Our Staff

Elizabeth Zanetti (Ms. Liz)

Director

Elizabeth Zanetti (Ms. Liz)

Director

Liz is originally from New York and attended Loyola University Maryland for undergraduate and graduate school. She has a PhD in Pastoral Counseling and is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor experienced in working with young children and their families through a variety of life challenges. Her work has included counseling in elementary school settings, private practice, and an in-patient hospital unit. Liz has two children who attended LCYC so she has known the school well from the parent perspective since 2018. Most recently, Liz was a substitute teacher for LCYC and she got to know and understand the school from the teaching perspective.

Liz lives in Kensington with her husband and two children, ages 8 and 5.

Kristin Wieroniey (Ms. Kristin)

Assistant Director

Kristin Wieroniey (Ms. Kristin)

Assistant Director

Kristin is originally from Richmond, Virginia but has spent much of her life living in Maryland, including attending University of Maryland to study accounting and Loyola University Maryland for graduate school. Kristin is a CPA by trade and started her journey with LCYC last year as a co-oping parent when her daughter attended our school. Kristin has a passion for our work and community at LCYC , and brings with her a skill set for financial and organizational management.

Kristin lives in Kensington with her husband and two daughters, ages 9 and 5.

Maria Fraggetta (Ms. Maria)

2s Teacher

Maria Fraggetta (Ms. Maria)

2s Teacher

Maria has always had a passion for working with and teaching children. She holds a certification in early childhood care and development and has taken early childhood education courses at Molloy College in New York. Maria worked at a day care center helping to teach children social, communitive, and problem-solving skills. She is the proud mother of three young daughters and as her daughters grew, her love for teaching and helping children grew as well. She has worked as a classroom monitor at a parochial pre-school and an elementary school. Maria has also volunteered her time to organize, plan, and execute events, and celebrations at her daughters’ schools. Marias natural ability to communicate with children and her innate sense of creativity make her classroom a fun, imaginative, and wholesome learning experience.

Sepideh Salehi (Ms. Sepi)

3s/4s Lead Teacher, Art Special Teacher

Sepideh Salehi (Ms. Sepi)

3s/4s Lead Teacher, Art Special Teacher

Sepideh Salehi is a multidisciplinary artist born in Tehran, Iran. She left Iran to attend Accademia di Belle Arti in Florence, Italy, where she received her MFA in Visual Art and Multimedia. Sepideh has more than 15 years of art teaching experience in Iran, Italy, and the United States. She has taught in different settings, including art schools and museums, working with many students, especially children with diverse cultures and ethnic backgrounds. Her artwork has been exhibited in museums and galleries all around the world. She was a mentor for immigrant artists at the New York Foundation for Art for four years. Her work has been featured in many magazines, including Washington Post, Vanity Fair, Financial Times, W Magazine, BBC, Huff Post. Sepideh was a teacher at the Pardis for children in New York City. She designed and led workshops at the Asia Society, Metropolitan, and Guggenheim museums during those years. She currently lives with her husband and their seven years old daughter in Friendship heights in Maryland.

Miranda Driscoll (Mrs. Driscoll)

3s Teacher

Miranda Driscoll (Mrs. Driscoll)

3s Teacher

Mandy has worked in the Early Childhood Education field for over 20 years. Originally from Dublin, Ireland Mandy lives in Kensington with her husband Kevin and their 3 children Ryan 21, Evan 17 and Erin 13. Mandy holds a Diploma and several certificates in both Early Childhood Education and Special Education pre-k to 5th grade. Mandy has worked in several preschools in the Bethesda/Kensington and Aspen Hill area and has also worked at Garrett Park Elementary school as a Special Education Paraprofessional. Continuing Education is very important to Mandy keeping her up to date on different fields like phonics in early reading practices, social emotional growth in young children and Art therapies for children with sensory differences.

Embracing each child as an individual Mandy encourages each child to celebrate their differences and strengths. Her classroom is a place of learning, growing, making friends and feeling welcomed.

Aruni Jayasuriya (Ms. Aruni)

3s Assistant Teacher

Aruni Jayasuriya (Ms. Aruni)

3s Assistant Teacher

Aruni has 9 years of experience teaching preschool. She holds a diploma in Early Childhood Education and a few certifications for child growth & development from Montgomery College. Aruni loves educating young kids and that’s her passion. Aruni lives in Rockville, originally from Sri Lanka, with her husband and two children.

Carla Foster (Ms. Carla)

2s Assistant Teacher

Carla Foster (Ms. Carla)

2s Assistant Teacher

Carla was born in Kensington, MD and then went to West Virginia University for college. She graduated with a bachelors in psychology and went on to work in childcare and education settings with children ages6 months to 7 years. Carla loves helping children develop their social and emotional skills. She currently lives in Kensington with her husband, 3 sons, and 2 dogs.

Robin Mayhew (Ms. Robin)

4s Teacher

Robin Mayhew (Ms. Robin)

4s Teacher

Robin Mayhew has been a long time member at LCYC, she is our Monday – Friday 4s teacher this year at LCYC. A graduate of the University of Delaware, she also holds a Master’s degree in communications from Emerson College in Boston. It was in fact during her time in Boston that Robin’s interest in teaching was first piqued, as she work as a preschool teaching assistant while in grad school.

Robin worked for several years as a writer and in public relations, and then later began directing children’s camps at St. Paul’s UMC in Kensington. She and her husband Keith have fond memories of their time as LCYC parents, as their children Ginger and Ryan are proud LCYC alumni.

Ms. Robin’s positive, calm and creativity makes her classroom a happy place to be!

Nancy Voit (Ms. Nancy)

Nature Club Teacher, Classroom Sub

Nancy Voit (Ms. Nancy)

Nature Club Teacher, Classroom Sub

Nancy loves nature! And ever since earning a Certificate in Natural History Field Studies from the Audubon Naturalist Society in 2015, Nancy has been teaching nature to children ages 3 through 9 years of age. It is with a sense of wonder and a whole lot of theater play that Nancy engages children to explore the natural world and expand their knowledge to be good protectors of all creation. The seasons guide us as we look closely at animals like birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, insects and arthropods and study the plants that line our nature hikes around LCYC and beyond.

Nancy is a transplant from New York and lives in Bethesda with her husband Eric. She has three adult children.

Daniela Cestone (Mrs. Cestone)

3s/4s Lead Teacher

Daniela Cestone (Mrs. Cestone)

3s/4s Lead Teacher

Daniela has always had a passion for nurturing young minds. With more than 20 years of experience working in Early Childhood, she has taught First Grade, Prek-4s, and has provided tutoring at tutoring centers as well as privately. A DC native, Daniela graduated from the University of Maryland and holds a Masters in Early Childhood Education from Trinity College in DC.

Daniela first joined the LCYC community as a co-oping parent, and then went on to join the staff in 2012. As a parent of two LCYC alumni herself, Daniela brings a well-rounded perspective to her teaching, allowing her to connect with the children and their families. She believes children best thrive when they are in a positive environment and encouraged to explore, discover, and grow.

Carolyn Rees (Mrs. Rees)

4s Assistant Teacher

Carolyn Rees (Mrs. Rees)

4s Assistant Teacher

Mrs. Rees has 25+ years of teaching experience spanning preschool through grade 3, her longest stints being kindergarten at the Beauvoir School and 11 years teaching preschool at Christ Episcopal School in Rockville. She has a B.A. in Art History from Smith College and a Masters in Early Childhood Education from Catholic University.

She lives in Kensington with her husband, Jonathan and their dog, Tucker, and has two grown sons, Nathaniel and Andrew who are LCYC alums! Returning to LCYC after all these years feels like coming home and she is thrilled to be teaching her absolute favorite age, PreK!

When she is not at LCYC she enjoys tutoring, and loves to read, cook, sing and spend time outside in nature with her family.

Carolyn Liffiton (Ms. Carolyn)

Playground Manager

Carolyn Liffiton (Ms. Carolyn)

Playground Manager

Carolyn has a long childcare story. She has five children and five grandchildren. She owned a home daycare for 10yrs when her kids were young. The youngest three are LCYC alumni. Carolyn is certified in preschool education. She is in charge of the LCYC playground and enjoys learning about all of our preschoolers. She also gets to know the children at drop off and pick up. Carolyn also loves to bake with the lunch bunchers and classes during the week!

Trish Charette (Ms. Trish)

All School Aide

Trish Charette (Ms. Trish)

All School Aide

Trish came to LCYC in 2022 as a parent and is thrilled to now be a part of the staff. In her role as All School Aide, her responsibilities include assisting with arrival and dismissal, preparing the daily snack and supporting the teachers and staff in a variety of ways. She loves to see the smiling faces of the preschoolers and getting to know each child.

Trish has over 15 years experience in project/account management and a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Notre Dame. Originally from Texas, Trish lives in Rockville with her husband and two daughters.

Gladis (Ms. G)

All School Aide

Gladis (Ms. G)

All School Aide

Gladis is a Maryland native, born and raised in the Silver Spring area. She attended the University of Maryland College Park and graduated with an Economics degree. Gladis started her journey at LCYC as a co-oping parent when her son, Jaxon, attended our school last year. She’s now joined the staff as an all school aid and classroom sub. She even continues to co-op as her daughter, Valentina, is currently enrolled. She’s always happy to help and jump in when needed. Originally from the Pacific Northwest, Kelsey enjoys a good cup of coffee. She is an avid gardener and active member of her neighborhood book club.

Our Staff

Elizabeth Zanetti (Ms. Liz)

Kristin Wieroniey (Ms. Kristin)

Maria Fraggetta (Ms. Maria)

Sepideh Salehi (Ms. Sepi)

Miranda Driscoll (Mrs. Driscoll)

Aruni Jayasuriya (Ms. Aruni)

Carla Foster (Ms. Carla)

Robin Mayhew (Ms. Robin)

Nancy Voit (Ms. Nancy)

Daniela Cestone (Mrs. Cestone)

Carolyn Rees (Mrs. Rees)

Carolyn Liffiton (Ms. Carolyn)

Trish Charette (Ms. Trish)

Gladis (Ms. G)

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NOTICE OF NONDISCRIMINATORY POLICY AS TO STUDENTS