Our Staff Teacher Lucy Teacher Lucy Chaille, also the Director of CCC, began teaching while working toward her Masters degree. Her first job was in NE Portland running a program called the “Theater Alcohol Awareness Program,” for which she hired teenagers as actors, who would study alcohol and drug abuse issues and then put together a touring show. “Later on I moved to early childhood by beginning programs at many of the local recreation centers,” says Lucy. “I found that as I worked with adults and teens I became fascinated with ‘when and why’ did people lose their connection to the idea of creativity.” Through personal research, Lucy concluded that when young children are exposed to multiple ideas and solutions, art, writing, drama, and so on, they never lose their initial ability to creatively solve problems and answer questions. “Regardless of what happens in between, there remains an inner voice that says, ‘You can do it.’ This led me to early childhood education and Piaget’s constructivism as a philosophy of learning.” Teacher Lucy keeps coming back to CCC every year because of the people—the children, parents, and teachers who are Creative Children’s Center. “I cannot believe how much I learn each year from the experience of working together. This is an amazing place. Not because of one person, or a few, but due to the deep love of children that we all share. Everyone that attends CCC comes to the school because they believe in connections. They too share in the value of democracy and in the right of children to have quality. The CCC community is a neighborhood that truly lives the idea that together we’re better!” When not at CCC, Lucy spends time with her husband, Ted, and with her four children: Aaron, a Reed college graduate who spent time with AmeriCorps; Casey, who now teaches at CCC; and twins David and Nastassia, who just graduated from high school. Lucy occasionally brings another important family member with her to school: Bandit, her dog (her three cats stay home), who can be seen running around with the children or sleeping in the office. Teacher Lucy will be teaching Kindergarten and Play Pals AM this school year. Teacher Kirsten This is teacher Kirsten Meyer’s second year teaching the mixed-age (3- to 5-year-old) Tiger Cubs class. Before Kirsten taught Tiger Cubs, she taught one of the Play Pals classes for several years; she has also assisted in other classes at CCC. Kirsten has both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Education and worked as an elementary and middle school teacher before her children were born. Kirsten was born and raised in the little town of Sequim, Washington, where her parents and brothers still live. In 1987 she married Ed. Their son Thane was born in 1995, followed by daughter Anitra in 1998. When Thane was 2 years old, Kirsten enrolled him here at CCC. In 2000, Anitra began school here as well. That year Kirsten also went “back to school” and began teaching at CCC. When not teaching, Kirsten enjoys spending time with her family, volunteering at her children’s school, camping, singing, reading, and traveling. Kirsten has learned much while teaching here at CCC, both from the staff and from the children, and continues to be fascinated and inspired by all she is learning about the Reggio Emilia approach. She maintains that taking time to really listen to children and document what she hears continually makes her a better teacher. She truly feels blessed to work with such a committed staff and supportive community of families. Teacher Casey Casey Betcher has been working for Creative Children’s Center for 9 years. She began as an assistant in the summer school program. In 2001, Teacher Casey created and taught an after-school program where children would stay and explore various art-related materials, science, cooking, and music and dance. She left in 2002 to attend the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, WA. In the summers, she returned to work with CCC staff on the summer programs. While she attended school in Washington, she continued her work with children. At Tacoma Daycare and Pre-school, she ran the after school tutoring program that also included arts and music. At the Washington State History Museum, Casey worked in the Education Department planning and organizing family events, school field trips, gallery assistance, and outreach programs. In May 2006, Casey graduated from the University of Puget Sound with a BA in History and a Minor in Studio Art. She returned to CCC to direct the summer program. After graduation, Casey travel to Australia for 5 months. Upon her return last winter, Casey began working as an administrative assistant, assisting in the classrooms, and subbing when needed. In April, she transitioned into the lead teacher for the Super Stars and Teddy Bears classes. She was very excited for the opportunity to get out of the office and back into the classroom, and she loved working with the children and families. Throughout her years as a CCC teacher, Casey has attended many professional trainings, from the National Association for the Education of the Young Child’s annual conference to workshops specializing in the Reggio Approach. As valuable as her knowledge and experience, though, is Casey’s immense love for children. This year Teacher Casey is teaching Rainbow Rascals, Play Pals PM, and Teddy Bears. ©2004-2007 Creative Children's Center. All rights reserved.