Margaret Carrasquillo

Director

I was born and raised in Camden NJ, graduated from St Joseph High School and obtained an Associates of Science Degree in Human Services/Early Childhood from Camden County Community College.

My work in Early Childhood Education began in August of 1976 in Columbus, GA as an Assistant Social Services Intake Worker.

Early Childhood Experience

• Camden County Office of Economic Opportunity Head Start, Preschool Group Teacher, 4 years
• Martin Luther King Child Development Center Preschool Group Teacher, 13 years
• Early Head Start Infant/Toddler Program Camden City, Program Director

At Martin Luther King Child Development Center, I was part of a team that attained accreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). MLKCDC was the first center in Southern NJ to attain this national recognition. Ms Verna Swinney, our Teddy Bear Teacher at Kiddie Korner, was also a member of this team.

During my time at the Early Head Start program, I completed my Bachelor of Arts Degree in Child Development online with Concordia University, St Paul, MN. I started out as an Infant/Toddler Teacher. Over the course of the 8 years I was with the program, I was promoted to other management positions, and eventually served as the Program Director.

In 2006, I began work as a consultant on a project in Deptford, New Jersey in which the owner renovated a former elementary school. I spent the next three years working on this project. Education Partners Early Learning Academy, which was licensed for 160 students opened in September 2008 with 42 students. As the consultant and eventual Director of the Early Learning Academy, I was responsible for the classroom designs and furnishings, curriculum research and development, staff selection and training and all the other tasks necessary to start a new school.

In August 2009, looking to decrease my workload, I responded to an advertisement for a part time Director’s position at Kiddie Korner Nursery School. Mrs. Davis, the owner, and I immediately bonded over our years of experience in the field of Early Childhood Education. From my first visit to Kiddie Korner, I felt the warmth and friendliness of the staff and I saw the joy and happiness in the children who were engaged in meaningful activities. The dedication of the owners, who had committed over 40 years to their dream of making Kiddie Korner … “A place to delight in learning” all combined to let me know that this was the place for me.