Maureen (Mo) Kelly
Director

Ms. Maureen (Mo) is our new Director.  Ms. Mo received her degree in Early Childhood Education from Illinois State University and has been in the field for 30 years.  In addition to being a preschool teacher, she has been the Director of many facilities as well an adjunct faculty at an IL Community College.  She was most recently working as a consultant with the VA. Infant and Toddler Specialist Network. 

Ms. Mo moved to Virginia Beach five years ago for her husband’s job from Bloomington, IL.  About her job, Ms. Mo says “I believe relationships are the heart of a quality preschool.  I love interacting daily with the children, staff and parents.”  Ms. Mo loves spending time with her family who all live in the Midwest and watching her three young grandchildren grow.

Kenda Morris
Assistant Director

If you’ve called our school, had a tour, or paid tuition, you know Ms. Kenda!  Ms. Kenda has been with CCPA for six years now and is basically the piece that keeps us all running smoothly.  She’s from Duncan OK, where she earned her Associate’s degree in Secretarial Administration.  She loves that her position lets her get to interact with both the preschoolers and their families.  In her spare time, she enjoys reading, crafting, and spending time with her family.

Julie Riegle
Fine Arts Teacher

Ms. Julie is our Interim Director and Fine Arts teacher.  She first experienced CCPA as a parent, and then joined seven years ago as a music teacher.  As we have moved toward a Reggio-inspired school, Ms. Julie has added “Fine Arts Teacher” to her resume.  Ms. Julie is originally from Lubbock, TX, and earned her BSEd degree from Texas Tech University.  Upon moving to the Virginia Beach area, she became a kindergarten teacher with Virginia Beach City Public Schools.  After taking a break from teaching to raise her two youngest children for a few years, she enrolled them at CCPA, and joined the staff shortly thereafter.

About her job, Ms. Julie says, “I love that I get to work with all of the children at CCPA.  Their enthusiasm is amazing and fills me up every day.  I love my job and feel I have the best job in the school!”  Ms. Julie also loves spending time with her family at the beach and trying new restaurants.  In addition, she enjoys shopping thrift stores, flea markets, and antique stores to find treasures she can turn into projects.

Two Year Olds

Two, Three and Five Day Classroom

Megan Tereshko
Two Year Old Lead Teacher

Ms. Megan is a mother of 3 and a Navy wife.  She has her degree in Elementary Education with a Masters in Art Integration.  She loves working with children and helping them find the love in learning.  When Ms. Megan is not in school, she is running between sports fields, dance studios, and swimming pools.  She truly believes you have to reach the heart of the children before you can teach their minds.

Darden Dickerson
Two Year Old Assistant Teacher

Ms. Darden studied English and Music at Virginia Commonwealth University before beginning her Early Childhood Education journey at Tidewater Community College.  She has worked for Cerebral Palsy of Virginia, was the head of the preschooler programs at the Virginia Beach Field House and has done volunteer work with the EquiKids Therapeutic Riding Program and the Arts Inclusion Company. 

Her favorite part of working with children is their ability to continuously surprise her through creative expression.

Three Year Olds

Five Day Classroom

Mellissa Altemara
Three Year Old Lead Teacher

Ms. Melissa is from Pittsburgh, PA but has lived in Virginia Beach for the last 22 years.  She has earned her Associate’s degree from TCC this past fall, and we are thrilled for her!  She started out as an assistant in the 2 year old room for two years, then moved into a lead position with 3 year olds four years ago.  Her favorite part of teaching is developing relationships with the families and watching the kids develop and grow over the school year.  Ms. Melissa says, “It’s amazing how much they change in nine months!”  In her spare time she enjoys spending time with her family, camping, and scrapbooking.

Christy Straub
Three Year Old Assistant Teacher

Ms. Christy is a mother of three and originally from Murrieta, California.  She began at CCPA as a preschool parent.  All three of her children attended and that where she fell in love with the school and its staff.  Her favorite part of working with children is talking with them and hearing what they think about the world around them.  She also enjoys reading, going to the beach and spending time with her family.

Two Day and Three Day Classroom

Kim DeWitt
Three Year Old Teacher

Ms. Kim is originally from Plainfield, IL.  After serving in the Navy as a Hospital Corpsman, she returned home and earned her associates from Joliet Junior College and began pursuing her Bachelors degree.  In 2006, she and her family moved to Virginia Beach.  She has been a Preschool Teacher for over 7 years and also taught in a Spanish Immersion classroom.  When not at school, her family keeps her busy with Band, Girl Scouts and finding different adventures.

Kristin Stock
Three Year Old Assistant Teacher

Ms. Kristin studied Psychology at James Madison University and then earned her Master’s degree in Counseling from Old Dominion University. She has worked as a School Counselor, a Preschool Teacher and a Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS) Leader. She enjoys traveling, gardening and spending time with family and friends

Three Day Classroom

Becca VanBatavia,
Three Year Old Lead Teacher

Ms. Becca has her degree in Elementary education with a minor in science.  She loves seeing new discoveries through the eyes of little ones and the excitement they have in learning new things.  She is married to her high school sweetheart and has two children, Benjamin and Amelia.  She enjoys crafting, going to the beach, and spending time with her family.

Jennifer Jenks
Three Year Old Assistant Teacher

Ms. Jennifer has been working at CCPA for over 3 years. She has experience in all age groups throughout the school and has worked summer camps as well. She loves being silly and making the children laugh is her favorite part about working in the preschool field. Ms. Jennifer is originally from Bermuda and loves everything about the outdoors. She loves the beach, kayaking, biking and taking her daughter on adventures.  

Four Year Olds

Five Day Classroom

Jen Kerstiens
Four Year Old Lead Teacher

Ms. Jen grew up in Ann Arbor Michigan and got her Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Indiana University.  She has completed several hours toward a Master’s degree from Mississippi State University as well.  Ms. Jen loves to watch her students learn and to experience the learning process with them.  She enjoys spending time with family and friends, watching CNU women’s soccer, traveling, and reading.

Anne Scalzi
Four Year Old Assistant Teacher

Ms. Anne hails from Linthicum, Maryland.  She received a Bachelor’s of Science in Human Nutrition and Foods.  She is a registered dietician and is currently working on her certification for Early Childhood Education at TCC.  Anne’s favorite part of her job is “working alongside children, talking with them, connecting with them, and seeing the ‘aha’ moments.”  In her off time, Anne loves to focus on her family.

Five Day Classroom

Ms. Mary,
Four-year Old Lead Teacher

Ms. Mary is from Norfolk, Virginia and has lived in Virginia Beach for 24 years. She attended Mary Washington University and received a BA in English Literature with a teaching certification in PK-4th grade. She has been teaching at CCPA since 2008.  She also has a wonderful husband and three great children.  Outside of school, she loves to travel.

Andrea Correia
Four-year Old Assistant Teacher

​Ms. Andrea was born and raised in Mountainside, New Jersey, exit 136 (a little Jersey humor).  She went to school at Hahnemann College of Allied Health in Philadelphia, PA and received an Associate’s degree as a Registered Nurse.  She worked as a nurse for over twenty years and then found the love and enjoyment of working with preschoolers.

Ms. Andrea has been part of the CCPA family since 2009.  She has worked as a four-year old assistant teacher for five years and will be continuing that role this year.  She is also the lead teacher for the morning (before care) program.  She enjoys watching and helping each of God’s children grow and succeed with their young lives.

Two and Three Day Classroom

Jenn Kubica
Four Year Old Teacher

Ms. Jenn is in her 10th year of teaching at CCPA.  During this time, she has brought her creative energy to many classrooms.  Currently, she teaches one of our 4-year old classes.  Ms. Jenn is a dynamic teacher who brings a lot of fun and creative activities to the children.  She especially likes to do amazing science experiments in the classroom!  Ms. Jenn is married and has two beautiful daughters and three dogs who keep her very busy.

Brittany Housden
Four Year Old Assistant Teacher

Three Day Classroom

Stacey O'Connor
Four Year Old Teacher

Ms. Stacey is in her 10th year teaching 4-year- olds at CCPA. She is originally from Massachusetts and received her Bachelors in Psychology from Northeastern University in Boston. The Navy brought her to Virginia Beach almost 25 years ago and it’s now her home!

She loves CCPA because of the wonderful teachers she gets to work with and all the children and families she gets to meet each year. Her favorite part of teaching is seeing the look of excitement on a child’s face when they learn something new or master a task they have been working on. When she is not teaching, she loves to spend time with her family and friends at the beach, reading, traveling and watching her favorite sports teams.

Caroline Hamilton
Four Year Old Assistant Teacher

Ms. Caroline was born and raised in Virginia Beach, Virginia.  She received her Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond.  After college she met and married her Army husband.  They and their two children have lived all over the United States, but now call Virginia Beach home, once again. 

Ms. Caroline began at CCPA, as a preschool parent for two years and then joined us as a staff member.  Ms. Caroline loves the family community among the students, parents, teachers, and staff.  Most of all she cherishes her time with the children and all their sweet smiles, funny observations and getting messy with Art.  In her spare time, Ms. Caroline enjoys tennis, bike riding, reading, the beach and spending time with her family. 

Extended Preschool Care

Donna Newman
Extended Care Programs Supervisor 

Ms. Donna joined the CCPA staff in 2013 as a teacher with our Extended Care program.  She was born in Biloxi, MS and moved frequently due to her father being in the Air Force.  She earned a degree in Special Education from Lynchburg College and continued, taking several post graduate classes as well.  Ms. Donna taught junior high/middle school special education classes for several years before joining us at CCPA.  

Ms. Donna’s favorite part of teaching is learning from her students.  When she’s not at school, she enjoys spending time with her family and her dog.  Ms. Donna is also an avid supporter of the American Cancer Society.

Kindergarten and Afterschool Programming

Krystin Platt
Lead Kindergarten Teacher

Ms. Krystin is a beach baby, born and raised in Virginia Beach.  As a teen, she was a Youth Leader and Mentor in her church where she planned programs and events for youth of all ages.  She went on to work for Virginia Beach Parks and Recreation in their Before and Afterschool Program.  In 2017, she graduated from Norfolk State University with her Bachelor's degree in Psychology.  This Fall, she will return to get her Masters degree in Special Education Teacher for K-12. 

Ms. Krystin joined CCPA in 2017 as a 3 year-old Assistant Teacher and is currently the Lead Kindergarten and Afterschool Teacher.  In her spare time, she enjoys long walks on the beach and rollerskating on the boardwalk.

Alia Williams
Kindergarten Assistant Teacher

Ms. Alia graduated from the 2018 inaugural class at Green Run Collegiate High School and is currently attending Tidewater Community College (TCC).  At TCC, she is a student in the Early Childhood Education program.  What she likes most about working with children is that they are very inquisitive and any moment can be a teachable moment.  Ms. Alia says, "What I enjoy most about CCPA are the friendly people that work around me!".  Some of her favorite hobbies are doing makeup, cooking foods from different cultures, and watching 90's movie marathons.

Jacob Newman
Afterschool Assistant Teacher

Mr. Jacob is from Virginia Beach and a Senior at Kellam High School.  He began working at CCPA in June of 2017.  Mr. Jacob enjoys spending time with his friends and playing XBOX.

Substitute Teachers

Robin Kilgore

Ms. Robin was born and raised in Virginia Beach and continues to call it her home. She began teaching Preschool in 1980 at her local library and her home church. Her educational credits are from Tidewater Community College and Old Dominion University.  She has four grown children and two grandchildren.

Roberta Lane

Ms. Roberta has been a substitute at CCPA for over 8 years.  Prior to joining CCPA, she has worked in the preschool industry for over 16 years.  She loves working with all different ages and teachers.  Her fun hobbies are camping and collecting uniquely shaped rocks, especially heart shaped.

Marna Smith