective Service Provider and E.J.'s educators are required to complete 6 hours of Basic Specialized Care training with additional Advanced Specialized Care training annually. Educators are also required to participate in personal leadership courses addressing the growth of professional communication skills, DISC temperament profile training, non-violent communication and more. E.J.’s is an approved teaching facility for the students and interns of Center for Technology Essex who are enrolled in the ECE program. E.J.’s celebrates the educator team as the very heartbeat of the program, and strives to nurture connected, positive relationships with the educator team.
The program is very fortunate to have many long-term, highly qualified and dedicated educators working for our team.
Our Leadership Team
At E.J.'s, we believe that we are all leaders in our program! Within this framework of leadership, each learning community within the program has a Team Leader that helps to guide that group of children and teachers towards excellence.
Office Team Leaders:
Laurel Pelkey-Morin, Owner/Administrator (31 years)
Courtney Bessette, Director of Operations (28 years)
Hillary Gorby, Assistant Director of Operations (23 years)
Infant Team Leader:
Lindy Dykema, Team Leader and Vt. Licensed Teacher (19 years)
Young Toddler Team Leader:
Jessica Lavee, Team Leader and Program Director of Education (23 years)
Older Toddler Team Leader:
Natalie Brosseau, Team Leader (1 year)
Preschool Team Leaders:
Hillary Gorby, Asst. Director of Operations (23 years)
Vanessa Beaupre, Team Leader (6 years)
Our Educator Team, the Heartbeat of Our Program!
Our educator team consists of caring and skilled early childhood professionals who have a variety of education and experience. E.J.’s employs Vermont licensed educators, educators with 4-year education degrees, educators with 4-year field related and non-field related degrees, educators with master's degrees, Vermont State Apprenticeship graduates, educators with CDA’s, educators with technical program Early Childhood certifications, and Northern Lights registered instructors. E.J.'s is also a Northern Lights Sponsor program for professional development in the community. As a program focused on leadership in our community, we pride ourselves on our involvement in organizations and activities which impact the children and families we serve, and the community at large. We have Ambassadors in the Let's Grow Kids organization, we attend Early Childhood Day at the Legislature, annual Kindergarten Conferences, various field related conferences and ACT 166 Early Learning Partner meetings. We are a founding member of the Early Childhood Business Collaborative. We organize and sponsor professional development opportunities for early education programs in our area, we work collaboratively with other local program Directors in the Leaders Bridging the Divide partnership, and we sit on invitation only pilot programs that work to benefit the field of Early Education. E.J.’s requires a minimum of 30 hours yearly of on-going professional development and a commitment to furthering education and skills in the field of ECE. Educators at E.J.’s meet and exceed qualifications as specified by the State of Vermont, and all educators have approved Vt. State sponsored federal background checks including fingerprint clearance. Educators are certified in infant, child, and adult CPR and First Aid as well as Medication Administration. E.J.'s is a VT. state Protective Service Provider and E.J.'s educators are required to complete 6 hours of Basic Specialized Care training with additional Advanced Specialized Care training annually. Educators are also required to participate in personal leadership courses addressing the growth of professional communication skills, DISC temperament profile training, non-violent communication and more. E.J.’s is an approved teaching facility for the students and interns of Center for Technology Essex who are enrolled in the ECE program. E.J.’s celebrates the educator team as the very heartbeat of the program, and strives to nurture connected, positive relationships with the educator team.
The program is very fortunate to have many long-term, highly qualified and dedicated educators working for our team.
Our Leadership Team
At E.J.'s, we believe that we are all leaders in our program! Within this framework of leadership, each learning community within the program has a Team Leader that helps to guide that group of children and teachers towards excellence.
Office Team Leaders:
Laurel Pelkey-Morin, Owner/Administrator (31 years)
Courtney Bessette, Director of Operations (28 years)
Hillary Gorby, Assistant Director of Operations (23 years)
Infant Team Leader:
Lindy Dykema, Team Leader and Vt. Licensed Teacher (19 years)
Young Toddler Team Leader:
Jessica Lavee, Team Leader and Program Director of Education (23 years)
Older Toddler Team Leader:
Natalie Brosseau, Team Leader (1 year)
Preschool Team Leaders:
Hillary Gorby, Asst. Director of Operations (23 years)
Vanessa Beaupre, Team Leader (6 years)
